Surviving the Australian Heat

For those who don’t know, the weather this week in Australia has reached the mid forties. That’s 44 degrees Celsius!

Each of us know the basics of surviving in this temperature, but few of us actually apply any extra measures to decrease the heat. At a cellular level, our body heats up, causing premature aging and internal damage. So it is important that we actively apply a few simple rules when we want to survive the hellish temperatures.

It would be real simple of me to say ‘Drink more water‘ and ‘Stay out of the heat‘ right now, but I figure you all know that. Instead I’ll explain how you can help other people around you whom are also trying to survive the high temperatures. This will include links to websites, predominately Australian, that explain the issues further with further explanation.

1. Pets and Livestock

Before we worry about ourselves it is important to care for those around of us. As many people choose to keep animals in their homes, it’s our pets that require the most care.

Why? Could you imagine living your life with fur on your feet, hands, back, stomach, head, face and belly? No, you couldn’t! Yet your pets do. They may have their own special ways of surviving, but your extra help will help them tolerate extreme temperatures.

In our house we have four cats. Two are black, two are mottled. The two black cats (Mischief and Trouble) are spending these hot days sprawled out on either the wood floors or upon tiles in the bathroom. Seems they want to keep their body as cool as possible.

To help them feel cooler, I’ve aimed one of the fans at the ground. Like humans, their eyes dry out if the fan is directly aimed in their face. Unlike humans who can tolerate pain, the cats were continually moving away from the fan when it was aimed directly at one spot.

So to make them feel ‘at ease’, I’ve allowed the fan to continually swing left and right therefore cooling the whole room. The downside is watching vertical curtains move in the window, but I will survive.

To ensure they feel cool internally, we refill their water every few hours. Amusingly I chucked a few ice-cubes into it … and they had fun licking it, making it bounce around in the water!

As an extra bonus, I’ve decided not to reprimand them when they get into the hand-basin and bathtub. What was most interesting was they loved getting a little wet, but not too wet. So I chucked a plastic liner in both basins and sprayed it lightly with cool water. One cat hopped straight into the hand-basin and loved it. Yes, there are health issues — thus the plastic liner.

For all your pet’s needs in this scorching heat, I heavily suggest you read more at AdelaideVet. The few minutes you give into alleviating your pet’s needs could make all the difference to their health and well-being.

You’ve read Part 1 of 10 stories about ‘Surviving the Australian Heat.
I hope you have enjoyed this one, because I plan to write four similar works with this theme over the next ten days! If you have written similar or know of any articles regarding this issue, I’d like to link them here! I look forward to your comments!