How To Keep Your Cat Healthy In Hot Weather

It’s important to keep our pets cool in the summer months. Enjoying the summer season with your pet is one of life’s great pleasures. Making sure that they stay healthy is always a priority. As we’ve enjoyed some glorious hot weather for the past two summers, I wanted to share some tips and advice on how to keep your cat healthy in hot weather. Petplan have created an online Hub which is a great in-depth resource for anyone looking for advice on Pet Summer Safety, whether you’re looking after a dog, cat or rabbit, it’s well worth a read. Let’s take a look at a few ways we’ve been keeping Pickle the cat healthy this summer…

Meet Pickle the Cat

Firstly, I’d like to introduce our cat Pickle, incase you’re not following @thefabuloustimes over on Instagram. If you’re following me you’ve more than likely seen plenty of cat spam and will be well acquainted with Picks. Pickle’s daily routine involves waking up, usually at the end of our bed, before heading downstairs for breakfast. Pickle’s days are made up of naps, biscuits and lounging on the balcony, sounds pretty ideal, right?

Pickle is mostly an indoor cat, but will occasionally venture out into the small courtyard behind our home, usually when I’m out watering the plants. Pickle enjoys spending lots of time on the balcony watching the world go by and taunting the odd starling that lands on the fence. When we first met Pickle she was a timid, shy and very nervous cat, now she’s pretty confident and loves being at home. Pickle is usually reluctant to get cuddles, but secretly she likes to be fussed over, she purrs a lot when we brush her, loves being stroked and occasionally lets you get a cuddle…

Keep Your Cat Healthy

Over the summer months we have found ourselves wondering what the best steps are to keep Pickle the cat safe and healthy and whether we should get Pet Insurance. If you find yourself in a similar position, then hopefully this post will help you. One rule to remember is, that if it’s too hot for you, it’s too hot for them. So if you’re overheating in the summer sun, then chances are your pet is feeling the same, so be sure to take the necessary measures to keep your pet healthy. There are some great cat insurance plans and Dog Insurance plans that will cover your beloved pet against almost any unforeseen circumstances.

Garden Furniture

Pickle the cat loves napping outside on the balcony in the sun. Just like us humans it is possible for your pet to overdo the sun exposure, too much sunbathing can lead them to overheat. If your cat has a favourite sun spot, invest in some garden furniture to create some shade during the hottest hours of the day. Alternatively try draping towels between two patio chairs to create a little shelter from the sun. We found that after investing in a small table for the balcony, Pickle has found her new favourite spot. If it’s sunny Pickle will lounge underneath the table and when the sun goes in she will sit on top of it.

Cooling Cushions

A great way to help your cat say cool is by creating cooling cushions. Get an ice pack from the freezer and wrap it up in a carrier bag and pop it inside a cushion. Position your cooling cushion in your pets favourite spot. One of the ways cats and dogs manage their temperature is through their feet pads, so a cooling cushion will help moderate their temperature.

Chilled Food

Pickles appetite is slightly reduced through the hotter months. She is a little less active due to the heat, so uses less energy. A great way to encourage your pet to eat is by freezing their food with water in ice cube trays.

Hydration

Like us humans, pets need to stay hydrated in the summer months. Make you leave out more water than usual. We typically fill a large bowl of water in addition to Pickle’s regular bowl, that way she is never left short.

Some of my favourite days are those spent pottering around the house with Pickle. Typically I can be found watering plants, maybe picking tomatoes and salad from our balcony garden whilst Pickle basks in the sun.

“Time spent with cats is never wasted.”

Sigmund Freud

Stay fabulous

Christine

(This post is in conjunction with Petplan but all thoughts are my own)