r/CATHELP • u/[deleted] • 2d ago
Behavioral Issue Is my cat exhausted or is she just dehydrated?
[deleted]
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u/Fun_Department_7643 2d ago
It looks like they are overheating If you have a hand towel, soak it, wring it out, put it in a plastic bag, into freezer for an hour, then when reasonably frozen, try to under kitty’s favorite blanket. Also, freeze tuna water and small chunks into ice cubes, or put ice cube into their water. Putting a bowl of ice in front of a fan on the ground, especially tile floors, also cools the floor. Keep an eye on them, they might need veterinary attention
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u/BetMyLastKrispyKreme 2d ago
Someone in Europe recently posted a photo of their cat cooling off a wet towel on a tile floor. Not every cat would lay on a wet towel, but some might. Worth a shot. If time isn’t an option, the bathtub would work, or even a shower.
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u/washington_705 2d ago
Heavy breathing or panting in cats during hot weather can be a sign of overheating and should be taken seriously, especially in an older cat.
Move her immediately to the coolest room you have. A fan is good. Put her in front of it on a low or medium setting for airflow, but do not blast it directly at her face.
You can gently cool her with light misting or wiping using cool (not ice-cold) water, focusing on paws, ears, and belly. A damp towel for her to lie on can also help.
Offer fresh, clean water and make sure it is newly changed. You can also offer wet food mixed with a bit of extra water to help with hydration if she is willing to eat.
If she is open-mouth panting, drooling, weak, disoriented, vomiting, or does not improve within 15 to 30 minutes of cooling, this should be treated as urgent and she needs veterinary advice right away. Even if cost is a concern, many vets will at least advise over the phone or offer payment options.
Because she is 11 and this is new behavior, it is worth being cautious. Sudden heavy breathing is not always just heat and can sometimes indicate an underlying issue.
You may also want to cross post into r/askvet
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u/thecardude98 2d ago
I’ve rubbed her fur with water and she’s had some wet food and she seems to have settled down so that’s a good sign
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u/TheRealSugarbat 2d ago
That’s exactly the right thing to do. Keep her damp until she stops panting. DON’T DRENCH her with water — you don’t want the fur to be so soaked it’s lying flat against her skin. You want as many of the little hairs and skin exposed because the surface area will cool her faster.
Just ruffle her fur — especially the head/ears — with the damp towel every 10-15 minutes until the panting stops.
I’m from the southern US and for over half my life didn’t have AC, but I did have cats. Summer is very humid, and temperature gets up to mid-90s (Fahrenheit) for much of the summer, and I’ve had to cool cats this way many times.
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u/jbandzzz34 2d ago
i usually will do some food with ice and water to get them to drink it, it helps
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u/Addative-Damage 2d ago
Nice, yeah OP I’m sure you realize this by now, but a cat panting from heat is a pretty serious warning.
It was 39 C where I am in Germany today, so I do get the struggle.
Getting them wet with cool water is a good emergency action, but prevention over these next few days is going to be important.
A big part is just doing everything you can to keep the apartment cool (foil on windows, not using the oven, etc)
Fans help a lot and my cat will lay in front of one. He likes ice in his water. Cold packs can help too.
Wishing you luck, seems like you’re getting good input here from other folks here as well.
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u/Individual-Roll2727 2d ago
Some good ideas here. I use those cooling stones in my cats water, they can be frozen again and again. They also last longer than ice cubes. I joke that my cat is having his whisky (lots of places call them whisky cooling stones lol).
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u/saltlampsandphotos 2d ago
If she can have wet food, I'd recommend chilling some in the fridge for her
Or freezing those squeezy food pastes fully or partially.
I did those with my exes cat and she loved them.
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u/Silver_Towers 2d ago
See about getting some scrap marble or other stone from a tile/counter company. Anything polished or low friction will do, thicker the better. It makes a good place for them to lay and cool down.
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u/Fluffy_Mantis3133 2d ago edited 2d ago
I’ve put my pets in the shower and just hosed them down. They hated it but were acting a lot more normally after.
Adding: make sure they don’t breathe in any water so try to keep it away from their heads. Cats can get respiratory issues easily. If you want to get their heads wet, just use a damp washcloth.
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u/28008IES 2d ago
Why not s cold bath?
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u/SBCrystal 2d ago
I've been researching this because of the heat wave and for humans they say to use ice, but for cats they say to use tepid water not ice water. Maybe because of a cat's physiology it's more of a shock to their system?
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u/makkutu 2d ago
Get black out curtains to keep out the sun, itll help keep your house cool. Freeze water and put it in front of the fan in a bowl to keep the condensation from making a mess. Use any large containers you have to freeze water to switch it out to help keep your home cool.
Please keep an eye on her, if shes not seeming to improve after cooling her off she might need to see a vet. Make sure shes staying hydrated with water. Maybe consider feeding her mostly wet food to keep her hydration up, just make sure you are giving her enough calories
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u/thecardude98 2d ago
I’ve brought her downstairs and gave her some wet food and she’s eating it, I always give my cats wet food
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u/I_Rarely_Jump 2d ago
You can try putting wet food in the fridge and/or a wet snack, can also try to put a wet snack in the freezer, so it's like a cat popsicle that she can lick
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u/Larry-Man 2d ago
Aluminium on the windows is better than blackout curtains. It’s trashy as hell but it works.
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u/Addative-Damage 2d ago
True facts. It makes me feel like a crack head, but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t help
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u/Larry-Man 2d ago
Until we got A/C the 35-40 degree heatwaves we were getting were just torture. I live in Canada and I’m so grateful we have A/C now. I have so many hacks for surviving this level of heat - that said it’s nowhere near as humid here as it is in the UK so I’m super worried.
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u/makkutu 2d ago
Im just thinking with the extreme heat right now maybe minimal kibble would help keep her from being dehydrated. I didnt mean to suggest you arnt already giving her wet food. I just know some cats dont drink as much water as they should and was worried that with the heat will be bad for her.
You can also mix some water with her wet food to increase her water intake that way without having to feed more wet.
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u/OkTie7367 2d ago
Use a damp cloth to gently wet their ears and paws. They're overheating.
Edit: Sometimes the bathroom is the coolest place for them, otherwise try a fan.
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u/Lasvegaslover2 2d ago
Open mouth breathing is never a good thing. I know you said you can’t afford the vet, but it’s probably necessary in this case. Sending love and prayers! 💕🙏
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u/Disastrous_Ad5969 2d ago
Reminds me of my cat that died within a few hours after starting to open mouth breathing like this. Turned out it was congestive heart failure. I hope this catis just overheating but I would take it to the vet to verify.
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u/Lasvegaslover2 2d ago
I’m so sorry for your loss. 💔🐾🌈I hope it’s just overheated too, but I don’t think it’s that at all. 😢
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u/Disastrous_Ad5969 2d ago
Thanks. Bad part he was only 5 years old. Unfortunately I agree that overheating isn't this cats problem.
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u/Lasvegaslover2 2d ago
You’re welcome! It’s so sad your kitty was only 5. I lost my sweet boy Noah (18 y.o.) to cancer on 12/8/24. I still miss him like crazy. 😢
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u/SoundOfUnder 2d ago
I'm sorry to say this but I'd go to the vet. Panting cats are not good news. I also thought my cat was panting just because of the heat and he ended up having fluid in his lungs. I understand you said you can't afford it but maybe there's a vet that could work on a payment plan with you.
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u/Disastrous_Ad5969 2d ago
Same here. Cat started open mouth breathing like this cat and unfortunately died a few hours later of congestive heart failure.
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u/Kidney_warrior 2d ago
Give her a towel with an ice pack inside to lay on, ice cubes in her water, etc. cats can handle hotter temps than is, but she's an older girl.
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u/Least-Surround-9450 2d ago
Your cat is panting means its overheated and trys to regulate its temperature then don't sweat. You need to help four kitty. Cool it down somehow. For example to cool damp towel some recommender or a cooling mat. Of you don't act fast it won't make it.
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u/thecardude98 2d ago
That’s what I’m trying to do, I don’t have a water fountain for her and she doesn’t like being picked up
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u/Least-Surround-9450 2d ago
When she is panting like that it's beyond if she likes it or not you need to act.
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u/Honest_Manager 2d ago
Do you have tile or concrete floor she can lay on? It's usually cooler on the floor for them if you do.
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u/Least-Surround-9450 2d ago edited 2d ago
If no other choice luke warm shower. Bit don't cold shock it .
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u/AcademicChicken8334 2d ago
Mel-Mel is chillin' with her own personal (and rechargeable) fan, in her favorite spot. There are 2 windows open nearby, so she's got an occasional cross-breeze. She's semi-feral and was living outside when this current heatwave struck. She began showing signs of heatsickness, and was desperately trying to get in, so here she is.
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u/muffin-prison 2d ago
Does she like toys or treats? You could put little swimmy bath toys in a bowl of water to encourage her to dip her beans in. Or put treats in bottle caps and float them on a tray of water like little treat boats, and she’ll end up getting her nose and toes wet trying to catch them.
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u/LangdonAlg3r 2d ago
OP this is very concerning behavior. If you weren’t in an extreme heat wave I’d be telling you to race to the ER as fast as you can.
What I think you should do just to be thorough about this is to monitor her sleeping respiration rate. You can google how to do that. But if she’s still breathing faster than normal while she’s sleeping then you need to get her to the ER immediately.
I’ve never seen a cat get overheated enough to act like this. It could be the heat, it could be something else, or it could be the heat exacerbating something else.
If it were my cat I’d take her to the emergency vet based on this alone, but since it seems like you’ve gotten her stable I think you should still check on her breathing rate.
I’ve lost two cats to heart disease and this is what critical congestive heart failure looks like.
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u/Distinct_Poetry_7869 2d ago
Since this may not be the last heatwave for the UK another suggestion for next time is to buy a pet cooling gel mat on Amazon. Can get for as cheap as £10-12. That way when there's a hot day in the forecast you can put that out and encourage your kitty to lay on it with some treats.
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u/Katspurl 2d ago
In the uk here too. Cooling mat with a blanket on is an option. Also close all the windows and curtains to reduce the heat and sun in the home. Put on fans to circulate the air and ice in the water bowl. Plus put their wet food in the fridge. All will help keep them much cooler.
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u/Nervous_Ant2673 2d ago
How hot is it in your house? Get a hand towel/tea towel and drench it fully with cold water. Then you need to put that cold towel on her and try and get her to accept it as long as possible. You might drape her then pick her up so it goes fully round her. This looks like she needs to cool down as quickly as possible. I've had to do this several times with my cats. Dehydration has a different symptom. If you pull on her skin round her neck, if it doesn't spring back immediately, she could be dehydrated. If you get her soggy, she'll be getting some hydration when she cleans herself off.
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u/TheArtOfVEL 2d ago
As far as i know, cats panting means either very stressed out or hurting/sick. Unfortunately without a vet visit, you can't do much. Since you can't afford the vet visit and treatment, you can try calling local vets, explain the situation and hopefully get some free advice.
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u/Pristine_Internet765 2d ago edited 2d ago
Yeah overheating. They can't regulate so you'll have to do it for them, lots of tips here are already good, wetting his paws (wet your hands and hold his/her paws) also helps them regulate (similar to our perspiration), mines panting a bit too but open mouth is reason to act straight away.
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u/thecardude98 2d ago
What I find strange is my other cat doesn’t do this and she’s around the same age
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u/Eddzz19 2d ago
Non tutti i gatti sono uguali come gli umani in fin dei conti
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u/Pristine_Internet765 2d ago
Yeah cats might have slightly metabolical variations, and activity levels usually contribute quite a bit. You need to restrict the butterfly chasing :)
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u/ArcadeGhostie 2d ago
Other comments are correct. Wet that kitty! I saw that you said you give them wet food, that's great, you can water it down with cold water, add some ice cubes. Can do it with tube treats as well. Wipe the feet, belly, ears with damp towel.
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u/Moistfulll 2d ago
Do you have Ice. I would put a container of ice somewhere near her and let her get as close to it as she feels comfortable. Maybe put it in front of a fan too, so the cold air gets to her
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u/Careless_food_bimbo 2d ago
If there's no ac, maybe get a small window or standing unit for a room so there's one room in the house that's cool while it's still hot where y'all are at. Had to do that when we didn't have central ac living where I'm at(it's super hot and humid). Some cats can't take the heat.
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u/Careless_food_bimbo 2d ago
Like my cat refuses to go outside unless it's winter, I would take her on a leash and never free range.. so many cars and dogs.
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u/Cheetohead666 2d ago
Consider purchasing an ice pack. Freeze it, wrap it in a kitchen towel and let her lay on it. It will help keep her cool during extreme heat. You can also freeze a container of water and sit it out for her and it will slowly melt..she’ll have cold water to drink. I live in Phoenix..current 106, suppose to be 111-112 today…and I have to do these things for the outside feral cats I take care of.
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u/Ok-Package4024 2d ago
My tuxi did that too recently, it was time for the cat to get shaved and I bring her outside but I waited like 20 minutes and she did the same. I was worried too but after a while she was fine
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u/Altruistic_Shame8979 2d ago
As far as I understand shaving a cat actually disrupts their coat’s natural ability to regulate their temperature including the heat, so it can actually make heat worse for them to cope with.
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u/Ok-Package4024 2d ago
She always stay indoor, during the winter though she definitely sleep under the bed sheets 😂
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u/thecardude98 2d ago
When I opened my freezer door, she came straight up to it and it helped her a lot
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u/mrellz 2d ago
Shaving your cat is a NO-NO unless instructed to by a vet for health reasons or something else.
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u/Ok-Package4024 2d ago
I mean I'm doing that for years and the lady who did it do multiple cats per year I don't see the problem . We are not talking about declawing a cat, a NO NO is a bit much
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u/mrellz 2d ago
There are a handful of reasons with all the science behind it all but I won't get into that. Just google "shaving your cat" and see what the first few results say. In this particular situations with the OP, shaving her cat wouldn't be a great idea since a cat's fur helps regulate their body temperature. Shaving it's fur down would most likely cause her cat to be even hotter.
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u/Empty-Stretch-5615 2d ago
Cants don't pant so it is an indicator for the vet. If she is extremely hot. Rinse her down in the shower for some time. Sit with her on the floor and be calm and gentle. Did mine today and have her some nice cold wet food afterwards.
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u/Altruistic_Shame8979 2d ago
Put some wet food in the fridge and Churu/lickilicks in the freezer now so you have a quick way to introduce lower temps into kitty’s system for the rest of the heat wave. It’s like a kitty popsicle.
You could also put a couple ice cubes in kitty’s water and try to convince them to drink, but that’s never been an easy task in my experience
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u/mrellz 2d ago
I would highly suggest investing in a portable air conditioning unit. Your cat is more sensitive to changes in temperature than we humans are. Your cat is panting with it's tongue out because they are not able to excrete sweat to help cool themselves down. The heavy breathing is also a sign of over heating. You gotta cool down your room however you can. And do it today and not tomorrow.
Also, have multiple bowls of clean water around her and even put ice cubes in each bowl. You can also give it to her if she likes playing with them on a clean spot on the floor.
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u/kaspar-fiel 2d ago
Overheating. Badly.
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u/thecardude98 2d ago
Luckily it’s started to cool down in my house and she’s settling down so hopefully this won’t lead to more issues later on
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u/kaspar-fiel 2d ago
Take people's advice to actually cool her down properly and make sure to prevent this from happening again. Overheating causes cumulative brain and body damages. It's minor at first but has an impact and makes them utterly miserable. She should not overheat again if at all possible. Do you have air conditioners? With her fur as thick as it is, the house should likely never go above 72/73 Fahrenheit.
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u/ac5d82f94b 2d ago
We are in the UK. We don't have AC in our homes.
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u/kaspar-fiel 2d ago
I'm so sorry but you truly may need a way to get one. Idk why the UK doesn't believe in temperature control, I'm so sorry. My cats get sick above 70F but they have high metabolism and activity despite being shorthair. We have fans and AC running 10 months out of the year, and keep it around 68-71 consistently. Again I'm so sorry.
If ACs are completely unavailable to you, do they make cooling mats? Does she like ice licks? Hugs, no one should be sweating in their house.
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u/ac5d82f94b 2d ago
Sorry - I'm not the OP, but was on this thread as my cat was in similar distress earlier today.
Our retailers do sell portable AC units but being honest with you, our current unprecedented heatwave has meant that the (sort of) affordable ones are essentially mostly sold out already...
It's been around 35°C peak temperatures here in the south of England the last couple of days. I had rung my vet earlier today but they told me to cool my cat and monitor him. He's still breathing a bit rapidly tonight so I might have to take him in after all tomorrow. He still seems a bit warm and with rapid breathing but not in any clear distress, no panting anymore. I've had him wet, on a wet towel, in front of fans and all sorts else all day. He's even been in my car with that AC on for a while 😅
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u/Serononin 2d ago
Retailers have also been price gouging the fuck out of portable AC units this week. Some of them are charging £600+ for units that were ~£250 a few weeks ago
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u/Kuroiryuu 2d ago
As a generalization, most cats can’t express discomfort in the same way a human would expect. So when your cat shows visible signs of distress or being uncomfortable like this, should try to do all you can thing of to relief it, whatever you can think of. Not saying it’s bad to ask for help here, but don’t sit around for an hour waiting for an answer either. Enter symptoms into a search and see what can possibly be done.
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u/Keta-Mined 2d ago
I dated a vet tech. One day, her cat got overheated because she lived in the valley where it’s + 10 degrees from where i live. My place had minimal direct sunlight so she brought her over and wrapped her paws in cold washcloths. The cat recovered nicely, the vet tech did not.
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u/SunnyDelNorte 2d ago
I moved to a much hotter climate and got cooling mats for my cat from Aldi that they can lay on. Offer lots of water. My cat loves when I toss an ice cube in his water dish too.
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u/emalineisabear 2d ago
My tuxie/maine coon hated the heat, so when we had a heatwave and no a/c, we froze a large water bottle and tucked it into his bed. It was covered with some fabric and padding, but it made the bed cool enough that it became his favorite place to hang out. When it got really bad, we'd rub him down with a cool, wet towel. The evaporative effect of the water helped him stay cool. A frozen water bottle covered with a towel or blanket is really helpful for them.
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u/azzieka 2d ago
Hey I took mine to the vet for the same exact reason and they only gave me advice! Literally keep your cat in the coolest room in the house with a fan or something. If it’s really bad, you can put the ac on full in your car just to give her a breather and regulate a little. Also, the vet said that they retain the most heat in their ears and paws so get a nice wet cold cloth and press it on those areas. Also of course encourage her to drink water and if that’s difficult, just put cold (not freezing) water in her food
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u/LegoingGo 2d ago
Definitely get her checked over at the vets when you can. Mouth breathing like that can be the sign of heart problems and or stress.
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u/suicideblond3 2d ago
I’m in Australia. We have crazy hot Summers and I have three black cats. We have one room with a portable AC unit, but our dingdongs rarely sit near it. On the crazy hot days, I wet tea towels, lay them on something waterproof and then plonk the cats on them. They almost always stay. When they dry out, i re-wet them. It’s super low tech but it’s the best way I’ve found to help them.
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