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Maybe it’s because it’s been miserably hot lately. And humid, did I mention humid?
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| Our lovely yet depressingly humid garden (hey, this was taken a month ago - everything's, like, 3 times this size now!) |
It was so icky the other day that my glasses steamed up the minute I walked out to the garden to pick basil for fresh pesto. Allie went with me.
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| "Whew! It's a hot one, Mother!" |
So maybe it’s because it was so hot and humid it reminded me of my Texas childhood. And maybe it was that reminder that caused me to do the Alice in Wonderland thing last night in my dreams. Sadly, there was no Cheshire Cat waiting for me.
Instead, I dreamt that there were two cats trapped under our deck. By a rattlesnake.
But wait, there’s more.
In my dream, Faraday was there too, and he was about to go all Mighty Mouse on that rattler’s butt (wait, do rattlers have butts?) complete with the signature “heeeere I come to save the daaaayyyyy” yowl. In the dream, Faraday lunged for the snake, who obligingly lunged back. Snakebite!!
My dream kindly allowed me moments of lucidity (I swear, guys, no spicy food the night before – I have no idea where this whole Rabbit Hole came from!). I remember panicking and thinking, “wait, I’m in Kansas. Rattlesnakes aren’t as common up here, so your average vet won’t have antivenin – rattler antivenom drugs – in stock! What am I going to do?!?” And then I woke up.
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| "Seriouslies, Mommy. I can take him. I know I can!" |
But where do you turn for advice on how to handle such a situation – a real one, not one out of my fanciful dreams? I checked in with petMD, and sure enough, there was an article about it. There was also an article about some of the most common heat-related dangers cats can face during summertime by well-known veterinarian Patrick Mahaney who recently spoke at the BlogPaws convention in May. I really like having this kind of knowledge at my fingertips, in case you were wondering. And I think I’ll have a nice, sedate salad for dinner tonight….
We’re all about the indoor fun right now in the 97 degree heat/80 percent humidity days we’re experiencing in Kansas. I’ve started adding ice cubes to the cats’ water fountain, just for that extra touch of cool. And I’ve noticed the wand toy play is still enthusiastic, but a bit more short-lived.
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| Maybe that's why Maxie's been asking for the wand toy to be delivered to him instead of chasing it around? Nah, he's just lazy that way. |
Oddly enough, the cats have decided that hanging out on the closet shelf upstairs the The Thing To Do right now. Wow, dudes, did you know heat rises? That’s easily the hottest spot in the house right now!
Do your cats seek out the heat – and I’m talking about more than just those delish sunpuddles – at your home, too? My mom has a pinched nerve right now and swears she has to do battle with her cat over possession of the heating pad. She’s winning – but not by much!
Our thanks to the folks at ARM & HAMMER™ CLUMP & SEAL™ LightWeight litter for sponsoring such a wealth of information for our four-legged family members.
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Like me, my human is a heat-seeking creature. Binga and Boodie stay downstairs where her boyfriend is, and where it is cooler. But she always watches out for me to make sure I'm not overheating. Luckily, the heat where we are is more moderate and nowhere near as humid (at least not usually).
ReplyDeleteIt is hot where we live too - I have turned down Dad's offers to take me on the deck outside. I way prefer being inside in the airconditioning, or down in the basement.
ReplyDeleteI am a total winter person and the majority of my cats all have been too. All the better for snuggle time! I'm completely worthless in the heat.
ReplyDeleteMo is the sun worshiper here....mom swears one day he is going to bake into a solid. wonder if there is an article about that. and geez...talk about scary dreams
ReplyDeleteI love the heat - I keep saying I am evolving for Global Warming. Sherpa brought me a baby rattlesnake once. That was not fun. He is my snake catcher but I really wish he would just leave them alone.
ReplyDeleteWe still love your checkerboard garden!
ReplyDeleteYes we live in the very hot place of tropical fun --FL -- and all too well do I know the feeling of having the glasses frost over with humidity by the change of walking out even on the back screen porch. My camera does not get a lot of use during the summer months outside because of this.
What a dream!
Back several years ago a snake got in the house and I had to kill it. It's a long tale but it was something -- I think it was a pygmy rattler which is very common. We also have cotton mouths. We've had 3 come up in our yard in the 16 years we've lived here. They are fearless. They've all been killed by us too.
We are HOT! HOT! HOT!
ReplyDeleteThe river behind the house is the lowest that we have seen (it was lower in 1984 but wes was not here then). The rattle snakes have moved out of the hills and are in town, the cougar that lives along the river bank is chasing dogs that are out at night (even the outside dogs is in at night now) and the bears have moved out of the hills down towards the river, and wes seen a couple walking the streets at night.
The joys of living in the middle of nowhere.
Luckily most of the townies are aware and conscious that wild animals have rights too and we try to accommodate them and keep our domestic friends under control.
Stay safe dear furrends.
Kisses
Nellie
Hmmm. There is nothing like sitting in a window with the sun shining in, warming the furs! And sometimes I sit by the front door, which seems to be the warmest place (no fans or a/c coolie thingy near), but there are times I am right in Mommy's chair by the fans and the a/c!
ReplyDeleteWe don't get many hot days here, but even when we do Flynn still likes to sleep in his plant pot in the the greenhouse. Years ago when he and Eric were allowed to go in the fields on their own (wandering off to visit the neighbouring farms put a stop to that), he found a nest of adders which are our only poisonous snake, and took great delight in bringing them back for me one by one.
ReplyDeletefortunately no snake bites here.. but I did have a cat that loved to come and sit in the sauna with me.. Ollie LOVED the heat. I put a video up on youtube of him just sitting in the sauna with me.
ReplyDeleteguys....tell yur mom that catnip iz for ewe guys ta get buzzed up on...knot her !!!! N thanx for de tipz on safe tee.....even tho itz hot enuff ta seer a perch on de sidewalk with out coals....we iz still sleepin in de sun heer...most lee buddy boom !! ♥♥♥
ReplyDeleteWe went through a phase a couple years ago with several small snakes getting into the house one after another. We kept cornering them in the kitchen, which didn't amuse the head peep at all. She's glad that they seem to have stopped. We thought they were a lot more fun than she did.
ReplyDeleteThe mom thinks we're a little crazy because we will lay in the sunpuddles when it's really hot. She says we're gonna burn up one day.
ReplyDeleteThe mom uses PetMD a lot when looking for info about cat health. A great resource.
SNAKES!!! Mom is terrified of 'em...when we moved here a new friend told her all about a black snake (harmless..the "good"snake..nope-to mom NO snake is good) that climbed 3 stories via the gutter to get to the attic,she left it there to keep mousies away. CLIMBED? *chills*. On da other ting da nerve of dat aaa...nerve to pinch itself...feel better Ms Lisa! Mom has a heating pad in every room and I even have my very own (pet certified of course). Dat's how she deals wif me...I used to fight her over it..I always won too!
ReplyDeletePurrs and prayers to Mom Lisa that er pinched nerve is soon better. We are all trying to stay cool, but it's not easy. We are even often eschewing the catio for the A/C. Mom did a post on Thurs. about hyperthermia in cats and will do part two this next Thursday. Have you tried the Arm & Hammer litter? We haven't tried that one and continue to search for the best one that we all can agree upon. XOCK, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo
ReplyDeleteWe get hot here too, but not too bad lately. We hope it cols down soon fur you all...and we are purring for that miserable nerve to get unpinched.
ReplyDelete