It’s important to learn how to keep a Persian cat cool, especially during those hot summer months.
Cats are far more susceptible to heat and cold than humans are, and extreme weather can easily kill a cat.
Persian cats can become overheated and dehydrated when it’s hot out. To keep a Persian cat cool, you should offer lots of freshwater, cool, shady places to sleep, and possibly even a cooling mat. If it’s incredibly hot outside, you should keep your Persian cat indoors to prevent heat stroke or even death.
There are a lot of other ways you can keep your Persian cat cool during hot weather, as well.
Read on to find out some surprising and helpful ways you can help your Persian regulate temperature even during extreme weather conditions.
These cats, with their long, thick fur, are perfectly built to survive harsh winters. However, dealing with the heat can be a lot harder for these cats.
During the hot summer months, it’s your responsibility as an owner to keep your Persian nice and cool.An overheated or dehydrated cat can easily suffer heatstroke, or even die!
Here are the top 11 ways you can keep your Persian comfortable even in extreme heat:
Keep reading to discover more about these 11 effective Persian cat cooling tips.
You might be tempted to save money and keep the air conditioner off, even when it’s hot out.
Keep in mind, however, that turning off the air conditioning and fans in your house can actually cause harm to your Persian.
It’s a good idea to keep cool air circulating so that your Persian doesn’t become overwhelmed by the heat.
What might be a comfortable temperature to humans can actually be incredibly uncomfortable to cats.
Anything above 80 degrees Fahrenheit will be too hot for a cat.
It’s a good idea to keep the temperature of your house between 75 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, so you can provide a comfortable environment for your Persian (source).
Create safe havens for your Persian by offering plenty of shady places to rest.
While your Persian may love resting in the sunshine when it’s cooler out, that certainly isn’t the case when it’s incredibly hot out!
Place your Persian’s beds in shady, cool locations.
You might even make a cool retreat by placing a box on its side.
Keep in mind that cats also like to lay on tile or other cool surfaces to help cool down, so try and make these surfaces more available and accessible to your Persian.
Overall, it’s a good idea to offer your Persian many cool, shady options for rest.
Of course, it’s absolutely essential that you provide your Persian with lots of clean, freshwater.
Persian cats are well known for loving to drink from moving / flowing water. A cat water fountain like this one is ideal for your precious Persian cat.
If your Persian cat is anything like ours, they will likely love to pat the water from this fountain all over our utility room floor too!
When it’s especially hot out, you should take care to set out water bowls in multiple rooms, so your Persian doesn’t have to trek from room to room if it’s thirsty.
Another way to provide moisture for your Persian is to give it wet food. Dry food has a very low moisture content, but wet food is high in moisture, and can help keep your Persian hydrated.
As tempting as it might be to play with your Persian to distract from the heat, this can actually make your Persian even hotter. Try and keep your Persian calm when it’s hot out, so it doesn’t overwork itself into heat exhaustion.
It’s best to play with your Persian early in the morning and in the late afternoon when temperatures have receded so that your Persian can still get playtime without getting overheated.
You can make special cooling treats for your Persian by putting wet food in an ice tray and allowing it to freeze overnight.
You can also freeze chicken broth if you wish, but make sure it’s sodium-free.
These treats are perfect for keeping your Persian cool, while also encouraging it to stay hydrated.
Some cats also love to play with ice cubes!
Although it is best to limit exercise while it’s hot out, if your Persian is determined to play, you can encourage your Persian to play with ice cubes to stay cool.
Of course, you should be taking every possible precaution to keep your house cool.
your Persian may love to soak in the sun during normal temperatures, but this isn’t the case when it’s hot out!
With this in mind, make sure that you keep your house curtains closed. This is important because a closed curtain will block the sun from getting in, thus helping to keep your home cooler. Closed curtains help trap any heat that comes through the windows.
You should also avoid using the oven or stove as much as possible when it’s hot out, as this will only make your house warmer.
Cars are heat traps during hot months, so you should avoid taking your Persian on car rides altogether when it’s warm out.
Unless you have to go in for an emergency veterinary visit, it’s best to keep your Persian away from these hot vehicles.
If you do need to transport your Persian in the car, it is vital that you use a large shady cat carrier. Only use a carrier that enables plenty of airflows, to help keep your Persian cat cool.
Finally, and most importantly, NEVER, EVER leave your Persian alone in the car while running errands. Many pets have died from being left alone in a car, even in only mildly warm weather.
You might want to consider investing in a pet cooling mat.
Cooling pet beds are a great way to allow your Persian to escape from the heat if needed.
There are different kinds of cooling beds, some of which are made with gel, while others are made from water.
Gel-activated pet beds release cool temperatures when exposed to the pressure of your Persian laying down. When your Persian gets back up, the gel begins to self-cool again.
I personally love this 35″ x 55″ dog-sized gel-activated pet cooling mat.
Water cooling mats also absorb heat from your pet’s body.
However, keep in mind that both kinds of pet cooling mats only stay cool for so long before they need to be rested or cooled down again.
If you have an outdoor Persian cat, this is not the time to let your Persian roam around outside.
While cats are great at regulating their own temperatures, it’s simply not worth the risk to let your Persian go outside when it’s incredibly hot out.
You should avoid letting your Persian outside when it’s above 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
your Persian may not have access to water or shady spots while outside, and it can suffer from heat exhaustion, heatstroke, or even death all too easily.
Even if your Persian wants to go outside, it’s best to keep it indoors where it’s coolest.
One surprising (and often controversial) tip that I hear people recommend on the internet, is that owners should shave their Persian cat, to help the cat keep cool during the hot weather. Please NEVER do this!
A lot of people will shave their cat, or even get a Persian cat lion cut, in the belief that it will keep their cat cool. In reality, however, this can actually cause more harm than good.
The Persian cat’s thick fur actually acts as a way to regulate temperature. Their fur is able to trap cold air, which can keep them cool as temperatures rise.
Furthermore, their fur protects them from sunburn. A shaved Persian cat will be far more vulnerable to the sun, and might even be more likely to suffer heat exhaustion.
While it’s a bad idea to shave your Persian, you can still help keep your Persian cat cool through grooming.
You should regularly brush your Persian cat about twice a week, using these cat grooming tools.
If it’s hot outside though, you might want to brush your Persian cat three or even four times a week! The reason for this is that grooming helps to remove dead fur which can add weight and heat to your Persian’s pelt.
Wiping your Persian down with a damp towel, or even giving your Persian cat a bath is also a way you can keep your Persian clean and keep it cool at the same time.
Most Persian cats love water, so this shouldn’t be an issue, but if your Persian cat hates water, then you might want to avoid bathing altogether.
Learning how to keep a Persian cat cool is essential to your Persian’s health.
These thick-furred cats are surprisingly good at regulating their own temperature, but they’ll still need help staying cool in extreme heat.
Keeping your Persian inside during hot days can prevent heatstroke and even save your Persian’s life!
It’s also important to provide lots of cool, shady places to rest, as well as plenty of water.
Despite their long, thick fur, Persian cats are still capable of getting cold. While they’re more resistant to cold than other cat breeds, they shouldn’t be allowed outside in weather below freezing.