Blue Cross

Top tips to keep your pets cool in warmer weather

When temperatures rise it is important to take extra care of our pets to prevent them overheating and becoming unwell.

Blue Cross has compiled these tips for keeping pets cool:

• Avoid walking your dog in the middle of the day when it is at its hottest and avoid any strenuous games; • Make sure your pet has access to clean water at all times; • Place your palm on the ground for five seconds, if it’s too hot for you it could burn your pets’ paws; • Light coloured pets can get sunburnt which can lead to skin cancer. Keep pale furred pets indoors or in the shade. You can also apply a non-toxic human sunscreen or one for pets to vulnerable areas like ears and noses; • Pets with thick fur will need regular grooming to prevent them overheating; • Make sure small pets’ housing and runs are in the shade and pets are kept clean; • Make ice cubes with your pet’s favourite treat inside; • Have a paddling pool with cool water in the garden for dogs to play in.

If you suspect your animal is suffering from heatstroke, move them to a cool place, dampen their coat with tepid water on a towel and contact a vet immediately. Avoid overcooling, especially small pets.

Seasonal concerns over kittens

Many pet owners may not know that cats can become pregnant as young as just four months old.

Warmer weather tends to see cats breeding more predominantly and during the summer months Blue Cross takes in many pregnant mums, mums with litters and even litters whose mum has left them and who need hand feeding around the clock.

With lockdown this year and few vets able to neuter cats, Blue Cross is expecting even more kittens than usual over the coming months, with more than 200 admitted to date.

Neil Edwards, centre manager at Blue Cross in Bromsgrove, said: “We are already seeing unplanned, unwanted litters of kittens handed over. We recently took in a litter of four found in a box under an underpass, plus a new one-year-old mum with her litter of kittens. They are now in the safe hands of foster carers until they can find homes of their own.”

Please keep unneutered cats inside until you can take them to the vet for the procedure.

If you are concerned about a stray or abandoned litter contact the Blue Cross in Bromsgrove on 0300 777 1460 or email bromsgrove@bluecross.org.uk.

To find out about pets looking for homes at Bromsgrove or to make a donation towards their care, visit www.bluecross.org.uk