Philippines has been experiencing sweltering heat for days and weeks ever since Summer started. No one could ever brave that heat under the sun especially at the hours of 9AM to 3PM. Schools have suspended classes (which they weren't really supposed to have had the schoolyear not changed from June-March into September to May in the first place.) As a solution, people stay indoors, turn on their A/C which then causes more heat outside so the cycle does not end. And to make it worse, there are no trees because apparently, everyone thinks concrete roads are more important than trees. Oh well, that's life here on Earth now.
If humans are having a hard time coping with the heat, imagine how it is for animals. They have the extra disadvantage because they could not talk to the humans who were the ones who caused all these in the first place. We have 4 cats in the house and right outside our gare, we now have 2 strays that regularly come to our house for food. They come here usually in the morning for breakfast and at night for dinner. Sometimes they stay the night, sometimes they roam around and will just come bavk during feeding time.
I do a few things that helped copl down our furry little friends during these heat wave we experience.
Hydration is important. I put water bowl stations all around the house and a few more outside. My little Magellan loves drinking on the watering can so I fill that one too with his drinking water. Cats are pretty low maintenance. If they get thirsty, they wouldn't bother you as long as there's a steady supply of hydration for them.
Cool them down with a bath. Cats don't usually need baths. Most of them despise bath time. But our Magellan amd Sungit had their first bath a few dayz ago. They meowed their aggravation during the entire time but overall, they were more calm than Hiraya and Kalinga dur8ng bath time.
Hiraya and Kalinga are a lot older and a lot biggee than the other two so I couldn't get them to have a bath. Instead, I used a wet towel to wipe their whole body with. I do this as often as I can catch these slimy little cats. They'd run as fast as they can once they see me holding the towel. But as soon as they somehow realize they're feeling hot, they'll calm down and would let me wioe their entire body with the wet towel.
Another thing I do for my little furry babies inside is putting a frozen waterbottle at one corner where they could just hang out and chill. Literally. They would gather close to it and would sleep comfortably. I didn't want to buy a cooling mat because Magellan and Sungit became the scratching duo and would scratch anything that doesn't move.
I also hang a big wet towel near the window so that the wind that comes in is cooled down. I do not use my dryer anymore when I do the laundry. I just hang all our dripping wet clothes in the terrace. I save electricity, I make use of the heat to dry my clothes, and it helps cool down the temperature in the house.
My husband sprays water all over using an atomizer. The misty water evaporates quickly but still cools down the house. I spray some on my pets' cat beds and our beds too.
I've seen so many cases of animals dying of heat stroke. It makes me feel so sad and frustrated because I couldn't possibly rescue all the strays outside. I can just help the ones that regularly approach our gate. I really hope people stops cutting trees especially in the cities. Stray animals need those for shelter.
I hope you and yohr family are doing well in this hot hot weather. Stay indoors, wear your sunscreen and bring an umbrella if you're going out. And please plant trees. They really help cool down the environment. Most importantly, don't forget about your pets. They too need cooling down and they need your help.
