cooling tips for hot weather bunnies/cats/others

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I don't have bunnies, but I do have cats and have used some of these ideas in the past. They should work with dogs/puppies but beware of the chewing factor with puppies.

Note, the author suggests putting the damp sheet/pillow case over the pen/cage. The cats didn't and don't live in pens, so I draped the sheet over two plastic chairs. They seemed to like their fort and spent the hot part of the day inside it.

I know puppies, okay dogs were inclined to eat the plastic bottles. Instead of bottles I froze 'bricks of ice' in cottage cheese containers and plastic butter dishes. The dogs got the ice not the plastic. You might want to time how long each size lasts.

I also got a wading pool and filled it with ice when we arrived before the electricity was turned on.

Other than that I haven't tested these.

http://www.binkybunny.com/HOME/Feat.../983/Cooling-Tips-Heat-Stroke-Prevention.aspx
 

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The damp cloth is a good idea, if you're in an area with drier heat (we are where I am). It likely wouldn't do as much for very humid heat.

There are cooling mats/pads you can buy for animals. They aren't always cheap, and a chewer might be able to destroy them, but they can be helpful. Fans can be useful too. We use battery operated crate fans for dogs at agility trials when it is warm.

There are also reflective shade cloths you can purchase that reflect sunlight but breathe well. They can be hung from eaves or hung or draped over kennels, cages (for outdoor rabbits) or outdoor pet areas.

Cats, even when they're outdoors, are pretty good at adjusting their activity level and avoiding overheating during the day, as long as they can get out of the sun and have plenty of water. Some dogs are too, but mine are herding breeds, and they (especially the youngest) would be happy to overheat themselves running around in the sun. Mine chill out indoors when it's hot out (actually, they're indoors almost all the time I'm not with them outside, but that's not practical for everyone). Cats are real warmth lovers, though. I caught one of mine lying on the counter over the dishwasher, where it was very warm, on a day when I found it uncomfortably warm, even inside with the AC on.

Still, it's important to make sure all animals have access to shade, relatively cool spots, and plenty of water. I've noticed my cats and dogs both drinking a lot more this summer. It has been very hot here.
 
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Cotton towel folded over wet washcloths, or rags, or towels that you wet, fold and freeze. Cover the frozen cloths with the soft dry one, so they're not right on the cold and frozen fabric.

Damp towel partially draped over a fan in a contained area.
 

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I'm in Georgia, we do the humid and I've found the wet sheets and towels help, but that may just be me. Also keeping curtains drawn.

I also found keeping the dogs' fur wet helped them. They didn't think much of it, but it helped cool them.

I have had two cats get overheated and pass out. Tepid water in kitchen sink and submerge to neck, be ready to release as soon as the cat comes around. Then follow with a trip to the vet. They recovered. They were long hairs. Mine were inside only, so in away trapped.

We did not have any a/c which means it was hotter than even weak a/c. Perhaps that's why they succumbed to heat exhaustion, which can kill them.

What works best for cats is to have a basement they can reach from the house. Without a/c mine would go down at 7 am and stay down there until dinner.
 
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I use to raise rabbits. They place I kept them was shaded and had fans, so it kept pretty cool. Fair, however, was a different beast. We used to freeze water bottles (classy name for recycled pop bottles filled with water) and put them in the cages. The rabbits would lay on them, or move them and lay in the cold spot created. You had to watch that they didn't eat the plastic though. I can't imagine my cat laying on an ice bottle, but maybe if they were hot enough.
 
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