Your animals get hot too

  It is May 29th, and for those of you that dont believe in climate change, ITS AWFULLY HOT in NC. Kids are still in school, but of course they have A.C. in our county schools now. We had huge fans in each classroom. I can't say they helped alot but then again hot weather meant we lived at the pool, or the campground. WE didn't have A.C. at school in the 60s and 70s, but then again we got out of school before June. I always said I Loved hot weather, but that was before I turned 30. And before our world got so polluted, and HOT. Before you stop reading climate change deniers this post isn't about climate change . Its about our animals and their inability to change the weather. Or their failure to have the instinctual knowledge to get out of the sun. 
 This year I have 3 long haired cats that mainly live outside, and 7 others who are short haired but black or white. If you know me, you know I'm an animal lover. I love all animals. I love my dogs and cats and of course all the other animals in this world, and feel compelled to take care of them. Their is nothing I hate more than people who willingly hurt animals. But its just been in the last few years that I have worried as much about them in the summer as I do the winter. Or maybe I have worried MORE. I mean I have always considered that animals are freezing their behinds off when its 10 degrees. Therefore I've always tried to take extra care in the frosty months. But after living the last couple of summers with a broken down central air conditioner,I am concerned about my cats health in the hot months. My 2 dogs (a pit bull mix, and a white lab) live inside and I dont leave them outside when its so hot. They have a nice fenced in acre that they would play in all day if I didn't know it might kill the dummies. They go out to potty when its this hot and then come right back in. Not because they want to but because I said so! No really, I have been trying to find a good way to care for my cats without sentencing them to cruel and unusual punishment. So I have been online looking up ways to tell if a cats too hot, grooming said cats, and trying to make sure thy're safe while remaining happy. I have found a few things that I think may be worth sharing.


Hyperthermia means a high temperature and occurs when cats are no longer able to self-regulate and keep their temperature at a normal level. This can occur when they are exposed to high environmental temperatures, for example  in a car. 
Although this generally only occurs on really hot days, it’s worth being aware of.  

Some common signs

• Stretching out on cool surfaces, like cement carports
• Skin feeling hot to touch
• Drooling, salivating
• Agitation, restlessness
• Very red , purple , or pale gums
• Bright red tongue
• Increased heart rate
• Breathing distressed or rapidly
• Vomiting ,Diarrhea (possibly with blood)
• Sweaty feet 
• Glazed eyes
• Constant grooming 
• Signs of mental confusion, delirium
• Weakness
• Muscle tremors 
• Seizures
• Collapsing and lying down
• Little to no urine production
• Coma

Also if you can do it check her rectal temperature. Anything over 103 is serious, GET TO A VET.
105 and over is life threatening and organs may begin to shut down.

After reading these articles I noticed all my outdoor cats were congregating on the carport, stretched out and the skin on their stomach felt hot to the touch!

 Ways to keep them from getting so hot. in the first place...When the temperature becomes extreme, here are some steps you can take to keep your cat safe and comfortable in the heat.

• WATER. Make sure your cat has plenty of fresh water. ...
• SHADE. Most cats will enjoy a snooze in the sunshine and then retire to a shady spot when they get too hot. ...
• GROOMING consider a professional--Brush your long haired cat daily  Matted hair traps heat  This is important for a long haired cat.
• Create a retreat  Cats are clever when it comes to comfort and they will seek out places such as the bath or sink as these often stay cool even when it’s hot outside. You could also try creating a cool and darkened indoor retreat for them to sleep in . A top tip is to place a cardboard box on its side and position it somewhere cool and quiet in the house, such as behind a chair or on a cool surface like a wooden floor. Line it with a towel.
• Keep Outdoor Cats Indoors -If the temperature soars it is worth keeping them inside. (This is easiest on me.)
• Close the blinds or curtains
• Circulate cool air. Open the windows, turn on a box fan or keep air conditioning at a reasonable temperature. Your cat will appreciate having a cool place to relax indoors if it’s scorching outside.

ALSO CATS CAN GET SUNBURNED

Don’t forget cats are susceptible to sunburn, particularly those with white ears and noses. This can lead to painful blistering and sores, and long-term exposure can lead to skin cancers. It is possible to buy pet sunscreen to apply to the hairless areas on the end of the ears and nose. It’s also advisable to keep white-faced cats indoors during the heat of the afternoon.

I did not know that cats could get sunburned!

After a day researching and writing this post I learned so much that I thought 58 years of having cats would have taught me. Tomorrow We will go over what to do if you suspect your cat has hypothermia! 

Wildlife Observations     5/16/19

Tonights activities started at 8:45 and
Ended 10:35

You called it. Im a bad person or a crazy person. I gave the raccoon a cracker.
Im sure Ill get bad reviews because of it. Oh well.
If you know me you are sure to know I am an animal lover and am only afraid of spiders.. And then I am not so afraid as to KILL them when I come in contact with them. I also love camping.I am aware that I might love it so much because of the nearness of animals in their own environment. Years ago my family and I slept at Cades Cove with a few Black Bears after camping on  Cape Lookout with a mammoth injured Sea Turtle.
I recently made a nice place to sit on my breezeway with a table,plants and a few chairs.I should have done it 30 years ago but at that time I put my outside seating on the deck close to the hot tub. My partner and I have been enjoying the new area all day up until the evening.There are 10 cats here and they live outside on the property and eat on the handicapped ramp. I arranged a few pet food dishes down the ramp and they eat there during the day like cats do. Eating a few bites here and a few bites there. There is always a little left over in the evening but its always gone the next morning.
As we sat outside last night I got up and leaned against one of the brick columns.A noise caught my attention and I looked down the ramp.What I saw started this new occupation with observation. An adolescent opossum was right behind me eating cat food. As I quietly turned to look at it it looked right back at me but kept right on eating. The critter was tan with a yellowish brown down her sides. She wasn't as big as some of the opossums I've seen but certainly not this years opossum.Now I have had several interactions with these interesting marsupials before  , and upon seeing me they have always fell over, and played dead. The first time this happened I took it to a veterinarian! He taught me a few things about opossums. Therefore I always thought if I encountered one it would play possum (ha ha) not stand and look at me. Anyway I pulled up a chair and watched. She finished that small portion and moved one dish up the ramp. She didn't seem like she was in a hurry and I watched her for close to an hour.
I went inside to answer natures call,get a drink and a snack. My partner, not being that interested in nature watching ,went in to watch a ballgame. I quietly sat back down with my camera and notepad to watch some more.
The pretty opossum seemed ready to stop eating when I heard something that sounded like a canine and feline bark/growl. Looking back down the ramp I saw a much larger shape. It was darker in its coat and had a long tail. The animal turned around and I saw the mask. It was a raccoon that looked very fat and healthy.
Well as silly as it sounds I was thrilled to have another animal to watch. Over my long life watching wildlife has to be the thing most enjoyable to me. It is a feeling most people cant understand. It feels like my heart has swollen to twice its size. Its as if my soul has opened and is ready to fill that space with joy.
It has a way of lifting me out of sadness or despondency. The only way to describe how it makes me feel is to make comparisons that others can relate to.If you have children or grandchildren and you have saw the joy on their face
when they see a live starfish in a tide pool, or feel the soft coat of a kitten.
 I decided to sit and stay as long as the critters were here.
The raccoon found a dish of cat food and seemed to settle in to eat. I leaned on the column and settled in to observe.
The raccoon stayed at the bowl,but watched me as it ate. It was great the way it picked up its food in its tiny hands and rolled it around before putting it to its mouth. I know raccoons like to wash their food before eating it so I made the assumption that it was mimicking washing its food. Now this dish had held very little because the opossum had ate the majority before moving up one dish. When it appeared that the raccoon had finished this dish it looked at me,walked around the opossum and moved up 2 dishes. It growled when it passed the opossum and she moved over a bit to accommodate the larger animal. At this point the animals were maybe 3 feet from me. I cant tell you how thrilling it was to me. For 20 minutes they ate in silence with a few cats perched up on the wall watching their food be devoured.
Well as the raccoons dish was emptied  he looked to his right and took a swipe at the opossum .She backed up a little but didn't move or stop eating. She did get
through first and began to walk around the raccoon. I wouldn't believe this if I were the one being told this story, but she reached her snout out and bit the
racoon on its big bushy tail! Needless to say the raccoon was surprised and jumped straight up in the air with a cry of pain. When he came back down he growled at her and swatted her with a little hand, then bit at her. I dont think he got her though as she stayed where she was and continued to eat. The incident was over as quick as it started as they both went back to the cat food . This whole time I am trying to take pictures on a cell phone. I took a few decent ones but the animals wouldn't pose for me.
Not long after this and the opossum finished her plate and ambled off into the night. The raccoon stayed until his bowl was empty and it too ambled off.
Well I was ecstatic , and had to tell someone. I went inside and gushed all of this off of Eric but he was into the ballgame and was really not interested.I told my  mother who could only say "They probably have rabies.You shouldn't do that." LOL. So friends I am telling you. Needless to say I have been watching them
and I intend to write it down, every experience ,and I hope you come back so I
have someone else to tell.