Keep Your Cat Safe from Summer Hazards

Last Updated on June 30, 2021 by Holly Anne Dustin

There’s a lot to like about summer if you’re a cat. The sun puddles, the moths at the lights at night, the baby cardinals nesting in the tree and learning to fly past the window, and especially the chipmunk races on the deck. But there are dangers lurking, too. Besides the heat and the bugs, adventurous cats can run afoul of poisonous plants, chemicals, and wildlife.

It’s essential to keep your cat comfortable, healthy, and safe in the summer. Here are some tips to keep your cat safe from summer hazards.

How Can I Keep My Cat Safe in Hot Weather?

Cats will be comfortable if you are comfortable. Their body temperature runs warmer than ours. So warmer temperatures are more tolerable for your cat. Air conditioning is a pleasant option. But if you’re having a heat wave and  don’t have AC, you can still  keep your baby cool. You can design a cooling area for Kitty if you set up a fan blowing over a frozen bottle of ice.

Cooling mats, vets and bandanas are great options for preventing heatstroke, especially for traveling cats. Raising her bed so cool air can flow under it can help keep her cool too. If you have tile floors, or a clean, safe place in the basement, Kitty can just lay out on the cool floor.

Keeping Kitty groomed with help keep her cool in the summer heat. That doesn’t mean shaving her. Her coat is insulation that will help her stay cool.

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Never leave Kitty in the Car

It is never okay to leave your cat in your car. The temperature inside a car parked in the sun with the windows cracked open on a 71 degree day went up to 116 in an hour. If you must travel in hot weather, use your AC liberally. Keep a cooling mat or a frozen water bottle in her carrier. Don’t travel during the hottest part of the day.

Another thing to consider before you head out to enjoy the beautiful scenery and fresh summer air, is the airflow and ventilation in your backpack. Keep your cat safe from summer heat with a mesh sided backpack for proper ventilation and skip the hardside bubble packs.

Keep Kitty Hydrated

Staying hydrated is one way to keep your cat safe in the summer. Be sure your kitty has plenty of cool water to drink. Put out extra water bowls, leave taps dripping, or consider adding a fountain.  Add ice cubes to the water bowls or throw some in the tub or sink. Older cats are at more risk from dehydration. Make sure the water is accessible to older cats with mobility issues.

Add water to their wet food. If your cat is on a dry food diet, adding wet food to his diet will help with hydration and providing better overall nutrition. Freezing wet food, baby food, or cat creamy treats will help cool and provide that extra hydration.

Be sure outdoor cats have plenty of access to clean, cool water and shade.

What are Some Signs my Cat is Overheated?

Your cat might have heat stroke if his breathing is rapid or noisy, if he has red or purple gums,  if he’s drooling thickly, pants or has sweating paws, appears weak, vomits or has diarrhea. If your cat overheats, take him into the shade, soak his fur with cool water, and get him to drink.  Syringe it if necessary. Render first aid and contact your vet immediately.

Keep in mind that cats who suffer from heatstroke once increase their risk for getting it again. Flat-faced, or brachycephalic, cat breeds like Persians and Himalayans are especially prone to heatstroke.

Can Cats Get Sunburned?

White- or light-colored- cats that spend a lot of time in the sun are prone to developing skin cancer on their nose, the tips of the ears and around their eyelids and lips. The best solution is to keep Kitty from too much sunbathing.

A true adventure cat might wear a sun hat or goggles, but most won’t. As with many things, finding a sunscreen safe for cats isn’t easy. Don’t use anything with zinc oxide and anything with salicylates.   Dermoscent Sunfree is probably the safest-looking thing I’ve found on the commercial market. It might be something to ask your vet about if you have a white cat or hairless breed that can’t resist sunbathing. Even with that though, you want to avoid Kitty consuming it. RenewedPet, maker of a product line designed for hairless cats, also makes a sunscreen product that works for all pets that is available on Etsy.

Poison Prevention

Poisoning is a serious concern for outdoor cats in the summer, primarily from chemicals. Cats are more sensitive to many compounds in lawn and garden care products than other animals. A lot of products used around dogs are not safe for cats.

Chemical poisoning can damage the eyes, thyroid, kidneys, GI tract, liver, and muscles. Symptoms to watch for include drooling, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, dark gums, trouble breathing, and severe abdominal pain.

Your cat can come in contact with chemicals on a walkabout and end up ingesting it when they groom themselves. It is best to just keep Kitty inside out of the grass. But if your furball loves his outside adventures, then keep him off the lawn for 24-72 hours after using any products. And keep him to your yard, where you know what you have put on the grass.

The other big risk of poisoning is rodent poison. Don’t let your cat hunt wildlife. You might not put out rat poison or other pest repellents, but you never know what other people have done.

Ant baits are another summer risk to your kitty. If you need to put out baits, put them somewhere you are sure Kitty can’t go.

Plants

Plants pose another problem for cats. Besides nibbling on grass that might have lawn care products on it, garden plants can harm your cats. If you let your cat range about in the garden, use a list of toxic plants when planning your planting. Even brushing against a lily and ingesting some pollen can be fatal. Don’t put lilies in your garden if you have cats.

A real adventure cat has to consider the same risks that dogs do. If your furbaby goes boating with you or is likely to explore lakes and ponds, you need to be aware of blue-green algae. It can be toxic or even fatal to cats that drink from contaminated ponds or groom themselves after being in the water.

Bugs and Wildlife

You need to protect your cat from any harmful bites. Make sure kitty’s rabies vaccinations are up to date. If your cat gets bit, contact your veterinarian immediately.

Another way to keep your cat safe in summer is to be sure he is current on his flea, tick, and heartworm prevention.  Parasites can cause your furbaby all kinds of problems. Fleas, ticks, and mosquitos thrive in summer and they very much want to feed on your kitties.

Watch for stinging insects and be aware of nearby bee nests. Don’t leave food or drinks that contain sugar around because they attract bees. Cats like to play with bees, but the outcome is no fun!

Stay Safe

Keep safe from fireworks and thunderstorms. More pets are lost around the 4th of July than any other. More of them are dogs, but the noise and chaos of fireworks are frightening to most cats. Make sure Kitty’s microchip and ID are current in case he escapes. Try leaving your tv or some classical music playing. Calming treats, Feliway spray, and catnip may also help. Pull the shades to keep the flashing lights from startling Kitty. Staying calm yourself will help kitty stay calm.

Summer can be a glorious time to take Kitty adventuring if you take the right precautions to keep him safe from summer dangers.

How Can I Keep Feral Cats Safe in Summer?

Set your colony’s feeding station out of the sun. Find a shady spot or build a raised set-up with a roof. Don’t leave food out. Food, even dry food, can spoil if left out in the heat. Feed your colony only what they can eat in 30-45 minutes.

Keeping your feral cat colony’s food and water bowls ant-free can prove a challenging task especially in the summer. There are ant-free bowls you can buy. Sprinkling the ground around the feeding station with a circle of food grade diatomaceous earth can also keep the bugs away.

Spreading diatomaceous earth around their sleeping areas can also keep fleas away. Be sure you get a food grade product. The products sold for pools and filters is highly processed and toxic.

Water evaporates faster in summer sun and heat.  And kitties will drink more when it is hot. Provide more water than normal. Put out two bowls. One full of cool water and one frozen. The cats can drink the first bowl while the second one melts providing a new source of cool water.

A bowl with a deeper and narrow is not a cat’s favorite style of bowl, but it will keep the water from evaporating as quickly. Drop an ice cube in when you put out water in the morning. It will keep the water cooler longer.

Be sure they have a place to go to get out of the sun and off surfaces like concrete. A shaded shelter house, under a deck, or even put in a “dog house.”  On those really hot days put a frozen gallon jug of water where the cats hang out. They can cuddle up near it and enjoy the coolness.

If you are trapping for TNR, be sure your traps aren’t set in the blazing sun and monitor them often. The kitties are at as much risk of sunstroke in the summer as they are of frostbite in the winter.