Indoor cats and heat
July 19, 2019 2:06 PM Subscribe
I have two 13-year-old indoor cats. My air conditioner is busted. The temperature is expected to hit 100 degrees tomorrow and Sunday. Should I leave town?
It is going to be very hot this weekend in NYC and my air conditioner is busted. I was planning to leave town for about 24 hours this weekend, but now I'm a bit worried about my 2 cats. I can bring them with me but they HATE being taken out of my apartment and it's very stressful for them.
My options are:
1) cats and I hang out in my hot apartment so I can monitor them
2) I take them and myself somewhere air-conditioned, even though it's very stressful for them.
3) I go somewhere air- conditioned for about 24 hours; the cats will be fine.
I and the cats lived without an air conditioner for many years and we were all fine, so I don't know why I'm stressing this, but I am! What should I do?
It is going to be very hot this weekend in NYC and my air conditioner is busted. I was planning to leave town for about 24 hours this weekend, but now I'm a bit worried about my 2 cats. I can bring them with me but they HATE being taken out of my apartment and it's very stressful for them.
My options are:
1) cats and I hang out in my hot apartment so I can monitor them
2) I take them and myself somewhere air-conditioned, even though it's very stressful for them.
3) I go somewhere air- conditioned for about 24 hours; the cats will be fine.
I and the cats lived without an air conditioner for many years and we were all fine, so I don't know why I'm stressing this, but I am! What should I do?
My AC was busted in Atlanta in June and I left my cat alone in my condo for a day or two and it was hot but she was fine. Plenty of water and food and I don't imagine they will be any the worst for wear.
posted by Medieval Maven at 2:19 PM on July 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Medieval Maven at 2:19 PM on July 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
Cats are descended from desert creatures! They are happy and comfortable in much hotter temperatures than we are. Make sure they have lots of water and access to somewhere cool (like a bathtub or tile). They'll be fine.
posted by Bistyfrass at 2:27 PM on July 19, 2019 [16 favorites]
posted by Bistyfrass at 2:27 PM on July 19, 2019 [16 favorites]
The cats will be ok. Maybe leave a fan running for air circulation. Keep the whole apartment as dark and shut up as possible - this will be cooler than if you leave a window open.
posted by hydra77 at 2:29 PM on July 19, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by hydra77 at 2:29 PM on July 19, 2019 [2 favorites]
Do you have someone who can peek in on them to send you a status? That might help alleviate your anxiety. But really, they'll be ok!
posted by hydra77 at 2:29 PM on July 19, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by hydra77 at 2:29 PM on July 19, 2019 [2 favorites]
Get big old 2 litre soda bottles & freeze them, if you don't have time to freeze them fill tupperware containers with ice. Lay them at ground level around for the cats to press themselves against if they get too hot.
Keep all curtains & blinds closed, hang up blankets or if needed to keep the heat out, don't open windows.
Leave out plenty of water water bowls.
Have a fan or two running. Bonus points for putting frozen things in front of the fan to make the air cooler. Leave the bathroom door open so the cats can lay on the tiles in there if they get too hot.
If you have time get an old poly esky/cooler cut a door in it, put frozen water bottles inside but leave room for cat/s to lay down. They have a nice cool cave.
My suggestions are based on surviving Australian summers with dogs & cats without air conditioning. That's what we did for our cats. The cat's always handled the heat better than the dogs.
posted by wwax at 2:38 PM on July 19, 2019 [19 favorites]
Keep all curtains & blinds closed, hang up blankets or if needed to keep the heat out, don't open windows.
Leave out plenty of water water bowls.
Have a fan or two running. Bonus points for putting frozen things in front of the fan to make the air cooler. Leave the bathroom door open so the cats can lay on the tiles in there if they get too hot.
If you have time get an old poly esky/cooler cut a door in it, put frozen water bottles inside but leave room for cat/s to lay down. They have a nice cool cave.
My suggestions are based on surviving Australian summers with dogs & cats without air conditioning. That's what we did for our cats. The cat's always handled the heat better than the dogs.
posted by wwax at 2:38 PM on July 19, 2019 [19 favorites]
There's a widely cited volume from the National Research Council called Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats. "Results suggest that there is a relatively narrow thermoneutral zone in adult unacclimatized cats that is above 30-35° C and below 38° C." If you speak Fahrenheit, that's above 86-95° F and below 100.4° F. What this means is in that temperature range, cats expend the least energy trying to regulate their body temperature. Unless your apartment gets above 100° F your cats should be more comfortable than you are.
posted by fedward at 2:48 PM on July 19, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by fedward at 2:48 PM on July 19, 2019 [4 favorites]
NYC apartments are forecast to get above 100° this weekend. It's only for 24 hours, not the whole weekend? Buy 4 bags of block ice and put them in the shower, tub or sink.
posted by at at 3:43 PM on July 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by at at 3:43 PM on July 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
I would not leave my cats alone in my apartment if it were too hot for me.
posted by bile and syntax at 4:27 PM on July 19, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by bile and syntax at 4:27 PM on July 19, 2019 [5 favorites]
Seconding Bistyfrass. I live in Texas, and my cats hang out on the porch in hot weather whenever they can. It's 96°F here and one just went out there.
posted by adamrice at 4:45 PM on July 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by adamrice at 4:45 PM on July 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
Buy your new cheap air conditioner and install it before you go. Then it will be.there for you when you get back and need it.
posted by Oyéah at 5:35 PM on July 19, 2019
posted by Oyéah at 5:35 PM on July 19, 2019
Your cats are quite old. I would do everything wwax suggests and hire or ask someone to check in on them at least once. You won’t regret it if you do, you may regret it if you don’t, even though they should be fine.
When our A/C went out for a weekend we took our pets and stayed in a hotel, I didn’t want to have to worry. I think the cat would have preferred to stay at home so in your shoes I would do what I could to make it very tolerable and safe. Cats can tolerate heat but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take precautions.
Make sure you’re leaving more water than you normally would and it wouldn’t hurt to feed them wet food as their last meal before you go so they’re well hydrated.
posted by the thorn bushes have roses at 5:42 PM on July 19, 2019 [3 favorites]
When our A/C went out for a weekend we took our pets and stayed in a hotel, I didn’t want to have to worry. I think the cat would have preferred to stay at home so in your shoes I would do what I could to make it very tolerable and safe. Cats can tolerate heat but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take precautions.
Make sure you’re leaving more water than you normally would and it wouldn’t hurt to feed them wet food as their last meal before you go so they’re well hydrated.
posted by the thorn bushes have roses at 5:42 PM on July 19, 2019 [3 favorites]
It looks like it's already 90 there and your AC is already out, right? Figure out what temp it is in your apartment right now. If it's already warmer than outside temps in your apartment, you might need to do something about this. If it's uncomfortable for you but still below the outside temp, you should be fine. If your neighbors are all running their AC, you are probably somewhat insulated even without yours on, but you should be able to figure out if this is the case (and if so how much) before you make plans one way or the other.
I accidentally left my air off one day that it hit mid-90s here recently and it was still only in the low 80s inside when I got in from work. (I'd turned it off the day before when I opened all the windows after a kitchen mishap.) But I'm surrounded by people blasting their air conditioners and on a lower floor and in a unit that doesn't get a ton of sun, so your mileage is very likely to vary.
posted by Sequence at 6:09 PM on July 19, 2019
I accidentally left my air off one day that it hit mid-90s here recently and it was still only in the low 80s inside when I got in from work. (I'd turned it off the day before when I opened all the windows after a kitchen mishap.) But I'm surrounded by people blasting their air conditioners and on a lower floor and in a unit that doesn't get a ton of sun, so your mileage is very likely to vary.
posted by Sequence at 6:09 PM on July 19, 2019
Sonic the wonder cat (RIP) used to beg to go out to the garage on the hottest days here in the Dallas - Fort Worth area. 100 degree temperatures were nothing to him.
posted by Grumpy old geek at 9:36 PM on July 19, 2019
posted by Grumpy old geek at 9:36 PM on July 19, 2019
Having to leave their territory would probably bother your cats much more than the heat. As others have suggested, keep things dark and closed up, have a fan going, and give them opportunities to cool off. Chances are the heat will bother you more than them.
posted by vitout at 4:53 AM on July 20, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by vitout at 4:53 AM on July 20, 2019 [1 favorite]
Leave plenty of water bowls around. Keep the toilet seats down. Don't include the bathtub in this, in case the cats get in and cannot get back out again.
Make cooler doghouses out of Styrofoam ice chests and frozen 2-lt bottles (but add some towels so that the cats do not have to be directly in contact with the ice). They may enjoy lounging on the top of the coolers rather than walking inside -- maybe add a few holes to the lids.
Tile and vinyl and wooden floors are cooler than rugs.
Cold air sinks, so emphasize lower areas.
I would be concerned about the electricity going out, so I would have a battery-operated fan blowing across some ice bottles (no problems with water and electric appliances knocked into each other). Put a weighted laundry basket over the fan to keep the cats from rubbing against it.
The stress of travel would actually be worse for the cats, both in transit and in a strange location. They can relax in their own territory and sleep off the heat until you get back.
You could ask a friend to drop by if you are delayed, but they probably will be okay. Let the friend know when you get back to town.
posted by TrishaU at 5:45 AM on July 20, 2019 [2 favorites]
Make cooler doghouses out of Styrofoam ice chests and frozen 2-lt bottles (but add some towels so that the cats do not have to be directly in contact with the ice). They may enjoy lounging on the top of the coolers rather than walking inside -- maybe add a few holes to the lids.
Tile and vinyl and wooden floors are cooler than rugs.
Cold air sinks, so emphasize lower areas.
I would be concerned about the electricity going out, so I would have a battery-operated fan blowing across some ice bottles (no problems with water and electric appliances knocked into each other). Put a weighted laundry basket over the fan to keep the cats from rubbing against it.
The stress of travel would actually be worse for the cats, both in transit and in a strange location. They can relax in their own territory and sleep off the heat until you get back.
You could ask a friend to drop by if you are delayed, but they probably will be okay. Let the friend know when you get back to town.
posted by TrishaU at 5:45 AM on July 20, 2019 [2 favorites]
Seconding portable air conditioner, if you can find one or have one rush delivered via Amazon prime.
posted by Young Kullervo at 6:55 AM on July 20, 2019
posted by Young Kullervo at 6:55 AM on July 20, 2019
Temperatures have been in the 90s where I am, heat index 100+. I don't have an air conditioner (well, I do, but it's in the room of a sick cat that's under quarantine so nobody but her is enjoying it). Me and my three cats have been doing fine. They splay themselves out, have been drinking extra water, but seem OK. Caveat: the oldest is eight (probably). I wouldn't leave your cats alone, though. Keep some bags of ice on hand, watch for panting, and give them wet food mixed up with water for extra hydration.
posted by Anonymous at 9:15 AM on July 20, 2019
posted by Anonymous at 9:15 AM on July 20, 2019
Anecdata, but my cat actively seeks out our conservatory in the summer where temps regularly reach 100+ and she thinks it’s the best. As long as they have plenty of water and maybe a fan to move the air around I think they’d be fine.
posted by lydhre at 9:19 AM on July 20, 2019
posted by lydhre at 9:19 AM on July 20, 2019
Response by poster: Hi all! I decided to hunker down at home. I'm sure they would have been fine but this is better for my anxiety!
My apartment tends to run cooler than the outside world, so I've got a couple fans going and right now it's a breezy and not-too-uncomfortable 85 degrees.
Thanks so much for all the advice!
posted by 2019 at 11:41 AM on July 20, 2019 [4 favorites]
My apartment tends to run cooler than the outside world, so I've got a couple fans going and right now it's a breezy and not-too-uncomfortable 85 degrees.
Thanks so much for all the advice!
posted by 2019 at 11:41 AM on July 20, 2019 [4 favorites]
Just an additional anecdote....during the 2003 Blackout my cat, Savannah, first layed (lied ?) in the path of where our window A/C unit blew and then gave me the stink-eye, like "Why is it so hot?!" I put ice in her water dish and rubbed her with moistened paper towels, and for the duration of the power outage she spent most of her time splayed out like a flying squirrel on top of my small metal filing cabinet.
Some cats can tolerate heat, some others not so much.
posted by Oriole Adams at 12:45 PM on July 20, 2019
Some cats can tolerate heat, some others not so much.
posted by Oriole Adams at 12:45 PM on July 20, 2019
So yeah, cat body temperatures run a few degrees hotter than we do on average, up to like 102.5-103 I forget exactly. There are outdoor cats obviously who exist just fine. You will want to close it off, and have dark places that they can shade in and plenty of water. Like someone said, tiles are great but really just sealed up apartment with the blinds drawn won't bake too badly though we'd be uncomfortable in it (lived in Austin for six years so know what it's like). I think it's good that you stayed just for your anxiety. Plus seeing the cats be fine probably alleviated future worries. I totally get the feeling as I have a lot of anxiety around leaving my cat now for reasons. You're a good pet owner!
An apartment isn't like a car. A car is a very small sealed in space without insulation. That's why it heats up INSANELY fast and is incredibly dangerous. It's likely that there are spots even in your unairconditioned apartment that were pretty cool, like a cabinet in the bathroom might just be chilling at 75-80F somehow.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 7:39 AM on July 22, 2019
An apartment isn't like a car. A car is a very small sealed in space without insulation. That's why it heats up INSANELY fast and is incredibly dangerous. It's likely that there are spots even in your unairconditioned apartment that were pretty cool, like a cabinet in the bathroom might just be chilling at 75-80F somehow.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 7:39 AM on July 22, 2019
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posted by pinochiette at 2:16 PM on July 19, 2019