The heat here is really making me sick!! Not kidding!

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Originally Posted by GreyhoundGirl

:eek: I was listening to the radio the other day and it was annonced.... 40 people have died from heat in france. :eek: ( in the past week or something like that... )

Pet Talkers in France, Keep your cool... We Can't Lose You !!!!! PTers are too special to lose.

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OK, just to joke a bit, I think I am the only French PTer, so if ever I disappear...it will be only one less! :rolleyes:

More seriously, yes, this is true, up to now ~40 people died; mainly very old people or people living in the streets. I think they are talking a lot about them because we had a very-very hot summer in 2003 (from what I remember it was worse than this one because longer and temperatures were around 40 degrees), and it was the hotest ever. Nobody was prepared, not only in France but all over Europe, and many old people living alone at home died without anybody noticing it for days or weeks! And in 2003, there were many more than 40 deaths. :(

I think I live in one of the coldest areas in France (together with north of Bretagne), in the very North and not far from the sea. My house is located in a very windy and rainy corridor. Usually the temperatures in summer hardly reach 22 degrees but now it is the same everywhere. It is even worse here because of humidity. But still, compared to other areas, we are OK, especially because it really cools down during the night. I am lucky that my kitties are OK with the tiles we have on the ground floor of the house and all the blinds closed during the day, we can keep 25-27 degrees maximum. Kirsten, I wish you would live closer and you could drop your kitties here for cool holidays!!! ;) Noah and other candidates could come too, no problem!

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Originally Posted by Maya & Inka's mommy

How exactly do you cool down an overheated cat? What is the best way? Maya seems to be suffering the most, poor girl

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Lut, You can add some ice to their water bowls, wet them down with a cold washcloth, or mist them if they'll tolerate it. Last weekend many animals died or have come close to dying in Northern California :( and they said that if you have to bring your animal to the ER because they're suffering from the heat then you should put lukewarm water on them first and this will help to stabilize their body temperature. I hope that I'll never have to go through this with any of my cats. I've been keeping the ceiling and floor fan on nonstop and opening up the windows and sliding glass door when it's cooled down enough. Lucklily things are finally starting to cool down here.

Sonia, I remember that incredibly high death rate in France during the summer of 2003. About 15000 people have died in 2003.

I remember the summer of 2003, like this one, it was a long and very hot summer, but more bearable as it wasn't so humid, at least here in Germany.


Lut, to keep my cats cool, I'm stroking them with a wet washcloth. They really enjoy it! :)

Kirsten

I wouldn't use cold water cloths on a cat, not right away, more like tepid - which will cool on their fur/skin. I suggest this because when I was a children's nurse in the 60's (they've probably got more hi-tech ways of helping now), we used to bathe children who were having seizures from high temperatures in tepid water, not cold because it's too great a shock to the system. It's the same with frostbite, you use warmish tepid first.

It's cooled down into the high 70's, low 80's here in the Seattle area which is a great relief. Sitting out on the deck at about 7pm, when the sun is behind the fir trees, is just wonderful now - that aspect of summer I can truly enjoy. It's also wonderful to see the kittens racing around madly all the time instead of just in the very early morning.

Do they still use heavy wooden shutters in Europe, or have they disappeared except on older buildings? I remember that when I lived in Greece they were wonderful for keeping out the hot sun. Since I only have blinds and drapes on the south-west side of my house, I haul sheets of plywood over the deck door windows every morning to block out the heat, and it works well.

Kristen,

I hadn't seen Peggy's thread, but I'll go look. Poor Sweet Peggy!! :(

Luckily, CiCi was home and she brought him lots of ice and water. She put more fans in my room and let him roam the house so he could cool down a bit. I'm SOOOOOOO lucky she was there, if he was alone??? I don't even want to think about it. :( :( :(

I hope its getting better for you, sweetie. Its horrible being this hot. :(

We finally got A/C help at work!! They installed TWO HUGE window A/C units that'll cover TWICE the space we have...thank goodness!!! Its going to be sooooo cold when I get in tomorrow morning and I'm soooo Happy!!!

Hope you're cooler and feeling better.

Hugs, Kelly :)

There were finally some thunderstorms, and rain, so the air is actually a bit cooler. Even though I didn't manage to get all the muggy air out of my apartment, it's more bearable now, and today, our office had "only" 85°F instead of 100°! LOL

But they say the heat will be back this weekend, so I think I'll enjoy these slightly cooler temperatures as long as they last.

Kelly, good for you that you finally got AC installed at work! And I'm glad that CiCi was there to care for poor Noah!

Lizzi, usually we don't have these wooden things; like you said, only the very old houses have them. I have only curtains, but I think I need to come up with something else to keep the heat outside. We have blinds in our office, but once the heat is inside the builing, they don't help much...

Kirsten

Kirsten,
My Mother recently recieved a letter from my cousins in Germany. They too are complaining of the heat. They live in OLmstat? Does that sound right. My other Cousin lives in Phmgstat? It be much easier if they made the spelling easier. lol
Anyhow, I sympathize with you. I am a production Supervisor in the Nations largest Independant Bakery and we have 14 ovens that are 300 feet long, so I know what your dealing with for my Deptment has no AC.

Is it getting better yet?

I don't really have any suggestions that haven't been mentioned yet - I knew of the cold water or ice on the wrists.

Also, I know general rules are to try to avoid caffeine or alcholol. Also, do you like spicy foods at all? Hot, spicy foods that cause you to sweat more actually help to cool you down.

You could move to canada. Just Joking. ( If you do, stop by my place ;) )

You could... Um.... shower in really cold water and wash your face a lot. And... put a wet towel over yourself. Um.... Or.... Go to a public pool often...

What do the other people in your town do ?

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Originally Posted by catland

Is it getting better yet?

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It is here - Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! I LOVE San Francisco's natural air conditioning - our wonderful fog. It feels absolutely delicious now :)

Okay - short of blinds and wooden shutters (just spelled that with an "i"! :rolleyes:)

Aluminum foil! COVER your windows with it, shiny side out.

I bet that'll help by a few degrees!

hugs!

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Originally Posted by RedHedd

It is here - Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! I LOVE San Francisco's natural air conditioning - our wonderful fog. It feels absolutely delicious now :)

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Yes the San Francisco is wonderful, just north of san francisco in bodega bay is my favorite place in the whole world...the weather the ocean...too bad I could only afford a shack there.

I can relate Kirsten since the heat and humidity is killing me! I never really noticed the humidity before but these last two summers have been bad. Plus the humidity is bringing some scary weather. Within the last month, there were two mini-tornadoes that touched down just 20 minutes north of me and a funnel cloud was spotted 20 minutes east of my location. This is not normal for the Toronto area.We're renovating a century old house and do not have air conditioning so we really feel it. We've closed off the second floor of the house since it's too hot.

I've been offline since I've had constant migrains recently. :( This week they are forcasting more humidity which will make the temperature feel like 40°C. I'm ready for fall/winter.

Putting the foil up shiny side out reflects the sun AWAY from the place. I am thinking, with more sun deflected...the temp inside has to ease off a bit.

Doesn't cost much to try it.

and a thought....for a few hours in the evening....when it MIGHT be a TAD cooler...is there a place you can put your fan (preferably higher up) so it is blowing the hotter inside air OUTDOORS?

That's why warehouses have those exhaust fans WAAAY up in the ceiling, in the peak of the wall where the wall meets the ceiling. The hotter air is at the top, and the fan removes it outdoors.

If you have a fan that will fit in part of a window, that would be good...and keep some air moving as well...

I'd say keep the foil on the windows for two days(including two nights) then you will know if there is a difference.

I am just trying to think of things here - the heat there is horrible. If you have sunlight coming into your place, it can't hurt to try blocking it.

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Originally Posted by caseysmom

Yes the San Francisco is wonderful, just north of san francisco in bodega bay is my favorite place in the whole world...the weather the ocean...too bad I could only afford a shack there.

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{{{{ waves }}}} Hi neighbor! :D Yes, paradise is expensive and we're so lucky to live here.

Put Farrusko in the bathtub with the water running at his favorite rate of trickle and put a few ice cubes in there to melt and cool him down. Watch him carefully for signs of dehydration. I used Kirsten's tip of rubbing Mitzi down with a cool, dampened washcloth during our heat wave. She LOVED it and then aired herself out in front of the fan for more cooling. Both of my cats were eating less during the heat and were more lethargic, but I don't think they stopped altogether.

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Originally Posted by Farruska

what are the signs of dehydration on a Cat?

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I'm not really sure. I know when we were going through our heat wave, Mishi was actually sweating at one point (I didn't know cats could sweat!), he felt extremely warm and his nose was warm and very dry. I put him in the tub and he seemed to perk up after cooling down a bit.

I know others on this board or a vet probably could answer that question better than I can.

Lift up the skin on the back of his neck and let go. If it falls back into place right away, he's ok. If it stays up, or returns slowly to its original position, then he's dehydrated.

Try the wet washcloth. Will a water bowl and some treats fit under the bed?

Would it be easier if you held a BOWL? LOL Sounds like another human-training session!

But I am glad to hear he is not dehydrated.

hugs!

Richard just posted this in Cat General. I think #9 suits Farrusko!

Ed’s tips for being a cool cat during the hot weather.

1. Cool tile floors.

2. Sleep on your back with your legs open.

3. sleep on your stomach with your legs open

4. Wait until your dad moves, then grab his seat in front of the fan.
Snarl and growl if you are moved from that spot, after all, they left it.

5. Find a nice plastic bag to nap on.

6. Conserve energy-sleep all day, play all night.

7. Avoid all contact with your hot parents.

8. Walk don’t run, to your food dish.

9. Disappear into the closet, cabinet or favorite dark spot
P.S. This may cause your mom or dad to overheat.

10. Offer your parents a cool drink, but then remind them you do not have opposable thumbs. They will feel sorry that you don’t and pour you a cool drink.

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Originally Posted by Farruska

what are the signs of dehydration on a Cat?

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I've been thinking of you all weekend. Googled dehydration in cats and came up with this:

Cats can become dehydrated for many reasons including illness, fever, infection, vomiting, diarrhea, diabetes, and kidney problems. You can tell if your cat is dehydrated by doing the 'pinch' test. Take a bit of skin on the cats back and pinch it, let go and see how long it takes for the skin to retract back to its normal spot. The skin should be extremely elastic and immediately bounce back, if it takes more than a second or two your cat is probably dehydrated.

Symptoms to look for:
- Dry nose
- Dry mouth or eyes
- 'Pinch' test
- Severe thirst
- Lethargy

Treatment:
If your cat is dehydrated take him/her to the vet to determine the cause of the dehydration. If the dehydration is not serious it may be able to be treated by simply giving the cat more water. If the dehydration is caused by a pre-existing condition or illness your vet can determine that and direct you as to how to take care of the condition. Always make sure your cat drinks plenty of fluids and always have a full bowl of clean, fresh water available to your cat.

In more serious situations your cat may need to be given fluids subcutaneously or intravenously.

Precautionary measures:
Make sure your cat drinks plenty of water. Cats, as we all know, can be quite finicky so keep his/her water bowl clean and full. Many cats dislike the taste of plastic so try to keep their food and water in porcelain or glass bowls. Keep your home at a 'normal' temperature and make sure your cat is in good general health.

Medical and care advice on this article is for your knowledge and information only. It is not a substitute for a veterinary appointment or an actual diagnosis for your pet. If you feel your pet has a health or behavior problem please consult your veterinarian immediately for specific advice tailored to your individual pet.

However I see that Farrusko is training you properly to offer him water via your hands. :p Mishi has me well trained too :D

It has been raining a lot this morning, so now the garden is vERY happy!! And.... so am I :p . All our windows and the patio doors are wide open to let in the fresh air!!!

Was Yesterday hot everywere? I think that was the hottest day I have ever lived through. I went to the Dog Park with Jenny and no one was there, :( It was just way too hot ! The temperature on the road was 37 ! ( Which is very unusual, were I live )

Farruska, that is so scary about that tornado!! :( Isn't it strange how often we have them now?

Yes, luckily it has cooled off now, we have temperatures between 75° and 85°F, and I managed to cool my place down. For the last three nights, I was able to sleep with only tilted windows, which means I could have Luna and Lily with me. But I'm afraid these cool temperatures won't last, and the next heatwave is just around the corner. I'm so ready for the fall!!

I heard that it's very hot in other parts of the world, too. Heard that NYC and Chicago had huge problems with the heat.

Kirsten