# What bed to make for cat suffering from the summer heat and humidity?



## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

Well, that long title said it all, actually. I don't have stone floors, only wall to wall carpeting in this poor apt. I notice Prince moving from place to place and not finding one cool enough...


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## Nan (Oct 11, 2010)

A pillowcase might be cooler than the carpet.


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## BotanyBlack (Apr 6, 2011)

I got a piece of faux marble from a place that does counter tops. i just asked for one of the broken pieces they couldn't use. it stays nice and cool. they also make nice cutting boards (not the one for the cats) or if you can find a place that tiles floors, maybe you can get a piece of granite type tile?


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## BotanyBlack (Apr 6, 2011)

couldn't edit.. but a trick I have used on heat stroked kittens/cats.. was to take a large bag of frozen peas wrap in a pillowcase, then spread a towel over it. the peas will shape around the cat when they lay on it. now if they made water filled plastic beads.. i would be happy, I would just freeze those instead of wasting peas lol


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

You could try putting a pillow case in a baggie and putting it in the freezer for a little while and spread it out for him. You said you fans? You could put a bowl of ice in front of the fan close to the floor and it will blow the cool from the ice a few feet. I use that trick on my desk with my small desk fan  

I also fill up 2L soda bottles about 1/2 to 3/4 full with water and freeze them. When it is frozen solid I wrap it in a towel and put one at the foot of the bed for me. It's nice to have something cool to put my feet on and when I noticed that MowMow laid close to it as well I started putting one by the pillows for him to lay against. It usually stays frozen almost all night and the towel catches the condensation.


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

Some great ideas here! First thing I tried was a pillowcase but he didn't even come near it. I have 2 flat plastic "bottles" filled with water in the freezer. They're always in there in case I need to take food outside in summer. I can put both under a blanket, rolled up in towels, and see what happens...


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## cooncatbob (May 27, 2011)

My cat like to lie with the fan blowing over the top of them but not directly on them.
Samantha would also lay on the back of my chair under the AC vent.
There's also the soft packs with blue ice in them.
When Meme live in the warehouse she would come down stairs from the loft and lay on the cool concrete, I tried misting her with a spray bottle once and she hissed at me. :lol:


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## furryfriends251 (Jan 1, 2009)

I wonder if a hammock would be any cooler? =^.^= has instructions to make them. I am horrible at sewing, but making a hammock was easy, even for me.

The problem is having something to hang it from...


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

Well, now Prince has a bed consisting of 2 flat bottles folded twice inside a big towel and a summer bed sheet on top. Let's see if he goes to explore it...

I love hammocks for cats! I don't have a place to hang them from, though, because the place is rented. Your cat is lucky to have you, ff.


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## BuddyMC (Jan 9, 2010)

The heat here in England is no where near as hot as you guys but my Buddy lies in the sink / bath / shower when its hot. His favorite place is the kitchen sink and I leave the cold tap on a trickle so it keeps it slightly wet and cool for him.


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

I notice that no one has mentioned a cooling pet pad...?


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

I've looked at those but I don't think MowMOw would use it. Even when I had the air conditioner floor unit he preferred the other rooms where it was hot to the fake air.... he doesn't like the cold pillowcases either. The only thing he ever seems to appreciate are the frozen water bottles and ONLY if he chooses to lay on them. If I dare to put one near him he'll get up and move.


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

I'm going to buy a couple terrazzo floor tiles for Prince. Late April he already started suffering from the heat. Oh irresponsible cat owners who import long-haired cats into the Middle East - they only care about image and not about the suffering of cats that are not suited to our climate here. Poor Prince, my heart goes out to him.


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## Ritzpg (Dec 7, 2010)

I tried the blue ice packs, placed it near Ritz' food which is in the kitchen (tile floor). Ritz was scared of the sounds the ice pack made when defrosting.
It frequently gets 80 to 85 degrees in my condo, and that's with the AC *on* (design defect). I leave ceiling fans on 24x7, desk top fans on, and Ritz has survived two summer. I think I worry more about it than she does.


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

BotanyBlack, thank you so much for the idea! Today I bought Prince a lovely rectangle of real, cream-colored marble. And I got for free a square of ceramic tile that is cool too. Prince just discovered it and fell inlove with it instantly, which is unusual in him. He's been lying on it from the first moment and doesn't seem like he wants to leave it at all. I'm still looking for some Jerusalem stone, which I think must be the best, because in old times people used to live in caves/houses made of this stone and they didn't need A/C. When I visit that kind of place (eg the house where Jesus' grandparents used to live), it's always so cool inside even when it's scorching hot outside.


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

YayHappens, I'd love one of those but they're not sold in my country. I also wanted the one that doesn't need water and is activated by the cat's body weight, but alas not sold here either. The big slab of ceramics that I got for free is also great, it keeps cool all the time!


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## Cat'sHouse (Apr 5, 2012)

do you have windows on the shady side of the apt? That could let in a somewhat cooler breeze, especially at night. I put an old towel (clean) or piece of carpet in the window sill so they don't lay on the old painted wood. And, one of my cats will seek out the part of the bed where the air blows from a fan...we know he likes this spot.

Once my Marble found the porch window cage, she took it over and spends nights going in and out. Now I have to install another one for Kermit as I think he got '86'd' from what was his cage. 

Check box stores for extra pieces of linoleum, or the plastic they put down under office chairs...anything like that will feel 'cooler' and your cat will probably use it.

If in your budget, they now make an a/c unit that is portable and doesn't need to be installed...should cool down one room easily.


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

Cat'sHouse said:


> do you have windows on the shady side of the apt? That could let in a somewhat cooler breeze, especially at night.


Oh, I see! I'd been racking my brain trying to understand why Prince always goes sit on a certain spot at night! It's indeed where the window of the shady part of the apt is. I'll place his marble and ceramic slabs there from now. Thanks!

I can't afford to keep the A/C running all day when I'm at work, but in the 3-4 months of summer I do turn it on a lot now that I have Prince. I used to leave a fan on, but someone told me it's dangerous for cats to be alone in the house with a fan on...


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## Cat'sHouse (Apr 5, 2012)

Thought of your post as I was laying some peel and stick vinyl tiles on a bathroom floor....house was warm as they still had the heat running....don't know why, it was 70 outside but.......

The vinyl tiles were cool....perhaps you could stop by a retail box store that sells lumber and buy a piece of 2'X2' plywood, thin, or underlayment material that size. Peel and stick four tiles (they sell individually) on the smoothest side and lay it somewhere. In the winter in the sun, it would be a warm bed spot.

might work.


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## Nora B (Nov 6, 2010)

the natural stone and marble are surely nicest but another cool surface could be concrete paver - like for stepping stones - inexpensive, but tiles are certainly easier!


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## Nora B (Nov 6, 2010)

I had a thought, it may sound a bit appalling at first but what about giving Prince a summer shave?


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

The idea of a shave indeed crossed my mind a few days ago. But then he'd be nude...?

These days Prince lies on top of a backpack's back - he's more clever than me, he found material that is designed especially to keep the body cool. Oh how I wish I could find that kind of mesh to buy. In the meantime, I've given up on that backpack and it's his, on top of the desk, his favorite place nowadays. The thing is ideal for the Spring, because it's both cool and cushioned.


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## Nora B (Nov 6, 2010)

Straysmommy said:


> The idea of a shave indeed crossed my mind a few days ago. But then he'd be nude...?
> 
> These days Prince lies on top of a backpack's back - he's more clever than me, he found material that is designed especially to keep the body cool. Oh how I wish I could find that kind of mesh to buy. In the meantime, I've given up on that backpack and it's his, on top of the desk, his favorite place nowadays. The thing is ideal for the Spring, because it's both cool and cushioned.


 
not nude and not actually shaved. more like clipped on the shortest setting, some people do what is called a lkion but asnd it can be popular


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

Yes, I'll call the groomer and ask how much it costs.


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