Best MSE ways to keep your pets cool in the summer heat - 2019

dizziblonde

My cat's spending the days cabbaged out on the sofa snoring... so business as usual really - I'm keeping the front curtains closed a lot of the time so the room's not a sun trap and keep putting ice cubes in her water bowl so they melt and keep the water cooler for longer.

My mum's old cat had no concept of heat as bad at all - he'd lie in the sun, practically to the point of steam rising from him and it would never occur to him to move - stupid cat.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

If I get up to go for a cuppa i have to carefully negotiate cat bodies scattered over the laminate. I wipe the Maine Coon down with a damp flannel, as she was making herself sick by grooming so much. Mind you, it doesn't help that the fluffy muppet insists on sleeping on the cable box and roasting her belly until she can't take it any more.

loobyloo2

Just to say, dogs cool down from underneath and from their feet, so letting them lie on damp towels is the best way to cool them down if they overheat. Just placing wet towels over their back doesn't really do very much.
Mine find strange places to lie when it is hot, they go under a huge climbing rose, or scrape around on the bark chips until they uncover the cool damp bark underneath, then snooze there.
Both of mine have such thick curly coats, there are differing opinions on which way to keep them cool in summer, keeping them in their full coat, or clipping short. This year I am hoping to keep them in a full coat, if they cant cope with it, they will be clipped.
Just a reminder too about the wasps we get in the summer months, mine was stung on his pad and was in shock, I remembered to give him piriton, and it worked fine. I always keep some in the car now, just in case!

MrsE_2

RacyRed wrote: »

HiMy very large semi-longhaired tom is really suffering in this heat, despite thorough daily grooming (during which a load of undercoat comes out with the zoom groom).

I thought about getting a zoom groom, but I got confused by all the different tyles, soft, normal, with a pink cat, a blue dog, a purple whatever???????????
What one have you got?

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

quarry stone floor tiles are popular with hot animals ... a nice cool surface to lie on - I wonder if an offcut of marble or similar, or a stone flooring tile would be a good idea?

George likes to lie over the hearth of the marble fireplace.

chardonnay_2

for grooming have you tried a furminator? check out the recent thread.

we got one for my inlaws dogs and O MY GOD how much undercoat came off. it is amazing!

MrsE_2

chardonnay wrote: »

for grooming have you tried a furminator? check out the recent thread.

we got one for my inlaws dogs and O MY GOD how much undercoat came off. it is amazing!

Got one;)

But a zoom groom is like a kitty massage too? I think?

RacyRed

lisa2905 wrote: »

Whoops RacyRed well you did try!! Also did I not mention Harry is a dog and not knowing much about cats take it they don't like water !!!!! I'm gonna check out those Dioralyte sachets. Is that what you take when you've got dioreah, (no that not right) dioereah (no) dior (give up!!) the runs !!!!

Now you tell me! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

MrsE I have the purple zoom groom and it is fantastic as it massages them as well as gently removing the loose hair. Their coats and skin are in much better condition since I started using it and they really do love being groomed with it, purring non stop the whole time they are being groomed, and it is usually me who has had enough first. It is so easy to remove the cat hair from it and keep it clean too!

For some reason best known to him the boy prefers a bit of privacy so hops up on the loo seat but will only accept grooming if I've shut the bathroom door. When we are done the girls have formed a nice disorderly queue outside, waiting for their turn At least it means I can wipe around with a damp cloth to get all the escaped hair up.

The dioralyte sachets are a great suggestion thanks! I usually keep some in so will try that tomorrow when the heat builds up.

lowis

my two siamese tend to lie in the sunspots in the morning and then they wake up, eat, poo and then find some shade, where they lay sleeping until tea-time, then they eat and poo and then fall asleep again, then they wake again, follow me to bed and sleep again. the heat has definitely taken any energy out of them...but there are no signs of suffering yet, fingers crossed it remains that way.

i am very careful with pets in the summer months since my rabbit got fly-blown on a super hot day in August about 6 years ago. horrid thing to happen, and can happen incredibly quickly...so any rabbit owners please take care x

Artytarty

I was thinking of using a fine misting spay of water from a (clean&new) house type plant sprayer. I have two maine coons, but tbh they dont seem too bothered, especially not today as it's raining! But if it had got really bad i would ask the vet to shave their tumtums.
Arty

sammy_kaye18

Hi all

I learnt this a while ago - Bruno got really dehydrated on an evening walk. (hes a JRT btw)

Best thing I could do was put him in the bath and let cool (not cold) water run over him from the shower but massage it through his fur. Towel him off a bit. Put him in the hallway where its shaded with a fan pointing at him and make sure there was plenty of fresh cold water for him to drink .He soon recovered and was fine.

Never put a dog in a car in hot weather.

If you are walking your dog between 11 - 3 make sure you have plenty of water available with you and there is shade where they can lay down. The walk we go on has shade, and runs parallel to a river which has access points in several places so we take him down there and let him swim for a bit.

If a cat is breathing through his/her mouth then seek medical advice as it means the cat is severely dehydrated.

Also just wanted to add if your animal is pale don't forget their sun cream too.:D

Also some more tips on this thread from last year
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=902127&highlight=hot+dog