Many cats love soaking up the sunshine, choosing the warmest spots in the garden to enjoy. Make sure you take precautions to avoid your cat getting dehydrated or sunburnt. Overexposure can lead to skin cancer.
Provide plenty of shade both inside and out. From sheltered plant pots to cardboard boxes, these items offer makeshift sunshades for outdoor-loving moggies.
Think about planting shrubs or using cat hides and boxes in the garden. These help your cat hide away from the sun’s potentially harmful rays.
If your cat has white fur, try keeping them inside between 10am and 3pm, when the sun is at its hottest. Speak to a vet about suitable sunscreen for cats, to ensure they don’t suffer from sunburn.
Keeping your cat cool inside your home is important too. Place fans around the house to keep the air circulating, remembering not to point the fan directly at your cat.
Another handy tip is to freeze a bottle of water, wrap it in a towel or pillowcase and place it somewhere your cat goes regularly. This stops them from feeling overheated during hotter spells. Remember to ensure that your cat can get away from the bottle if they chose to, and make sure the bottle does not leak!
When your cat does not take in enough fluid through drinking or eating a wet (canned) diet, your cat can become dehydrated. During the summer months, this is more likely to happen. Normal hydration is important for cats as it helps maintain a normal body temperature, removes wasteproducts and maintains proper circulation.
To assess whether your cat is dehydrated, look at our top tips:
If dehydration is suspected, please seek veterinary advice
To prevent your cat from getting dehydrated, encouraging them to drink water is key. Here are some ways to get your cat to drink more water: