How Do Cats Keep Themselves Cool in Summer?

夏天喵星人是怎么給自己降溫的？

When temperatures rise， humans sweat， dogs pant， and cats... don’t move enough to overheat? Well， partially. Cats， who need to maintain an internal body temperature of 38.3℃ to 38.9℃， have several methods for keeping cool in extremely hot weather.

It’s a misconception that cats sweat through their paws to cool themselves off. As summer wears on you might see moist paw prints， but as veterinarian Kimberly May told The Washington Post， “Any secretions there or from their nose， mouth， or tongue are not for sweating; they’re for protection and moisture and are insufficient to cool the blood.”

Instead， cats recreate the sweating process—which works to cool humans via evaporation—by grooming themselves regularly. The saliva from their tongues acts like sweat that cools their body when it evaporates—which is why you can help cool your cat down by using a damp washcloth to lightly wet their fur. In extreme weather， cats will also pant， but unlike dogs who pant regularly to keep themselves cool， a panting cat is a sign of more dangerous over-heating or other serious disease.

氣溫上升時，人會流汗，狗會呼哧呼哧地喘氣，貓呢？好像對高溫沒啥反應？其實，并不是完全沒反應。貓需要保持38.3℃到38.9℃的體內溫度，在極端炎熱的天氣里也有幾種給自己降溫的方式。

有一種錯誤觀念認為貓通過爪子流汗來給自己降溫。在夏日里你可能會看到濕潤的貓爪印，但是獸醫金柏莉·梅在接受《華盛頓郵報》采訪時表示：“不論是貓爪子的分泌物還是貓的鼻子、嘴或舌頭的分泌物都不是流汗產生的。那些分泌物是起防護和保濕的作用，不足以給血液降溫。”

事實上，貓通過定期舔自己的毛發來達到流汗般的散熱效果。人類通過汗液蒸發來給自己降溫，貓的舌頭分泌出的唾液在蒸發時也可以給身體降溫。因此你可以用濕毛巾擦一擦貓的身體，輕微潤濕它們的毛發，來幫助它們降溫。在極端炎熱的天氣里，貓也會大聲地喘氣，但和狗不同，狗經常大聲地喘氣是為了降溫，而貓大聲喘氣則是更為危險的過熱或其他嚴重疾病的征兆。

And if you’re tempted to shave your feline friend to help keep him cool—don’t!

“Fur acts as a thermal regulator to slow down the process of heat absorption，” James H. Jones， an expert in comparative animal exercise physiology and thermoregulation at the University of California at Davis， told The Washington Post.

Fur coats are highly evolved—in the winter they keep animals warm， but in the summer， they work both to protect delicate skin from the sun and slow dehydration. Jones notes that， according to research， shaved camels fared worse in the deserts than those with their fur intact.

Even though cats evolved from wild ancestors and are able to tough it out， make sure your cats stay in a comfortable environment and leave them plenty of water when you go out.

如果你有給貓剃毛降溫的沖動，千萬別這么做！

美國加州大學戴維斯分校比較動物運動生理學和體溫調節系的專家詹姆斯·H.瓊斯在接受《華盛頓郵報》采訪時表示：“毛發相當于減緩吸熱過程的體溫調節器。”

動物的皮毛經過了高度進化，冬天給動物保暖，夏天則保護脆弱的皮膚不被曬傷，并減慢脫水速度。瓊斯指出，研究發現，被剃毛的駱駝在沙漠里沒有毛發完好的駱駝表現好。

盡管貓是從野生祖先進化而來，也能夠忍受炎熱，但是在你出門時還是要確保你的貓待在舒適的室內環境里，并給它們留下充足的水。

Word Bank

pant /p?nt/ v. 氣喘；喘息

She could hear him panting up the stairs.

moist /m??st/ adj. 濕潤的；微濕的

Water the plants regularly to keep the soil moist.