How to keep your pet cool during a heatwave

Heatwaves are difficult to bear for everyone, but for pets, these temperatures are extra complicated to live with. Staying cool and hydrating is highly recommended, for them as much as for us.

The fact that they cannot sweat, reduces our pets' ability to self-regulate their temperature. To help your little furry ones cool off, here's some important advice.

The first, easy-to-notice sign: your pet is panting. Through breathing, it is trying to regulate its body temperature. However, this requires a lot of energy and cardiac effort. In addition, your pet may have red eyes and be more apathetic than usual.

Be careful if your cat or dog is panting excessively. In this case, they must be refreshed. If the panting does not decrease, wrap the pet's entire body in a damp towel to lower its body temperature and take it to the vet. If you go by car, don't forget the air conditioning.

The fur of animals is a natural barrier. It protects them in winter but also in case of heat, by allowing them to thermoregulate. Shaving them or cutting their hair is therefore a bad idea.

While shaving the animal is not a good idea, you can ventilate its fur by brushing it. Combing through it will remove the dead hair that bothers your cat or dog.

During travel, place a damp towel over your pet's travel crate or an ice pack under its bed. Be careful not to overuse the air conditioning. If it is too cold, your pet can get respiratory problems, rhinitis, or otitis. Pay particular attention to young and older animals, as they are more sensitive to temperature variations.

The most common place to get heatstroke is inside a car. We can never say it enough: do not leave your pet in the car. Moreover, if you see an animal locked in a car, windows closed, do not hesitate to call the police. They will release it because the heat can be deadly.

Dogs and cats do not confront the heat in the same way, Geo reminds us: "From their African ancestors, from desert regions, cats inherited genes and behaviors making them less sensitive to high temperatures than dogs." Instinctively, felines hide in the coolest places. In addition, "their urinary system promotes better retention of ingested water than that of canines."

Choose the time for your walks carefully. Stay in the shade and avoid concrete as much as possible. As the temperature of the pavement can reach 50 C°, your pet's feet can be seriously burned. Of course, jogging with your dog is not a good idea during a heatwave.

You can do this by creating a sort of homemade 'air conditioning' for your cat or dog. Place a damp towel on a drying rack and your pet will naturally look up this humid microclimate. You can also leave damp towels near its basket or wrap ice packs in a towel.

For example, you can moisten a bath mat, a towel, or even buy a cooling mat. Your pet will be able to spread out there and manage its body temperature that way.

Just like us, animals need water. The best thing is to buy a water fountain for them. It offers filtered and fresh water and will encourage your pet to drink. Otherwise, remember to regularly fill their bowl with fresh water. Avoid freezing the water though, as this can cause thermal shock. Finally, to encourage your cat to drink, you can rub the water bowl with the juice from a can of tuna.

Dogs and cats have difficulty dissipating heat. To help them lower their body temperature, slightly moisten their heads and legs with your hand. After walking your dog, you can soak compresses with water and place them on its paws to refresh them.

Do not hesitate to take your dog to a body of water, lake, source, beach, private swimming pool... Some dogs love to cool off by swimming or at least wetting their paws.

You can also offer games with water. Cats, for example, like to chase floating objects on low water. For dogs, avoid stagnant or polluted water outside. Don't let them go into water where you would not bathe either and remember to dry them after swimming.

Dry foods for dogs and cats have been dehydrated and will naturally make them thirsty. To remedy this, you can wet them or offer different foods that are rich in water. Examples are zucchini, cucumbers, or carrots, but also the more obvious canned food which is wet.

You can also prepare homemade ice cream for your dog or cat, for example by placing water mixed with meat broth - or meat or pâté itself - in the freezer. When your cat or dog eats the ice cream, make sure it digests this delicacy well.

Some animals are more fragile than others. White or light-colored cats are more sensitive in their paws, ears, and noses. Their skin is affected by UV rays and they can get sunburn. Therefore, it is better to keep them indoors during the day. If they must go out, there are sunscreens intended for cats.

In dogs, it's the other way around. Watch out for those with dark fur, because it accumulates heat more easily.

The 'NAC' (New Companion Animals) are hamsters, snakes, mice, rabbits, etcetera. For those who live in a cage, you can place a damp towel around it to relieve them. Keep the cage well away from the windows too, and put it in the shade. And finally, give rodents fresh vegetables and fruits.

As for the rabbit, which is used to taking refuge in a burrow, only temperatures up to 25°C (77ºF) are acceptable. Place it on tiles, slightly wet its ears with a glove, and increase the ration of vegetables.

If they have trouble with the heat, provide your birds with plenty of fresh water. Also give them something to bathe themselves in: a large dish with some water or the sink.