My Siberian cat gets hot. I mean like noticeably hot.
Like a couple minutes after I took this picture he flipped himself over and I went to pet him and I could feel just how hot his fur is.
I now understand why he’s always agitated, prefers sleeping on hardwood floors and stone and leather, and doesn’t like to cuddle with me or sit on my lap!
Is there something I could realistically do to help him? Especially because I’m in New Jersey and it’s about to turn summer.
I’m even fine with trimming his long luxurious fur, for him
Long hair cats need their hair brushed. Doubley so when the seasons change and they are shedding.
Get a wire cat brush and be amazed at how much comes out. (Plus the little guy will love it) That should be a good starting spot
If they’re still too hot then a trim isn’t a bad idea
There are also deshedder brushes/combs that will help - the idea is that it removes all the loose fur, particularly from the undercoat. Depending on the time of year this can get rid of a lot of volume.
Be sure to get one for long hair cats if necessary! I didn’t realize this was a thing until I tried using our short hair deshedder on our long hair and she promptly got very pissed off. She’s still not a super fan of the long hair version, but she will tolerate it.
And you’re right - tons and tons of fur comes off when I groom our kitties every few weeks in spring.
You can get a cooling mat, similar principle as stone etc, but weird softer pillow-y. Couple of our cats love it in summer, and you can simply flip them if they turn warm.
Maybe some cold water, or even water with some ice?
Plus cooling pillows, they really work. Nice for the summertime:)
Get his belly shaved.
Seriously. It’s a thing people do for long-haired cats to help them cool off in the summer.
And the butt. Not all cats are particularly good at cleaning, and longer hair back there collects things.
🤔 that’s not a bad idea
I have a cat just like yours with the same problem and can attest that it really does help. My fluffy guy really was no fan of the process, but he enjoyed summer much more afterwards. There really was an immediate change in his attitude, less apathic, more playful, cuddlier, and just happier overall. Will certainly do it again this year.
Seconded.
To clarify, bring your cat to the groomers for this. I’m not sure DIY with barber shears is the best approach.
How hot is your home?
Sorry, I don’t really have any advice, my last cat loved to be warm, and would purr her stupid face off laying on me while I was literally sweating! But since your cat can’t vocalize it, I just wanted to say thank you for looking into this, and helping that dude be more comfortable… Good human.
For our pet rabbit I bought a clay plant saucer (the part you would put under the pot to catch extra water). I flip it upside down and put an ice pack under it. Then a towel between the ice pack and floor to soak up condensation. The ice cools the clay without her being in direct contact with the ice.
Also frozen water bottle in a sock she can lay next to on the extra hot days.
do you have an air conditioner to help reduce the effect of seasons?
Shaving longhair cats at the beginning of summer is pretty common
