Whilst you sit in your air-conditioned room enjoying the merits of living indoors, stray cats are desperately strolling through your neighborhood in search of food, water, and a way to beat the heat. Have you ever felt distressed by the mere thought of this?
In this article, I’m going to tell you how to keep feral cats cool in summer in a way that doesn’t jeopardize your well-being. So, let’s get started!
Tips To Keep Feral Cats Cool In The Summer
Has it ever clicked to you that, even though they aren’t pets, feral cats are animals too? They have feelings, and humans consider their situation and provide some respite (even if temporary) to ensure they’re content.
Hopefully, the easy solutions I’ve carefully compiled in this section should help you take decisive action and eliminate any concerns you may have about keeping felines in the heat.
1- Always Have Water Ready
Like humans, animals need to stay hydrated especially when they’re roaming around in the sweltering heat. An act of kindness, like making a bowl of cool and filtered fresh water accessible to them, can go a long way. It shouldn’t be too narrow or else the cat will struggle to drink from it.
To prevent it from evaporating, try to place the water bowl in the shade rather than under the sun. Fill these up at least twice a day to ensure they don’t run out of water during the hot summer months. You could even add in some ice cubes to keep it cold.
Use a deep wide bowl to ensure they have as much water at their disposal as possible. A heavier one would be ideal to prevent it from tipping over. This way, you can ensure a steady supply of water that they can rely on to quench their thirst.
2- Feed Them Some Kibble
Due to the need to fend for themselves, outdoor cats can sometimes be in a situation where they can’t do anything but survive without food. This isn’t ideal.
Since you’re dealing with feral cats, bringing them into your home isn’t advisable. So prepare a bowl filled with nutritious food and place it in a shady spot in your area. Choose some good quality kibble rather than wet food as they’re less likely to rot.
Don’t leave the food outside overnight or even more than 40 minutes. Collect any remaining scraps and bring them back outside whenever it’s time to feed them again. If you don’t bring the food indoors, bugs like ants might get to them.
3- Prepare a Comfortable and Shaded Area
Since cats need a place to stay and accommodating feral cats isn’t a great idea, it’s essential that you prepare a durable shelter for them. Proper airflow, accessibility of food and water, and ease of entry and exit are of key precedence here.
Below is a step-by-step guide to making a cat shelter for the strays in your area:
Step 1: Select an Ideal Spot
Before setting up your cat’s home, you must pick a spot that they usually frequent. This could be on your front porch, a nearby sidewalk, or in your own back yard.
Step 2: Set The Foundation
Grab a durable cardboard box, plastic bins, or an insulated cooler you no longer need. Place it in the area you want to build a shelter in and cut out a hole big enough for adequate ventilation and space for the cat’s entry and exit.
Step 3: Add a Roof & a Mat
Now, it’s time to cover your shelter. Use some lightweight, thin, and airy fabrics on top and protect the cats and their dwelling from rain or any debris.
Have a look at the floor too. The scalding heat can heat up concrete and dirt surfaces with ease, making it easy for their paws to get burnt. To prevent this, lay out a padded and heat-resistant mat.
Step 4: Insulate the Home
Next, seal off any edges or gaps with straw or unwanted towels to make sure that no rainwater enters the cat’s dwelling.
Step 5: Ensure Their Comfort
Additionally, you should keep them comfortable and look out for them during freezing temperatures. Throw in some blankets, pillows, cushions, and other things that you think they’ll appreciate.
You could also give them a few cooling pads with which they can cover themselves. It’s provides the same relief that air conditioning earns humans during humid conditions.
Step 6: Waterproof Their Makeshift Shelter
This step is key to ensuring their home doesn’t get damaged. Ideally you should use a good quality plastic or garbage bag for the most optimum results.
Not only will this provide some additional protection from direct sunlight during the summer days but it’ll also help mitigate the risk of having their kennels destroyed by rain.
If water seeps into the cardboard, it could make the material soggy, causing it to soften up, slump over, and collapse.
Perform the Trap-Neuter-Return Procedure Humanely
If you plan on performing this procedure on community cats during the hot summer months, make sure to be extra wary. Seek out the community cats you wish to treat and prioritize their safety during the extreme heat.
This heat isn’t the only issue. It’s also the stress that comes with it. Instead of confining them in any enclosed area, like a trap, wait. Don’t be hasty and give them some time until the temperatures regulates.
If a cat has already been entrapped, don’t check on them intermittently. Instead, bring the trap indoors and tend to their needs. This critical step should help you prevent dehydration, excessive panting, heatstroke, or even death.
Watch Out for Overheated Kitties
Apart from providing them with food, water, shelter, and ventilation, you should also keep an eye out for sick kitties.
Sometimes, felines might suffer from heat stroke causing them to start drooling excessively, seeming lethargic, or constantly vomiting. Moreover, they could have tongues that look unusually red or have inconsistent breathing.
If you notice a cat exhibiting any of these symptoms or lying prostrate on the floor, make sure to intervene. Call the vet and provide them attend to their problem urgently. The longer you wait the more rapidly their condition with aggravate.
Things to Remember to Keep Yourself Safe When Dealing With Outdoor Cats
In an attempt to help feral cats stay cool during the summer months, you may underestimate the need to keep yourself safe. Feral cats can pose a threat to humans. Therefore, there are a bunch of things you must keep in mind before you try to gain the trust of these felines.
Here are some of them.
Make Sure They Are Not Infected
Feral cats are undomesticated felines who aren’t cared for by humans. They’re unvaccinated and therefore susceptible to rabies. But, of course, there’s no concrete evidence that supports the misconception that all feral cats are rabid.
Thus, it’s important for you to ensure that the cats in your area aren’t rabies-infested so that you can approach them safely. If you don’t take the necessary measures and precautions, you might get bitten or worse, infected!
If you come across an infected kitty, try putting them out of their misery by calling the veterinarian. Stray euthanasia is an incredibly common and humane way to save helpless cats who need to suffer from this debilitating illness.
Suit Up!
Before you approach a stray feline, go ahead and wear some protective gear. Wear mittens made of durable material so that your skin doesn’t get bitten.
Moreover, wear light-colored clothes to keep yourself cool in the summer heat. This also helps you stay away from provoking infected feral cats who are typically sensitive to vibrant colors.
Keep Your Distance
Also, you might want to stay a few feet apart from them unless you’re certain they’re harmless. Akin to most animals, cats are naturally wild and have been hardened and made more resilient by their homelessness.
Therefore, they might scratch or bite you as a way to defend themselves. Keep that in mind before you instinctively decide to pet them!
Let’s Help Feral Cats Beat The Heat During Those Hot Summer Months!
And with that, I can safely say that you now know everything you should about keeping your feline friends safe and cool during the hottest parts of the day. If any cat becomes too hot, they could fall victim to heatstroke. This is possible even though they’re generally better at handling heat due to their higher body temperature.
Provide them with water throughout the day, and watch them soften up and embrace your benevolence with smiles or even nuzzles. Implementing the aforementioned methods should help you keep the feral cats in your neighborhood safe and convince them to drop by and hang out in your area.
