# WARNING!! 2 kittens dead due to transport in this heat



## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

folks, I have heard in the past week of two non-related incidents of kittens who died _probably_ due to be being tranported in this current heat wave.

I say _probably_ as neither were postmortemed, but both had long broken journies in hot sweaty cars, both of them were under 8 weeks old and both kittens died within hours of leaving the breeder/fosterer and being apparently healthy!

Be *very very* careful if you buy a kitten and have to transport it in this heat.

Better still, wait till the heat wave is over then pick it up. Any decent breeder/shelter/rescue organisation will (or should) work with you on this. If they don't ... think twice if you really want to buy a kitten from someone so inflexible on animal welfare issues.

If you _must_ travel with a kitten... do it in the early morning or late evening... and even then take sensible precautions, if need be, phone your vet for advice on travelling with young animals in this heat.

And nothing to do with the heat... general rule... never buy or accept a kitten younger than 8 weeks, and definitely not lighter than 800grams... whatever age the breeder tells you the kitten is ... any weight under 800grams is unacceptable, and potentially dangerous.


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## sharkey (Dec 9, 2008)

Good advice.


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## hobbs2004 (Mar 12, 2010)

Oh Tje, I so wish I could leave you rep for that great post but it is not letting me spread my repping love 

People so easily underestimate the effects of heat and stress on a young kitten. It should be a sticky!


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## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

Oh no  Another one died? Can you PM me?

Folks, listen to this advice. It could mean the difference to whether the exciting time of collecting your fluffy new kitten remains that way, or turns into a guilt ridden experience where you ask yourself why you didn't wait ... well if you're normal and have a concience that is.

P.S It wont let me leave you rep either Tje :lol:


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

Thanks everyone! :thumbup:

Will PM you now Aurelia. 

Can anybody and everybody maybe please help keep this post up top for the next few days when the temps are still tropical?? Please bump it if you see it slipping dowm. Thanks in advance, the kittens out there will be better for it.


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## HollyM (Feb 21, 2010)

**bump**......................


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## PurpleCrow (Mar 22, 2009)

OMG, I think I did the reputation thing wrong... I meant to give positive but I think I gave negative... Sorry if I did 

This post needs to be stickied while we're having such hot weather.


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

PurpleCrow said:


> OMG, I think I did the reputation thing wrong... I meant to give positive but I think I gave negative... Sorry if I did
> 
> This post needs to be stickied while we're having such hot weather.


don't worry about the rep thing PurpleCrow... the only thing I care about is getting the message out there. Any contribution you make to that is more than welcome in my book!! Thank you very much!!

p.s. I am just editting this to add... your rep thingy looks perfect to me, and your comments,,,, it has a wee green circle beside it so all is well it wasnt negative rep. Thanks for your support.

Can I also just add.. everyone who else who has repped me... THANK YOU all very very much, and spread the word, stick noses in, be a busybody, just stop silly folks embarking on long car journies with small kittens as long as these temps are so high. Thanks for caring all.


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## Purrrrfect (Sep 10, 2008)

Important message Stickied.


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

We travel in the car with Henrick (obviously not a kitten) all the time and its often the coldest place to be, yesterday when it was really hot I actually took Lilly (and me) out into the car to cool down with the air conditioning on, it was literally the only place we could find that was cool and she was getting distressed. Surely most cars nowadays have air conditioning now? I was unaware that 800g is an unaceptable weight, I dont think Lilly was far off that when I got her and I agree she was imo underweight, she put heaps on since though :thumbup:. Thanks for the info.


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

thedogsmother said:


> We travel in the car with Henrick (obviously not a kitten) all the time and its often the coldest place to be, yesterday when it was really hot I actually took Lilly (and me) out into the car to cool down with the air conditioning on, it was literally the only place we could find that was cool and she was getting distressed. Surely most cars nowadays have air conditioning now? I was unaware that 800g is an unaceptable weight, I dont think Lilly was far off that when I got her and I agree she was imo underweight, she put heaps on since though :thumbup:. Thanks for the info.


the thing is, I think (apart the age, which is obvious) although all cars now have aircon well (I am not a technically minded person so my explanation might not be that great, lol) but the aircon in cars is designed in such a way that it's to benefit the passengers (towards your face, or feet for insatnce). Try sticking a thermometer in a cat-carrier thats lying on the back seat, and you will see that the internal temperature of the cat-carrier is much higher than the ambient temperature of the car, those things have such poor ventilation, and next to zero air circulation, so the temps do climb. Plus people (generally) want to wrap kittens up, or bring a nice wool blanket along, or fill the carrier with teddies and so on. If the sun is shining directly onto a cat-carrier, the heat inside the carrier builds up quickly, but doesnt dissipate at all when you make a turn and drive in the shade.

Glad you guys are finding some respite from the heat, lol, wish I was!! All the best.


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## dharma66 (Oct 25, 2009)

Very few cars in the UK have air con. Only fairly expensive cars have it by standard, and it's an expensive extra on some, but not all, others.

Last year we bought a Toyota Yaris from new. The car cost £9000, and air con would have been an extra £1300!


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

Purrrrfect said:


> Important message Stickied.


thanks so much for that you puuuurfect mod you  now, if you could just arrange a thunderstorm, a downpour, a 15 degree drop in temperatures, well I would kiss ya and you could unsticky it, lol. Thanks again!


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## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

I can certainly back Tje up on that about the carriers and heat.

We have had Rilly and the kittens to the vets a few times in the last couple of weeks, and I can tell you that during just a 10 minute car ride they get hot. Even with aircon on full. I actually saw Rilly panting at one stage last week 

Oh, and bump


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## hobbs2004 (Mar 12, 2010)

No need to bump anymore Aurelia - it is now a sticky!


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Tje said:


> the thing is, I think (apart the age, which is obvious)… although all cars now have aircon… well (I am not a technically minded person so my explanation might not be that great, lol) but the aircon in cars is designed in such a way that it's to benefit the passengers (towards your face, or feet for insatnce). Try sticking a thermometer in a cat-carrier that's lying on the back seat, and you will see that the internal temperature of the cat-carrier is much higher than the ambient temperature of the car, those things have such poor ventilation, and next to zero air circulation, so the temps do climb. Plus people (generally) want to wrap kittens up, or bring a nice wool blanket along, or fill the carrier with teddies and so on. If the sun is shining directly onto a cat-carrier, the heat inside the carrier builds up quickly, but doesn't dissipate at all when you make a turn and drive in the shade.
> 
> Glad you guys are finding some respite from the heat, lol, wish I was!! All the best.


Ahhh fair enough, she was asleep on my knee so she was getting more benefit than me tbh as I pointed the vents at her, hopefully this heatwave wont last and I wont need to do it again. We were only outside the house and not driving so she wasnt in a carrier. Shes the first cat Ive had who likes lying in front of the fan when its on.


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

Aurelia said:


> I can certainly back Tje up on that about the carriers and heat.
> 
> We have had Rilly and the kittens to the vets a few times in the last couple of weeks, and I can tell you that during just a 10 minute car ride they get hot. Even with aircon on full. I actually saw Rilly panting at one stage last week


I know you're not one to mind a wee _pokey-nose-in_ bit of advice ... you know those blue plastic water filled things you freeze in the freezer and put them into picnic baskets to keep your food cool... well one of those positioned on the outside of the cat carrier will help a wee bit. As long as they have the space inside the carrier so they don't have to lie against it, but can if they choose. But I hasten to add, Aurelia is talking of a 10 minute journey to the vet, not a 3 hour trip. This will not help for long journies.


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## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

hobbs2004 said:


> No need to bump anymore Aurelia - it is now a sticky!


Ah but there is  Those who view the forums by hitting 'new posts' will keep seeing it this way. Else you will only see it in the forum if you visit each one individually.



Tje said:


> I know you're not one to mind a wee _pokey-nose-in_ bit of advice ... you know those blue plastic water filled things you freeze in the freezer and put them into picnic baskets to keep your food cool... well one of those positioned on the outside of the cat carrier will help a wee bit. As long as they have the space inside the carrier so they don't have to lie against it, but can if they choose. But I hasten to add, Aurelia is talking of a 10 minute journey to the vet, not a 3 hour trip. This will not help for long journies.


That's a very good tip, and I will definately do that if we need to take them up again in the heat. Though it does seem like it's cooling now, and the forecast for this next week looks much better, thank goodness!


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## hobbs2004 (Mar 12, 2010)

Fair point well considered!


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## hobbs2004 (Mar 12, 2010)

The issue is still hot, so a gentle nudge up!


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## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

Bumping ...

Temperatures are forecast to be quite reasonable this week, but it is still very much a risk.


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## billyboysmammy (Sep 12, 2009)

excellent advice tje, so sorry to hear about the little ones though 


Perhaps this could also be posted in the show section?

Many people travel extreeemly long ways to shows! Would be worth noting for them too!


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

billyboysmammy said:


> Perhaps this could also be posted in the show section?
> 
> Many people travel extreeemly long ways to shows! Would be worth noting for them too!


good idea BBM, I will do that now (good to see you back again BBM)


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## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

Midday is usually one of the hottest times of the day 

Bumpy!


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## hobbs2004 (Mar 12, 2010)

Perhaps less warm today but still of relevance - so bump!


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## lucy963 (Sep 20, 2008)

Glad to see this post. Not all people are aware of the dangers of the heat in cars for pets.


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## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

Good of you to bump this today Lucy, as it is pretty warm. The sun might not be out but it is 25 degrees here already!.


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## billyboysmammy (Sep 12, 2009)

yep its warm for certain definatly good to have this bumped up x


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## Sacrechat (Feb 27, 2011)

thedogsmother said:


> We travel in the car with Henrick (obviously not a kitten) all the time and its often the coldest place to be, yesterday when it was really hot I actually took Lilly (and me) out into the car to cool down with the air conditioning on, it was literally the only place we could find that was cool and she was getting distressed. Surely most cars nowadays have air conditioning now? I was unaware that 800g is an unaceptable weight, I dont think Lilly was far off that when I got her and I agree she was imo underweight, she put heaps on since though :thumbup:. Thanks for the info.


Yup I was going to say, if a car has air conditioning would it not then be okay to transport pets? We always make sure we buy a car with air conditioning and test that it is working before we embark on a long journey. I also transport in carriers and attach those drinking bowls you can buy from cat shows to the inside of the cage. They hook onto the inside. If I can't fit a litter tray in the carrier, I buy those absorbent ped pads and line the carrier. Take a few and you can change the pad if they wet it.


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## hobbs2004 (Mar 12, 2010)

Given the recent weather I thought I would give this a little

* bumpety bump *


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## lulubel (Apr 28, 2011)

Sacremist said:


> Yup I was going to say, if a car has air conditioning would it not then be okay to transport pets?


Aircon in cars is only properly effective up to a point. In extremely high temperatures, cars can still get very hot even with the aircon running, especially if you get stuck in traffic and are moving slowly (or not at all). If we have to take our cats in the car in the summer, we always make sure we make journeys in the early morning or late evening.


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## oreilly86 (Jan 24, 2012)

OP - Thanks for the heads-up! Would giving them water beforehand help at all?


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## Treaclesmum (Sep 26, 2011)

oreilly86 said:


> OP - Thanks for the heads-up! Would giving them water beforehand help at all?


I transported Pixie (aged 11 weeks) around 100 miles home on Saturday, and I was concerned about the heat too! It was a warm day, so I brought a pouch of wet food and gave it to her in a bowl in her carrier. She was really hungry so ate half of it immediately. It's not so easy for them to spill food as to spill water, so this is what I would advise. Also put the aircon on and open the window!


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## Boobub (Dec 20, 2012)

Tje said:


> folks, I have heard in the past week of two non-related incidents of kittens who died _probably_ due to be being tranported in this current heat wave.
> 
> I say _probably_ as neither were postmortemed, but both had long broken journies in hot sweaty cars, both of them were under 8 weeks old and both kittens died within hours of leaving the breeder/fosterer and being apparently healthy/QUOTE]
> 
> Ugh that's awful. Poor kittens! The car must have been like a sauna. Couldn't they have put the air con on? Or even open the windows a little bit? Really sad.


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## thunderseed (Apr 17, 2014)

Oh this is so sad


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## Zephodi (Jul 2, 2014)

I've been wondering how to do this!
I'll be bringing a kitten home aged 16 weeks in August and am worried he'll get too hot in the car. 

Can someone point out the obvious and perhaps not so obvious signs of a cat that's struggling with the heat?
I've never had any problems with Odi as it was a very short drive from his breeder, but for Zephyr it will be half an hour in a car with just a sunroof and windows.

I'll be going as early in the morning as possible to avoid the sun, but I'm a bit unsure of what to do if it gets too much for him, other than bringing water and some wet food and stopping where necessary.


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## Cookieandme (Dec 29, 2011)

Zephodi said:


> but for Zephyr it will be half an hour in a car with just a sunroof and windows.
> 
> I'll be going as early in the morning as possible to avoid the sun,


Half an hour is no distance at all, if you are going early in the morning then there really shouldn't be an issue. Don't fret, unless you are in the tropics it won't be to warm by 10am.


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## Zephodi (Jul 2, 2014)

Cookieandme said:


> Half an hour is no distance at all, if you are going early in the morning then there really shouldn't be an issue. Don't fret, unless you are in the tropics it won't be to warm by 10am.


I fret by nature 
I was just wondering as I've never seen a cat that's suffering from the heat and I know my little Corsa can heat up quickly in the sun.

But then again, we are in England so I doubt it'll be tropical weather


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## huckybuck (Jan 17, 2014)

Grace went to her first cat show on Saturday and I was VERY VERY concerned about her overheating both due to the weather and the stress (she's semi longhaired).
Even though it was cool when we started off, we had to leave the show early and the car was baking hot. Luckily we have air conditioning so I waited for the car to cool down before putting her inside. 

She also had the cool pads which react to weight in her carrier (they are excellent but I'm not sure a kitten would be heavy enough to set them off). We use these at home in this weather and the cats love them.

At the show I used one of the battery operated fans on top of her cage (as well as the cool pads) - they're not great but better than nothing.

I have also used a cold wet tea towel and wrapped it round my long haired boy if I've ever felt he was getting too hot.


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## andrewjacson (Feb 2, 2015)

Thank You so much for sharing such a great advice with us


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## Leah1986 (Aug 19, 2017)

Thank you, sad loss


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