Cats in Summer

[lyorn]

I have a balcony that catches the afternoon and evening sun. This time of year, on sunny days, it's at least 45°C (110°+ F) out there when I come home in the early evening. The cats want the balcony door to be open and enjoy the summer, the warmth, and the early-evening moths. I want to keep the heat out.

So, yesterday, I took a large bath towel, put it outside right in front of the balcony door and emptied a bucket of water on it to cool the air before it could get in.

Three guesses where the cats preferred to lie?
Yeah, right. On the soaking wet towel.

Only after the sun had set, they spend the rest of the night on the outside scratching barrel, where it was drier.

I took pictures, but they do not show how wet this towel was!

How do your cats deal with the summer?

Comments

[gwendraith]

Mine are indoor cats and usually sleep on my bed during the day or in a sunny spot, but since we have been getting these exceptionally extra hot days they are laying stretched out on the floor in the shade to twice their length to keep cool. They always have fresh water but don't seem to be drinking much more than usual.

[musyc]

We have indoor/outdoor cats. Outside time is mostly spent in the shade under the weeping willow or underneath the deck, both very dark and cool. Inside is air conditioning, so they're not very particular there, though I have noticed the bamboo floor gets a lot of use from Cinders and Sam. I used to have a Siamese who was very fond of sleeping directly on top of an air vent. XD

I try to help them out by giving them a brushing every couple of days (except Cinders who loves brushing and demands it every couple of hours!) so that they get rid of excess fur quickly.

[felicitygs]

I take my cat for walks. Inside is pretty cool, but even going on our walks at night, it's still really muggy and hot. Lucky's way of dealing with this? Find a pile of sand and roll in it. Barring that, lay down on the first sewer cover he can find, since it's cooler than the rest of the ground at night.