How to keep pets cool during hot summers
Apr 30, 2014 19:43:17 GMT
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Post by smilesbetter on Apr 30, 2014 19:43:17 GMT
Hello,
So it's fast approaching summer, and where I live (Berlin) summer days can get well into the 30s and it's so hot at nights that I just sleep with a sheet as a cover or nothing at all. As a Scottish lassie, it's faaaaar too hot for me, I find it hard to do anything and can't even get cool at home! Last year I only had my cat, Carlotta, who only has one layer of fur, and even then spent most of her time in the shade and sprawled out on the cooler wooden floors in doorways and things. Not I have. Mieze, who has a nice busy double coat, although still short haired, and Rosa the puppy who is currently getting her adult coat. She's part Icelandic Sheepdog (and certainly takes her looks from one) so is likely to grow a very thick double coat, particularly hairy around the neck and hind legs.
I obviously won't take her out during the hottest part of the day, but the thing is, with the exception of the thunderstorms (and even then really) it's constantly hot and humid here in summer. I'm not averse to letting Rosa get wet on walks, and we'll be paying frequent visits to fountains, lochs and other nice bodies of water she can play and swim in, but with her already thick mainly black coat, I do worry that she'll be roasting. I walk her fairly early in the morning, and later at night, but it's still hot then and she does need out during the day too (although for this we can perhaps go to our local forests, still hot but much more shaded). The thing is that nowhere you can go here is actually that cool in summer, I have no idea how to even keep the flat cool! Our bedroom faces the back buildings thankfully and we keep the curtains closed all summer to try to create a cool, dark place of refuge haha, but the living room gets absolutely roasting no matter what we do. Even with the balcony doors open it makes no difference, as the air outside is hotter than that in the flat.
So, how do you keep your animals cool during hot weather? What can I do to make sure my three have an awesome, fun summer, and not a horrible one where they are always too hot and at risk of heat stroke?
Also, I noticed last year that Carlotta's pink nose got darker, can cats get sunburn? How would I go about preventing that? She loves sitting on the balcony watching birds and insects. I put up a parasol for them (and we have a cat net btw), and the plants often grow quite high, but it still gets a lot of sunshine.
Hope this isn't posted in the wrong place haha! It wasn't either cats or dogs and didn't wanna post two individual posts.
So it's fast approaching summer, and where I live (Berlin) summer days can get well into the 30s and it's so hot at nights that I just sleep with a sheet as a cover or nothing at all. As a Scottish lassie, it's faaaaar too hot for me, I find it hard to do anything and can't even get cool at home! Last year I only had my cat, Carlotta, who only has one layer of fur, and even then spent most of her time in the shade and sprawled out on the cooler wooden floors in doorways and things. Not I have. Mieze, who has a nice busy double coat, although still short haired, and Rosa the puppy who is currently getting her adult coat. She's part Icelandic Sheepdog (and certainly takes her looks from one) so is likely to grow a very thick double coat, particularly hairy around the neck and hind legs.
I obviously won't take her out during the hottest part of the day, but the thing is, with the exception of the thunderstorms (and even then really) it's constantly hot and humid here in summer. I'm not averse to letting Rosa get wet on walks, and we'll be paying frequent visits to fountains, lochs and other nice bodies of water she can play and swim in, but with her already thick mainly black coat, I do worry that she'll be roasting. I walk her fairly early in the morning, and later at night, but it's still hot then and she does need out during the day too (although for this we can perhaps go to our local forests, still hot but much more shaded). The thing is that nowhere you can go here is actually that cool in summer, I have no idea how to even keep the flat cool! Our bedroom faces the back buildings thankfully and we keep the curtains closed all summer to try to create a cool, dark place of refuge haha, but the living room gets absolutely roasting no matter what we do. Even with the balcony doors open it makes no difference, as the air outside is hotter than that in the flat.
So, how do you keep your animals cool during hot weather? What can I do to make sure my three have an awesome, fun summer, and not a horrible one where they are always too hot and at risk of heat stroke?
Also, I noticed last year that Carlotta's pink nose got darker, can cats get sunburn? How would I go about preventing that? She loves sitting on the balcony watching birds and insects. I put up a parasol for them (and we have a cat net btw), and the plants often grow quite high, but it still gets a lot of sunshine.
Hope this isn't posted in the wrong place haha! It wasn't either cats or dogs and didn't wanna post two individual posts.
)
