I'm starting to think about how our little Robbie will fair during the hot summer months being and inside cat. There is alot of time where he is locked inside while we are out and the house can get awfully hot and stuffy. What do we do to make sure he is okay ?

If i am not going to be home during the day I make sure I open some windows (not fully, just halfway, I turn on a fan and make sure I put ice cubes in their water.

I also leave the spare room door open as its the last one to get sun during the day so its cooler.

Also leave a door open to a room with tiles, if he gets too warm he can lie on the tiles to cool off.

Hi! Make sure the cat has plenty of water (with ice cubes) - we have 3 icecream containers in cool places around the house - the laundry, the kitchen and our bathroom. Also as PP said access to a room with tiles is helpful cuase they will lay down on them. Ventilation in the form of an open window or a fan. Our puss stays indoors while we are at work and we have never had a problem although she does have the run of the house not just one room.

Another suggestion is to give Robbie a good brush/comb each day in summer as they do shed a lot of fur to regulate their temperature in summer. Giving him a helping hand will also mean less fur balls and besides if he is anything like my Riff Raaf he will love you for the extra attention

Good luck!

I'm getting a kitten in two weeks so I'm watching this one with interest ^^

We just got insulation, it's making a big difference.
I leave the lounge room fan on, open as many windows as I can safely lock, and leave the bathrooms open, with lots of waterbowls in the shower.
My eldest kitteh likes to get in the waterbowl and splash about, then lie on the tiles. Normal lol.

i have had an inside only cat now for 9 years, cats are sneaky they will find the coolest spot in the house and sleep there all day long, it could be anywhere, and i mean anywhere. they will never sleep in a hot spot unless its winter so don't worry.

BTW this is the third inside only cat i have had the first lived for over 16years died of old age, the next about 13 and was put down due to kidney issues, and now this one who is nine. i never had a/c for the first 2 and they were always asleep on the tiles when it was too hot.

My cat has been indoors now for 18 years. When its cold, she moves to the sunniest (and warmest) room - or hides under a doona. When its hot, and she is over toasting herself, she moves away from the sunny spots and into a cooler room. Often under a bed. Make sure she has access to rooms that are shaded during the day - so can get away from the sun, especially in the afternoon.

I agree with all the other posters - lots of water available, make sure its fresh, ice cubes. If you don't like leaving electrical equipment going, you can use ice packs under a cloth to make a cool bed - if your cat likes that sort of thing. Ours will occasionally use the tiles as a cool down spot, or the bath.

If you can leave your windows open a tiny bit that will leave air to circulate - but that might actually be counter productive in the hottest months - sometimes the 'breezes' we get could melt iron. So don't assume you must leave the windows open - its all about getting the coolest result.

Keep the blinds down, and curtains drawn - thicker curtains will keep a room cooler, and if you can shade the outside of the window, even better.

Let us know how you get on.

We also do the ice in their water bowl (we use 2 bowls in summer), we also wet a towel & leave it on the floor in the coolest room of the house with a fan on low.

One of ours is quite long haired & he is ok. Make sure you a familiar with signs of heat stress & just keep an eye on your fury friend

We put water in the laundry sink, as Shadow loves to lay in it yes she loves water and loves to lay in it or play in it....thank heavens its only water and is easily cleaned. Worse part is her jumping on to your lap after a play in her water bowl YUK

Lynn

my 3 fur kids live inside and they always find a warm or cool place depending on the weather. i leav heaps of water and fans on. i can't open windows when out cause i don't have security screens, but then i leave the air con on for them if it is real hot ( i live in qld). they don't knowany different and don't seem that fazed by it unlike me!

When I used to have a cat she was indoors 24/7. We have always had security screens, so we always left a few windows open, and always plenty of water available. It never seemed to bother her, she had run of the house, which is mostly tiled flooring.

She lived through 19 years summers, having never set paw outdoors.