By Kritthaphat N.
If you were wearing layers of clothing the whole year round, you'll get a heat stroke too. Your feline friend is prone to heat exhaustion as much as any furry pet in town. Most cat owners neglect to check on their fur balls during the summer because cats are generally independent compared to other pets. So, while your neighbor's pet poodle might get all the pampering in the world, your kitty could already be suffering from a cardiac arrest without your knowledge.
Don't be a bad cat owner—show your pet all the love it deserves. There are three signs of pet heat stroke to look out for in the summer:
Panting
Cats are generally agile animals. This means that they should be more used to rigorous activities compared to a fat Labrador. If your cat begins to show strange signs of heavy breathing, then it's best to give it a nice cool bowl of water. It would help to bring your kitty inside the house for shade, too. The most pampered felines get to stay inside their master's air conditioned bedrooms in the summer. If certain house rules prevent you from bringing your pet indoors, you should at least make sure it has a sufficiently ventilated shade to hide in once the sun gets too intolerable.
Anxiety and Faster Heartbeats
Most cats laze around during the daytime, and your furry feline is nocturnal, in every sense of the word. So when starts to get panicky and begins to pace restlessly across the room, you should check for its pulse. If your pet's heart is beating too fast for its own good, think of ways to help your pet cool down. Wrapping your pet in a damp towel is pretty effective. If nothing helps after ten or fifteen minutes, you should call the vet for more instructions.
Dark Red Gums
Your pets are generally wired the same way as you are. When the heat is up, your heart rate goes up too. A higher heart rate means a higher blood pressure, and a higher blood pressure leads to unusually red skin. Unfortunately, your pet, unlike you, is covered in fur, which makes checking for hyperactive blood vessels a little harder. Since your cat's gums are hairless, it's the best place to check if its heart is pumping too much blood. If its gums are extremely red, it's probably already having a heat stroke.
Some preventive measures
Why wait for your pet to suffer from a heatstroke if you can prevent the dreadful from happening? During extremely harsh weathers, it's only right to let your pet stay indoors. Rubbing a damp towel against your pet also keeps its body from overheating.
Your feline friend might not like this idea during colder seasons, but you could also try dipping your cat's paws in a tubful of iced water. Making a bed out of frozen peas for your pet is also a nice summer treat. This way, your pet can cool down without getting icky and wet. Too much heat can also cause cats to be too lethargic to eat or drink. If this happens, get a dropper and feed your kitty by hand.
Pet Care
Source:www.isnare.com |
