How to Keep Your Cat Cool When It's Hot Outside

If you’re feeling the heat, your cats are too, and that can pose risks for them. Your cat’s natural body temperature is only about three degrees warmer than ours, with their ideal environment being around 76 degrees Fahrenheit.

So if your home is feeling warm, here are some cool tips to transform it into a kitty oasis:

  • Beat the heat by keeping curtains and blinds closed, effectively lowering the temperature inside your home.
  • Give your cat access to cool surfaces like desks, sinks, and tubs.
  • Hydration stations: Set up multiple water bowls and fountains throughout the house, ensuring a constant supply of fresh, cool water. You can add extra water to their wet food too!
  • Drop some ice cubes into their water bowls for a fun playtime element and a refreshing sip. You can even freeze their empty water bowls to extend the cooling effect. 
  • Create some frozen treats not only to cool them off but also to add some excitement to mealtime.
  • Slip an ice pack beneath their bedding (make sure it doesn’t directly touch them) to provide some cooling relief.
  • Regularly brush your cat to help remove excess fur and prevent matting, allowing air to flow through their coat.

These feline heat hacks will keep your cat comfortable and safe even on the hottest of days.

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About Best Friends Animal Society

Best Friends is working to end the killing of dogs and cats in U.S. shelters in part by getting more pets out of shelters and into loving homes.

We’ve come a long way since the first known city reached no-kill in 1994, and now we’re closer than ever to making the entire country no-kill. Today, roughly 2,500 shelters are no-kill throughout the U.S. — and 700 more are just 100 pets or fewer away from reaching that milestone.

Best Friends is committed to working with passionate people like you to save homeless pets through adoption, volunteering, fostering, and advocacy. In addition to our lifesaving centers around the U.S, we also founded and run the nation's largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals.

Working together, we can save homeless pets in our communities and secure a better future for our best friends. Together, we will bring the whole country to no-kill.