Seanan McGuire (seanan_mcguire) wrote,
Seanan McGuire
seanan_mcguire
  • Mood: quixotic
  • Music: People. Typing. Tacka tacka tack.

Heat wave with cats.

My part of Northern California is currently experiencing its first really serious heat wave of 2011. I know better than to whine about this too much; by this point in the year, in a normal year, we'd be on heat wave three or four, and temperatures would be trending substantially higher than they are.

That being said, Thomas is only eleven months old, and this is actually the first really serious heat wave of his life. My house has air conditioning, but it doesn't run twenty-four hours a day, which means that it can get warm inside during the gaps. (Never dangerously warm. I am a good cat owner who does not bake her babies. But there's a big difference between "springtime cool" and "what is this shit?", especially when you've been genetically designed to go tromping around in heavy snow, mocking Jack Frost for his inability to nip at your nose.) Alice and Lilly are quietly miserable, but Thomas? Thomas is distressed.

Monday night, I got home from a hot, sweaty day at work, and promptly jumped into the shower, because sometimes, that's the only solution available to you. The Maine Coons thought so, too. In short order, I was joined in the shower by both Alice and Thomas, who splashed around in the water, got thoroughly drenched, and then took turns sitting on the plug so as to create a puddle for the other to swim in. Yes. My cats cooperatively filled the bathtub in order to have swampy funtimes.

After our shower, they squelched around the house like extras from Sigrid and the Sea Monsters until I chased them down and toweled them off. I think they're still annoyed about that. Sadly, their inability to understand "don't walk on keyboards while wet" is why they can't have a wading pool.

Heat wave with cats. It's going to be a long July.
Tags: alice, cats, silliness, thomas, weather woes
  • Post a new comment

    Error

    Anonymous comments are disabled in this journal

    switch
    default userpic

    Your reply will be screened

    Your IP address will be recorded 

    Help
  • 145 comments
Previous
← Ctrl ← Alt
Next
Ctrl → Alt →

keristor

June 22 2011, 17:37:27 UTC 6 years ago

Well, you do choose to have intelligent cats! Just think how much more fun it could be if they had opposable thumbs as well...

(I just love that mental picture of them taking turns sitting on the outflow to make a pool. I so agree with them...)

seanan_mcguire

June 22 2011, 18:09:38 UTC 6 years ago

...yes.

"Fun."

That's the word.

beccastareyes

June 22 2011, 17:40:15 UTC 6 years ago

That is kind of adorable, even if they later tracked water all around the house and into the electronics. A good thing your cats do like water, as they probably cooled off pretty nicely in the shower, and even towel-dried-damp hair is cooling. (Is that normal for Maine Coons? I know some breeds are like 'awesome, water! XD', while others take to it like... well, like cats. )

I've also heard of folks with Persians doing the 'lion cut' thing and shaving off all the fur in the summertime, which makes the cat look pretty silly, but is probably more comfortable than hauling around that much fur in a climate where heavy fur coats are not your friends. Dunno how your kitties would feel about it.

beccastareyes

June 22 2011, 17:42:02 UTC 6 years ago

Oh, that last bit wasn't intended as cat advice, but more 'other things cat owners do to help their kitties beat the heat'. Somehow the image of cooperative Maine Coon wading pools is cuter even than 'silly summer haircuts'.

Deleted comment

seanan_mcguire

6 years ago

  • New comment

beccastareyes

6 years ago

  • New comment

Deleted comment

seanan_mcguire

6 years ago

  • New comment

Deleted comment

Deleted comment

seanan_mcguire

June 22 2011, 18:12:32 UTC 6 years ago

Because otherwise, you'd need to eat them.

pbristow

6 years ago

  • New comment

qnofhrt

June 22 2011, 17:45:10 UTC 6 years ago

I am SO glad our fluffballs don't like water!

seanan_mcguire

June 22 2011, 18:12:38 UTC 6 years ago

Lucky.

Swampy fun

morvab

June 22 2011, 17:46:17 UTC 6 years ago

Oh that is lovely - I do enjoy the image of them cooperating to fill the bathtub! Thanks for sharing it. I sympathize deeply with Thomas as I too hate heat and do not handle it well - I am also a winter cat. Fortunately I live in Canada so it is not often a problem. Could you get some plastic covers for the electronics so they could have a wading pool?

Re: Swampy fun

seanan_mcguire

June 22 2011, 18:12:53 UTC 6 years ago

Not for all the electronics in the whole house...

jenjen4280

June 22 2011, 17:58:07 UTC 6 years ago

Thanks. I needed a good laugh.

seanan_mcguire

June 22 2011, 18:13:41 UTC 6 years ago

Welcome!

liret

June 22 2011, 18:00:35 UTC 6 years ago

My cat likes to sit in the bathtub and lick the faucet. If it is not dripping, she will meow for me to come make it drip. But when I turn it on - as carefully as possible - and it comes out as more of a trickle then a drip, she acts horribly betrayed because I have made her nose wet.

She also likes to cuddle when I am still wet from the shower, which since she's a short-haired shedding type means I acquire my own fuzzy coat.

seanan_mcguire

June 22 2011, 18:13:52 UTC 6 years ago

Awww, betrayed cats are the cutest cats.

droewyn

6 years ago

  • New comment

citharistria

June 22 2011, 18:04:26 UTC 6 years ago

We had a heat wave in western WA (where AC is a rarity in apartments)... it got up to 107 and I had but one fan.

Solution: fill bathtub with cool water.

Locate cat #1. Capture cat #1. Dunk cat #1 in water. Make second, third, and fourth attempt to dunk cat #1 in water, each time getting a different section of cat wet. Perform cursory toweling of cat and extensive cataloging of damage to person.
Locate cat #2 (may take a while). Capture cat #2 (may take even longer, depending on how loudly cat #1 complained). Repeat dunking attempts, toweling, and injury cataloging.

Despite the effort and noise, it managed to keep kitties cool and occupied for the rest of the day while they groomed themselves... and me in smug satisfaction.

seanan_mcguire

June 22 2011, 18:14:06 UTC 6 years ago

Hee.

citharistria

6 years ago

  • New comment

paksenarrion2

6 years ago

  • New comment

Deleted comment

seanan_mcguire

June 22 2011, 18:14:22 UTC 6 years ago

Siamese are more allergenic than almost any other breed of cat, you realize.

vettecat

6 years ago

  • New comment

seanan_mcguire

6 years ago

  • New comment

morvab

6 years ago

  • New comment

reedrover

June 22 2011, 18:17:48 UTC 6 years ago

Are you a Two Lumps comic fan? In this part of the plot, the a/c breaks in their Texas apartment, and so one of the Russian Blue cats decides to fake heat stroke: http://www.twolumps.net/d/20110608.html

seanan_mcguire

June 22 2011, 18:40:54 UTC 6 years ago

Heeeeee.

amethyst_clan

June 22 2011, 18:18:02 UTC 6 years ago

That sounds ridiculously adorable. -laughs-

seanan_mcguire

June 22 2011, 18:41:09 UTC 6 years ago

They are mad cute, but oh, are they worse than a barrel of monkeys sometimes.

alicetheowl

June 22 2011, 18:21:47 UTC 6 years ago

Here's a video of Risu as a kitten, figuring out the sink. She hates getting wet, but she was really intrigued with the water, for whatever reason. Now, when we can let the cats into the bathroom, she hops up onto the sink every time I go in there, and mews until I turn on the faucet. Sometimes she just wants a sip, and sometimes she'll lap for FOREVER, but, if she gets water up her nose, she runs away like she was scalded. Mostly, though, she has it figured out.

seanan_mcguire

June 22 2011, 18:41:23 UTC 6 years ago

Heeeeeee.

Go Risu go!

alicetheowl

6 years ago

  • New comment

archangelbeth

6 years ago

  • New comment

alicetheowl

6 years ago

  • New comment

archangelbeth

6 years ago

  • New comment

trialia

6 years ago

  • New comment

alicetheowl

6 years ago

  • New comment

vettecat

June 22 2011, 18:36:28 UTC 6 years ago

Sounds like great fun, except for the "chasing wet cats around house with towel" part.

seanan_mcguire

June 22 2011, 18:43:10 UTC 6 years ago

Luckily, they were pretty chill.

lietya

June 22 2011, 18:46:55 UTC 6 years ago

Those are some terrifyingly smart cats! I love that they figured out how to keep the tub from draining and then cooperated to boot.

Meanwhile, I have a kitten who ran around full tilt in 98-degree weather and ended up panting like a dog (yes, we captured her and forced her into an air-conditioned room with nowhere to run) and a solid black cat who believes that that same 98-degree day is a fine time to lie in a patch of boiling sunshine so that she's *very nearly* warm enough.

seanan_mcguire

June 22 2011, 19:00:00 UTC 6 years ago

I sometimes wish they worked together a little less. Usually when they disconnect and hide my alarm clock.

shiyiya

6 years ago

  • New comment

seanan_mcguire

6 years ago

  • New comment

winters_queen

June 22 2011, 18:46:59 UTC 6 years ago

Awww, poor hot kitties. I have short haired cats but they are feeling the heat too and will either lay in the kitchen or bathroom (or even the tub) because of the linoleum. Of course, we also have a fan in the kitchen for the dogs.

seanan_mcguire

June 22 2011, 19:00:08 UTC 6 years ago

Poor babies.

jslinder

June 22 2011, 18:59:20 UTC 6 years ago

Had a similar situation here, didn't want to bake the cats but also didn't want to run the AC at full when not home. Solution? I put a window unit in the bedroom set to 74, and a cat flap in the bedroom door.

The cats had a cool room to duck into and I had a cool room to jump in after work until the house caught up.

Now that I work from home most days they have it good, as the whole house is kept cool :)

seanan_mcguire

June 22 2011, 19:00:21 UTC 6 years ago

Lucky kitties!

idancewithlife

June 22 2011, 19:09:59 UTC 6 years ago

Do your cats have a preference for cool water or hot water?

seanan_mcguire

June 22 2011, 19:18:29 UTC 6 years ago

Wet water.

textileowl

June 22 2011, 19:20:11 UTC 6 years ago

If only we could convince Evander that getting wet would make him feel cooler. We've partially shaved him but between the amazing amount of underfur of being part Siberian and his hatred of buzzing things we haven't attempted it again. Thankfully our little window a/c unit appeases him, especially in this humidity. I swear it feels like Florida most days, and it isn't even July.

seanan_mcguire

June 22 2011, 19:37:17 UTC 6 years ago

Aw, poor sweetie. Maybe mist him a little?

textileowl

6 years ago

  • New comment

katiebabs

June 22 2011, 19:25:22 UTC 6 years ago

AWWWW how cute!

My cats love to lay under the toilet. One day I'm afraid I may find them in there.

seanan_mcguire

June 22 2011, 19:37:28 UTC 6 years ago

That's happened to me. It's a shocker.

museclio

6 years ago

  • New comment

seanan_mcguire

6 years ago

  • New comment

m_barnette

June 22 2011, 19:29:54 UTC 6 years ago Edited:  June 22 2011, 19:33:12 UTC

I have a pair of cats of unknown parentage. I suspect there may be some bengal or other water loving cat breeds in their background as they both LOVE to play in water. I have to keep toilets closed or they go for 'swims' which mean they then have to have a bath. I think it's an evil plot on their part to have ALL the water.

They won't drink out of water dishes, but they will play in them until they and the floor are covered in water. They drink only from running water in the sink, and if I don't supervise they will lay in the sink and get sopping wet.

Opposable thumbs! ODG. Not these two. They already get into stuff, if they had thumbs the mind boggles at what they'd be doing.

BTW, my avatar shows the two of them at 4 months old. They're 4 years old now. They were very small and still are pretty little as cats go.

seanan_mcguire

June 22 2011, 19:38:40 UTC 6 years ago

They're beautiful. And they do much the same as Thomas and Alice, although without quite as much hair lending swamp monster powers to their mischief.

m_barnette

6 years ago

  • New comment

starmalachite

6 years ago

  • New comment

m_barnette

6 years ago

  • New comment

seanan_mcguire

6 years ago

  • New comment

m_barnette

6 years ago

  • New comment

taldragon

6 years ago

  • New comment

m_barnette

6 years ago

  • New comment

arcaneblades

6 years ago

  • New comment

Sharing the heat wave

hvideo

June 22 2011, 19:40:15 UTC 6 years ago

Our house has no air conditioning, but is pretty well insulated. I make sure the cooler morning air fills the house, then seal it up for the day. Yesterday it got up to 99 degrees outside, but it was only 81 degrees in the house. I would normally say "That's bearable", but with this subject I guess I should modify it to be "That's catable".

Ramesses (my Egyptian Mau) is still shedding his undercoat. His coloration is officially "Smoke". He LOOKS mostly black but when I brush him he SHEDS only grey. Such are the wonders of cats.

Hmmmm... It's over 90 already outside. Probably a good time to collect more grey fur.



Re: Sharing the heat wave

seanan_mcguire

June 23 2011, 16:09:18 UTC 6 years ago

Yes, probably.

xanath

June 22 2011, 19:54:28 UTC 6 years ago

Posts like this are why my second cat will be a Maine Coon. :D

seanan_mcguire

June 23 2011, 16:09:25 UTC 6 years ago

Hee.

asphaltangel

June 22 2011, 19:59:08 UTC 6 years ago

"Yes. My cats cooperatively filled the bathtub in order to have swampy funtimes."

Okay, I totally cracked up when I read that. Perhaps a little too much. But that's so much win.

seanan_mcguire

June 23 2011, 16:09:39 UTC 6 years ago

They're definitely made of something. Could be win...

glam_k

June 22 2011, 20:07:13 UTC 6 years ago

REALLY hoping you snapped some photos and/or shot a little video of this awesomeness...

seanan_mcguire

June 23 2011, 16:09:52 UTC 6 years ago

I was kinda naked, soaking, and stunned at the time.

taldragon

June 22 2011, 20:21:02 UTC 6 years ago

your cats are _awesome_! :D

seanan_mcguire

June 23 2011, 16:10:00 UTC 6 years ago

Also damp.
Previous
← Ctrl ← Alt
Next
Ctrl → Alt →