Keep cats hydrated in heatwave with three tips as it can cause serious problems

Scorching hot weather is set to hit parts of England and Wales this week, with the Met Office confirming heatwave conditions will arrive for several parts of the country within the next few days. Temperatures are set to hit a scorching 33C on Tuesday and 30C again on Friday, according to the latest Met Office forecasts for London.

Because of this, it will be important to stay hydrated and making sure you don’t overheat. However, it’s just as important to make sure your pets also stay safe in the heat. For cats, this means making sure they remain hydrated and have plety to drink.

Dehydration can cause a number of health problems for cats, including decreased circulation leading to multi-organ dysfunction, an inability to control body temperature, cardiac arrhythmias, and neurologic dysfunction, according to WebMD.

Because of this, it’s important to make sure to avoid your cats becoming dehydrated, and it’s easier than it sounds. To help, cat behaviourist Jackson Galaxy has shared his top tips to make sure your cat stays hydrated during the heatwaves.

“Hydration is important, especially in the summer time when we’re all losing fluids. Whether we’re losing it out of our foreheads, or our [paw] pads,” he said, referring to how cats sweat through their paws. “Anyway, it’s really important to keep a few things in mind to make sure that your cat gets at much hydration as they can.”

1. Offer varity of hydration options

“And number one would be variety. Cats like different things, so make sure when it comes to fountains versus standing water, you’ve got plenty of both,” he said.

He went on to recommend that you have several options for water available for your cat, including in low sided dishes, high sided dishes, deep dishes, and even water glasses.

“Cats love drinking out of your glass, you know that. And fountains as well. Running water is key with cats,” he said.

2. Location of water

“And making sure you have it around the house,” he said.

He went on to show that he had two different water fountains in his home, one out in the open and one in a corner by a cat tree, that were different heights. He then had another option on a dresser, as sometimes cat prefer it to be up off the ground.

“If you think that your cats are gonna love it in one place, you’re a human! So make sure that you put them in places where your cat are gonna like it,” he said.

Similarly, he said to keep them away from areas where your cats wouldn’t want to go.

3. Not just all about drinking

“That leads me to my last point, which is that it’s not just all about drinking,” he said.

He went on to explain that cats are deprived from desert animals and thereby get 70% or more of their hydration from their food. Becuase of this, Jackson went on to urge cat owners to feed their cats wet food, and he also says that wet treats are another great option.

“So make sure that you have lots of water sources of all shape and sizes in different spots around the house,” he said. “And make sure that you’re feeding your cats wet food or wet treats.”

Some cat owners also took to the comments to share their tips, with one viewer saying: “I always mix my cats’ wet food with water to make extra sure they’re being hydrated enough.”

“My cats will only drink from my sink tap. I’ve had bowls fountains you name I’ve got it but they will only use the sink,” another person said, while a third user shared: “My oldest cat will only drink from the showerhead, so it just lies on the floor running several times a day and the other two cats are normal.”

It’s not always obvious if your cat is dehydrated, but some symptoms to look out for include loss of appetite, weakness or thethargy, increased heart rate, panting or drooling, tremblind, and change to urination patterns. If you’re worried speak to your vet straight away.