SUMMER CAT CARE IN ARKANSAS

In the few years I have been involved with my cats -- "involved", because nobody really "owns" a cat -- I have found Summer is a time of year when cats often prove more problematic than they warrant.  What with shedding hair, bringing dirt & insects into the house, not to mention the pieces of cat litter which some how find it's way to all points in the house, the problems cats bring to the relationship with humans, seems too much in favor of the cats.

As I previously wrote on this blog, last Summer I experimented with keeping my cats in old, dry tropical fish aquariums.  It worked out well & certainly eliminated many of the problems I addressed in the paragraph above.  Limiting the cats access to the house & keeping them confined proved to be a real bonus for me, & the cats -- finally -- seemed to adjust.

 I started earlier this year to implement the same technique for keeping my cats ... ah, confined.  Actually, they adapted so well, in many instances, I was able to keep more than one cat per aquarium.  It sure was helpful to limit the space required per cat.

What I did not factor, nor plan for, was the extreme heat we have had in Arkansas this Summer. With no air conditioning & only limited cross breezes through screened windows, the aquariums on the enclosed porch developed conditions which proved to be a bit ... "extreme".

Returning home one afternoon, I found one of my cats comatose & apparently not breathing due to the high heat on the porch, no doubt acerbated by the glass top on the aquarium, further limiting air circulation in the cats tank. [Learned a lesson there; slide the glass top back an inch or so to let in some fresh air.]

At first I wasn't all that concerned, as the cat -- Nibblets -- has always been the least social of the three cats, & really, I could get by with just two cats.

Still, I remembered a news story where firemen had used a form of CPR on some kittens to revive them from smoke inhalation at a fire.  I tried it on the limp cat & -- SURPRISE -- it worked.  Nibs came back to life & to this day has no ill effects of her ordeal, other than she can only drag her left, back leg.  [Works for me, since now she can't jump up on the furniture any more.]

I have decided on a better way this year to keep my cats, a method which combines the best of several features.  I'm keeping them in the outdoor tortoise compound.

 Above is Wobs shown living in the outdoor, chain linked area where previously only the tortoises lived.  By adding the cats to the enclosure, the cats have the benefit of being outside, they can adjust to the hot weather by trying to find shade & when it rains, they don't get too wet.  Now, if I could just get the cats to eat the vegetables I feed the tortoises, I'd save money on cat food & additionally, extra trips outside to feed them
.

All the felines & reptiles (seem) to get along quite well. There is no competition for food & the outdoor conditions have prevented any more chances of the cats developing heat stroke.  An added saving financially is, since they are now outdoors 24/7 & don't come inside the house, I no longer have to spend money on their monthly (expensive) flea & tic treatments. 

I recommend this type of cat care to anyone living where the Summer temperatures can be extreme.  Believe me, cats can adjust to just about anything & really do not need to be pampered.  My cats have proved to be resilient & just as tough as the tortoises in the outdoor conditions.  Heck, even Nibblets, dragging her bad leg behind her, manages quite well in this set-up.

Summer cat care in Arkansas.  Proudly ... no longer a problem.