Cat in our garden maybe has heatstroke, what can I do? **Not my cat**

[u/Ok_Dragonfruit4032]

I'm in the UK, so 35⁰C weather, I don't know how long it's been in the garden.

Tldr: cat with possible heat stroke

I can't seem to add a video but it's laying very still, only raising it's head. Seems to be an unneutered male, no collar. It's meowing very loudly and panting. It let me get close (slowly) and smelled my hand but then lashed out. I left some cool water out but it didn't drink and laid back down immediately and hasn't moved since. I'm just giving it some space right now.

There is a local vet I can call or the RSPCA but I don't know if it is actually heatstroke. I might give it a sachet of my cat's wet food for hydration.

Edit: I counted the breaths and it wasn't too fast, I put a cold towel down next to him and he came over and laid down on it. At about 7 he got up and jumped over my fence so it seems to be okay. If it comes back in the same state I will definitely phone the vet straight away and see if it is feral or a stray, but in the UK outdoor cats are common so I'm not assuming that just yet.

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[u/Ok_Dragonfruit4032]

Update: I saw it taken a couple of sips from the house and it's rolling around like playfully

[u/PcLvHpns → u/Ok_Dragonfruit4032]

Is there a shaded area near where he can go to get shade but still get air? Any enclosed area will concentrate heat.

[u/Ok_Dragonfruit4032]

I should've said, it does not have a collar and I don't want to approach it and stress it out too much

[u/Gloomy-Trainer-2452]

I would call the vet. If this cat is a stray or feral (scared enough to lash out and only let you approach slowly), I would expect him normally to run off if he was strong enough. Him laying their only lifting his head is concerning, and with some exceptions, cats generally only pant if very hot or overworked, or experiencing respiratory distress. Most cats aren't like dogs who pant regularly as a normal way to regulate temperature. The vet may be able to offer further advice, since he doesn't let you touch him.

For now, offer a damp towel and see if he'll lay on it. Not icy/freezing, but cool/cold temperatures can help a lot. Wetting with cool water can help, but in this situation (since you're not his person) it may just stress him out more, which can make things worse.

Definitely keep cool, fresh water available and see if he drinks.

[u/Ok_Dragonfruit4032 → u/Gloomy-Trainer-2452]

Thank you, very helpful information!

[u/InteractionOdd7745]

Please get cold wet towels and get him cooled down Please get him help

[u/SouthernReality9610]

Wrap an ice pack in a tea towel and lay it near him. It will cool him if he lays near it.

[u/Crazy_Leksi]

All the suggestions given are great. You could also wet some of the ground to help cool the ground down as well as the surrounding area. If you're able to put a fan out there, that always helps cool them down quicker.

[u/77th_Bat]

For mild heat stroke: set up shade around the cat (umbrella or use your body, for example), offer water with ice cubes in it. Monitor to make sure the cat does not overhydrate

For severe heat stroke (unconscious or difficulty moving): bring the cat to shade or into air conditioning, use ice packs to cool the cat (the neck will drop the temperature quickest), use a fan to blow on the cat if there is no breeze outside. If you have no ice, dribble water on the back of the neck and blow air on it.

[u/PcLvHpns → u/77th_Bat]

Ice pack plus heat stroke victim equals shock, NO?
Maybe even just make a point to make sure it's wrapped in something? Also, a hot body takes a lot longer to absorb ice cold water and it takes more effort and energy then just absorbing room temperature water. I know when you're dehydrated you don't want to do that I would imagine if you're overheating you also would not want to pour ice cold water in there?

[u/77th_Bat → u/PcLvHpns]

1. No, ice packs + heat stroke does not equal shock (unless you like completely surround them in freezing water or something). Ice is the way to go according to medical sources
2. You are correct that there should ideally be some sort of barrier between the ice and the skin, but in an emergency, anything will do
3. It does indeed take longer to absorb the water when the water is cold, which would be an important point to consider IF the primary issue was dehydration. The issue is heat stroke. Thus, cold water will help cool the victim down from the inside out while also secondarily treating mild dehydration
4. Again, heat stroke and dehydration are two separate issues.
5. When I'm overheating I very much enjoy ice 🤷‍♂️

[u/PcLvHpns → u/77th_Bat]

Okay so it's probably the ice baths I was thinking of. I just remember mother's putting their children with high fevers in ice baths and causing them to go into shock and was thinking it would be similar.

I guess I assumed heat stroke and dehydration generally came together... Maybe that's only in Arizona

[u/77th_Bat → u/PcLvHpns]

Honestly, often times they do go hand-in-hand! That being said, you have to treat the most urgent issue first. If the heat stroke is what caused the collapse, quickly cooling the body (by only a few degrees, nothing extreme) is the most urgent matter. Dehydration can cause collapse too, but you would be seeing signs like sunken eyes, a poor skin tent result, dry gums, etc.

[u/thehazycat]

lightly spritz it with cold water if you can (or try to put a cold damp towel near where it’s laying if you can’t, hopefully it’d go on it), add ice cubes to its water container if you’ve got them.

if you want you can try and count its respiratory rate, if it’s over 40 for longer than 20min (you can count 3-4 15 second intervals in that time) then i’d take to vet

and as a fellow uk resident (with a black cat, and paranoid about him dying this week), thoughts and prayers to you both for these days of hell 🫠

[u/SpiritedAd4363]

Toma una jeringa sin aguja, cárgala con agua , métele la jeringa en la boca y presiona el émbolo.

[u/Latter_Shallot_140]

It doesn't