HOW TO KEEP PETS COOL IN THE SUMMER

​Something we get asked on a daily basis this time of year is how to keep your cats cool during the summer. It’s important to remember that as well as us humans needing to remain hydrated, our furry little friends are also at risk of over-heating and dehydration.

Not everyone has the luxury of Air Conditioning, so we’ve put together this blog post of ways to keep your pets cool this summer... these are our tips so if you have any of your own then do comment them below so we can try them out!

​Water Bowls
It might seem obvious having water bowls around your home to help keep your cat hydrated, something that might help is moving the water bowls around your home. Cats are curious creatures and enjoy discovering a water bowl somewhere in the house! We always have one in the same place and then move a couple more bowls around our house to encourage them to keep drinking... just try not to kick them over!!
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These cute cat-themed water bowls are from Sass & Belle ​and we LOVE them! 
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​Drinking Fountains
It may sound a little unusual, but pet drinking fountains are also a great way to encourage your furr-babies to remain hydrated. In the wild, animals prefer to drink from running water than stagnant water. Although water bowls are great around your house, the sound of moving water will encourage your pet to actively drink more water, especially if they're lazy drinkers (like Jetty!)
 
We have two drinking fountains in our house, one upstairs and one downstairs to try and get Turbo and Jet to drink as much as possible through the day and night.
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These are the new PetSafe 'DrinkWell' fountains we're trialling. If you look closely you can just make out Jet's 'water beard'.. so sweet!

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​Ice Cubes
If it’s really hot during the day, adding a couple of ice cubes in to the water bowls or water fountains helps to keep the water cool, especially if you’re heading out for a while. Turbo & Jet also like the sound of the ice cubes cracking as they are put into the water, they often try to grab them with their paws too… so cute! They actually come running when we open the freezer in hope of playing with an ice cube!

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​Cooling mats
Not heard of these? We hadn’t either until 2 years ago when researching how to cool down your pets. A cooling mat is essentially an A3 sized mat that when you put pressure on it, gives off a cooling sensation. We’ve got NO idea how it works but it feels nice on a hot summer day! You can find them all over the internet, they’re pretty cheap on Amazon but are also stocked on most pet websites. 
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Stroke your pet with a Damp Towel
Most cats hate getting wet, but using a damp cloth (definitely not dripping wet!) with cold water to gently stroke your cat might really help them cool down. A little moisture can make a big difference, especially if it’s cold! When Eve was a little girl, her family cat used to purr when she stroked a damp flannel from the fridge on her head (her name was Pebbles!).
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Circulate cooler air
Keeping the air flowing around your home will help to maintain a cool temperature inside.  Some pets love to sit in front of desk fans so the draft cools them down.

​Keeping windows or doors open can help the air circulation. If you have indoor cats, it’s not always easy to have windows open so we’ve found a solution for you!

We purchased a ‘pet screen’ for our window, which essentially looks like a toughened mosquito net that fits perfectly into our window. This way we can have the windows wide open and the air can still flow without the risk of Turbo & Jet getting out onto the road. We use ours almost every day and Turbo loves to sit by it and cool down in the draft! As a plus for us humans, it stops all the bugs coming in at night!

​Our pet screen came from Streme but there are a few companies around that now stock them.

​Wet food
We started this list with keeping your pets hydrated and that’s also where we’re finishing. It might seem obvious but adding wet food in to your furr-babies diet helps them take in more moisture which in turn keeps them hydrated. If your pet only has dry food or kibble then perhaps introduce a wet food meal once a day, or if you’re already using wet food then just increase the amount compared to dry food. Of course, if your pet has a sensitive tummy then don't suddenly change their diet, nobody wants an upset tummy!
 
It’s also worth noting that during the hot weather a cats appetite might decrease, so perhaps leave the wet food out over night for them to graze on rather than throw it away during the day after it dries out in the heat.

​So there you have it, our top tips for keeping your little ones cool during the summer! Do let us know in the comments below if you have tried any of these things, or if you have any other methods that you think people should know about!

Stay cool :) x