Protect Your Cat in Summer

When summer rolls around your cat may become more active and interested in spending time outdoors. With this increase in activity, and the general increase in temperatures during the summer, it's important to keep in mind what you need to do to keep your cat happy and thriving. This includes making sure to keep it cool, safe, and healthy.

Keeping Your Cat Cool

 * 1) Keep your cat's water dish full. It is important that your cat stays hydrated during the hot summer months. Change its water every day and make sure that it has access to that water at all times.
 * 2) *If your cat is spending a lot of time outside, you should put a fresh bowl of water outside for it, as well as a bowl inside. A cat spending the day outside needs a guaranteed source of water in order to stay hydrated.
 * 3) *If the day is especially hot, put a few ice cubes in your cats water bowl at the beginning of the day. This will keep the water cooler throughout the day.
 * 4) Give your cat ice. If your home is especially warm, make a game out of cooling your cat down. Put a few ice cubes on the floor and let your cat play with them. If you have an active cat, it will enjoy the game and get cooled down at the same time.
 * 5) *Different cats will have vastly different reactions to ice. Some will ignore it, some will play with it, some will lick it, and some will probably even lay on it. It's fun to see what your cat will do!
 * 6) *You can also give your cat a cool treat by freezing its favorite wet food in a ice tray or small plastic cup and then giving it to the cat in its food bowl. The cat will need to work a little harder to eat its food but the frozen food will cool the cat down in the process.
 * 7) Give old or sick cats special care. Cats that are old or that are ill will have a harder time regulating their body temperature than cats that are young and healthy. Because of this, you will need to be especially careful about keeping an old or unhealthy cat cool in the summer.
 * 8) *Cats that are overweight may also have a hard time getting rid of excess heat, as their additional weight interferes with the regulation of their body temperature. You should be more concerned about keeping them cool than you would be for a skinny cat.
 * 9) Keep your cat inside. It is especially important to keep a cat inside while there is an extreme heat advisory. In extreme temperatures your cat will have a hard time finding anywhere outside that it cool enough to avoid heatstroke, in addition to having a hard time finding sources of water.
 * 10) *Make sure that your cat doesn't have any way of escaping the house.
 * 11) Brush your cat. While it's not a good idea to shave your cat, as its hair actually helps to regulate its body temperature, removing your cat's excess fur is a good idea. Give your cat a good brush so that its thick undercoat is removed regularly.
 * 12) *Spending the time to brush your cat also allows you to inspect your cat's body for injuries or infections, such as fleas or ticks.
 * 13) Don't leave your cat in a car. It is never a good idea to leave any pet in a sealed car, especially on a warm summer day. Temperatures can climb rapidly in the summer and the temperature in a sealed car can grow to a temperature that threatens your cat's life very quickly.
 * 14) *If you are traveling in a car with a cat make sure that the car is cool and that the cat is out of the direct sunlight.

Keeping Your Cat Safe

 * 1) Make sure screens are secure. Many cats love to lounge on window sills in the warm sunlight. In the winter, when windows are closed, this is a great way for them to stay warm. In the summer, however, when windows are open, it can be hazardous. Cats leaning into screens that are not very secure can easily pop them out, leading to escape from the house or injury.
 * 2) *Don't assume that your cat will understand the difference between a solid window and a flimsy screen. If your cat is used to the window being solid, it will probably assume that it is that way all of the time.
 * 3) Keep medications and vaccinations up to date. You should always keep your cat's medications and vaccinations up to date but it's especially important in the summer. Fleas and ticks are more active during the summer, so these infections are more likely to occur in the summer.
 * 4) *Also, keeping vaccinations up to date in the summer is especially important because your cat is more likely to come into contact with other animals during the summer months. More contact increases the risk of your cat getting a contagious disease, such as feline distemper, if they are not vaccinated.
 * 5) Avoid vigorous activity. While a cat wont usually go on a run with you or get heatstroke from playing fetch for hours, excessive activity can increase a cat's body temperature. If it is very hot out or in your home, don't play with your cat for long periods of time and exhaust it. This can lead to an increased body temperature.
 * 6) Make sure your cat has identification. If your cat is spending more time outside during the summer it is especially important to make sure it has current identification. You should put tags on it that includes your current phone number and address and have it micro chipped, so that it can be returned to you if found by animal control.
 * 7) *Having both forms of identification on your cat will help to assure its safe when roaming the neighborhood.
 * 8) Avoid growing toxic plants. Many general house plants are toxic to cats, and they are grown year round. However, many outside blooming plants, such as daisies, dahlias, and lilies, are also toxic for cats. Your cat is more likely to come into contact with these plants in the summer, when they are grown outside. While outdoor cats regularly roam beyond their yards, it's best to limit the hazards to your cat by avoiding growing these plants.
 * 9) *Consult a list of plants that are toxic to cats before planning your garden.
 * 10) *Signs that your cat has ingested a plant that is toxic to them range from nausea and throwing up to sudden death. Because the signs are general and hard to pin point, it's best to keep your cat away from these plants to begin with.
 * 11) Bring your cat inside at night. Bringing your cat inside will protect it from a variety of dangers that increase at night. These include, but aren't limited to, the dangers of cars and wild animals.
 * 12) *Even though you don't see wild animals in your neighborhood it doesn't mean they are not there. For example, coyotes largely move around, and hunt, at night.

Identifying Signs of Illness

 * 1) Inspect your cat's body. Take the time to groom your cat and look over the state of its body while you do. This gives you the chance to look for injuries, infections, and pests. It also allows you to identify areas that are sunburned and need some care, which can be given by applying a thin layer of aloe vera to the burns.
 * 2) *Your cat's paws can get damaged from walking on hot concrete all day. Look at its pads and make sure they are in good shape. If they look damaged you should take your cat to the vet to the damage can be treated.
 * 3) *Cats are usually more active outside during the summer and this means that they interact with other animals more during that time of year. This interaction can lead to fights and injuries. Checking over your cat's body can allow you to spot injuries that, without treatment, could become infected and turn into abscesses.
 * 4) Pay attention to signs of heatstroke. If your cat is not properly hydrated and has been exposed to high temperatures, it can get heat stroke very quickly. Signs that your cat has heat stroke include:
 * 5) *Panting
 * 6) *Drooling
 * 7) *Red tongue or gums
 * 8) *Weakness
 * 9) *Vomiting
 * 10) Take your cat to a veterinarian. If your cat appears to be having extreme symptoms of heat stroke you should take it to a veterinarian quickly. You should be concerned and take your cat in if it is panting a lot, its gums have turned red, and it appears weak or disoriented.

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