Architectural Designs

Keeping the kitty cool?

I am moving to a third floor appartment. Its a very small place and I have one a/c unit and it cools the whole place (its a 2 room + bathroom place... not much to cool there).. However, this past weekend my boyfriend and I were doing some painting (we got a cut in the rent if we did the painting ourselves) and it got SUPER hot up there w/out the a/c on! I work 6 hour days 3 days a week and 8 hour days 2 days a week.. I will keep the a/c on while I am home but not when I leave for work (a friend of our family burnt her house down and it was linked to the a/c) .. I will be keeping the blinds closed to keep the sun out (of course i'll leave one blind only half closed so that the cat can look outside)..and I'm planning on leaving him several bowls of water with ice cubes in it to keep it nice and cold... Do you think he'll be okay? hes going to be 2 years old in a few days.. hes short hair.. 15lbs (a little chubby but the vet says its normal)

Public Comments

1. I personally wouldn't leave my cat in a hot room like that. You should leave your A/C on because it'll work it overtime when you do get home. I would just be afraid to leave the kitty in such a hot atmosphere.
2. I know how to heat your kitty up.
3. Maybe you should leave a thermometer in the room while you take kitty out for a visit to friends or something...so that you know what temperature the room is going to be while you're gone, without the risk to your kitty. You may want to consider a fan, as well...just make sure the cords are out of reach or kitty might like to chew! If the thermometer reading is still at a decent temperature that you think would be comfortable, then kitty will probably be fine. If it's too warm, you might want to consider kitty day care or getting a friend to watch him. Especially since he's overweight he'll get hotter more quickly. Good luck!
4. There are many things you need to think about when wanting to turn you ac off. You can cause your cloths to get moldy over time because of the heat in the apartment and also any food you may have in your pantrey will spoil because its going to get so hot in your apartment. I dont think its ok to keep your ac off during the day with your cat in there because he can die from the heat. A room that is closed up all day with no air or ac is going to be much hotter then outside and thank about it your on the third floor. I really think your best bet would be to keep your ac on it can hurt more then just your cat. *** I would also like to add that it would be cheaper for you to keep your ac on at least low all day because when you turn your ac on its going to work much harder then it would if it was on all day. Hope that helps
5. It is a terrible idea to completely turn off your a/c in the summer (especially for a third floor apartment) You run the same risk of fire with leaving any appliance plugged in. Even your fridge. If you are renting, get renters insurance to cover your valuables in case of fire and leave the a/c up around 76. That will not be too hot for your cat and the a/c will not have to work so hard to cool down after you come home and turn it on. That will save you money on your electric bill. If you are really concerned about the a/c causing a fire, have the landlord have an a/c repairman come out and take a look at it or hire one yourself.
6. Would it be too hot in there for you to stay in your apartment all day without the a/c? If so, you should probably leave the a/c on for the cat. If it wouldn't be too hot for you, the cat will be ok too. Just make sure you have plenty of water all day available for the cat.
7. Can you keep the window cracked a little so he can feel a breeze? I think he should be ok. Can you have someone check on him?