Hot Cats in the City

It is summertime and we are having a typical Toronto heat wave. For the last three days it has been 43C with the humidex (that’s 109.4 for those of you who use Fahrenheit) and an extreme heat alert was issued. We have air conditioning in the house but the cats still feel the heat. Molly forsakes her beloved basket in favour of a cooler spot under the bed and the boys loll around on any hard surface they can find in order to stay cool. In the morning the boys usually zoom around the house chasing each other, but not when it is this hot. During the high temps, there is great economy of movement in order to stay cool; except of course if you are a young cat named Archie with more energy than brains. This morning he was rocketing around the house trying to interest Casper and Ben in a game of tag, but they would have none of it. He regularly gets himself so worked up that he starts panting. I have been online researching cat panting and it is not a good thing. It can be indicative of many serious health issues unless of course you are a goofy youngster who doesn’t know when to take it easy. “Panting can be a normal behavior if it occurs in a young cat after a period of rough play” was one of the quotes I found which describes the situation perfectly. Even though Archie is growing up, he is still a big ole kitten at heart and has not figured out yet to settle down before he gets overexcited. I wonder if he would have the good sense to come in out of the rain…that is if he were an outdoor cat! Btw, just to be on the safe side, I have contacted my vet to ask his opinion on cat panting.

Here's Archie flaked out after his morning activities