Thread: Shaving your cat due to excessive heat?

Hi id just like to add a few things to whats already been discussed.

Cats aqnd dogs do not sweat like humans - there for removing coat wont make them feel a whole heap cooler, shaving a cat down specially to the skin and then letting them outside would be like us going outside naked in the sunshine - bring on the sunburn and heat stroke. In the same way loose fitting clothing helps protect us from the sun a cats coat does the same BUT and this is the big thing - the coat MUST be well brushed through - if the coat is packed with dead hair or matted then the cat will be better shaved down as any heat will get trapped under the packed/matted hair and help cause the cat to over heat.

shaving out the belly as has been suggested is a very good idea as this leaves an area for the cat to lie down on a cool surface and really fell the benefits - but again if the cat goes out side you must put sunscreen on the shaved area.

if your cat likes to be outside the best thing is to make sure his coats well brushed out so it can do the job its desgined to ( for example if you put a siamese and a maine coon outside in the sun i can guarentee the siamese skin will feel hot to the touch MUCH quicker than the coon because the heat has to penetrate that coat first. same applies for dogs, boxers are more at risk of heatstroke than say a newfoundland if left out in the hot sun) make sure there are shaded areas and put down some ice pads under some towels, NEVER give the animal iced water to drink if the animal is baking hot this can cause the animal to be come very ill very quickly.cool water is best, and a cool towel placed on the inside of the thighs where some of the main veins run will also cool an animal down, but again cool towels NOT freezing cold.

hope that helps.