My cat is suffering from heat. Can I safely bathe them to cool down?

Hello! Cats are very stubborn nose-breathers and hate panting. This means they usually only pant if they are in severe respiratory distress. This, associated with the drooling and being outdoors makes me very concerned that she could have been suffering from severe heat distress or heat stroke. Sometimes cats can also hide signs of heart and lung disease until they are truly struggling to breathe, and this could be exacerbated by heat by as well. I would recommend taking her into a vet to be seen. They will likely recommend bloodwork and x-rays to start evaluating her major organ function, check for signs of infection, and evaluate the heart and lungs. I hope you find this helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

The best thing you can do is prevention. Try to have access to cool water and shade at all times. Cats are much more resourceful at Finding cool areas and rarely have heat stroke, but they can. Unfortunately if a feral cat can not receive veterinary care then all you can do is provide a cool environment. Do not wet the cat with water especially ice water as it constricts the vessels and keeps the heat in the body. Slow cooling with fans and cool environment is the best option. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

That's extremely hot for a cat, and Gizmo could easily get heat stroke. Put a fan in front of him to cool him down, and make sure he has cool water to drink. Offer him wet food, as that has a high moisture content and will get water into him. You can also soak his food in some tuna juice from canned tuna packed in spring water. I hope this helps.

You can try keeping them indoors with a fan or increasing the shade they have. Sometimes doing slightly cool water by placing a few ice cubes in their dish is helpful as well. If they start having any sort of nasal discharge, become week are they have pale or discolored gums they need to be seen by veterinarian immediately.

Diarrhea is very common in pets with heat stroke. I would recommend that you take Qumar to the vet immediately, since this can get very serious very quickly. Pets with heat stroke need to have their temperature monitored very closely, need IV fluids, and often antibiotics if they start having diarrhea since they can have damage to the lining of the intestines. You can help bring her temperature down slowly by wetting her paws and belly and placing her in front of a cool fan. Do not use ice and do not cover with a wet towel on the way to the vet. https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.petcoach.co/amp/article/heatstroke-hyperthermia

Oh no, poor Berlioz! I would also be very concerned that he could have heatstroke, which is extremely deadly. He really does need to see a vet immediately as heatstroke causes internal damage to organs. Even though the vet is closed, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website. You can also see if there is an ER vet clinic in your area. While you are trying to find a vet to see him now, keep him in front of those fans and make sure he has plenty of water to drink. Best of luck.

Fast breathing can be a normal way for you pet to cool himself. If the house is tolerable for you then it is likely tolerable for your pet. However, labored breathing and open mouth breathing in a cat usually indicate a more serious problem concerning the lungs and a vet visit right away is highly recommended. However, good ways to keep a pet cool is to set up fans in the home (if A/C is not in place), therefore when the pet gets hot he can just sit in front of the fan to cool off. Floor fans can be purchased from your local hardware store or department store. Keeping water available at all times is also helpful. Most cats don't like blankets when it is above normal temperature, so this is not uncommon. Best wishes taking care of your pet Hans and I hope everything turns out ok for him. Take care.