Taking Kitty for a Walk

Originally published August 15, 2000 in The Washington Post

I walk the cat
Or does the cat walk me?
It's not hard to tell
Since I'm up the tree.

Five years ago, you would not hear of making your cat one of those indoor cats. Like some of the estimated 40 million cat owners in America, you believed it was against a cat's nature to be kept indoors.

You thought cats needed to roam freely, that it was natural and good for their little souls, that it helped preserve some universal order. That, however, was before Blanche, your 18-month-old kitty, was stolen, before you knew of Montgomery County's "cat leash law," "requiring" cats to remain on your property or be "arrested" and fined, and before you had practiced the art of cat walking.

While the animal organizations breathed a sigh of relief at your choice (they had warned you of the dangers inherent to the outdoors such as disease, fights, unkind people, etc.), it still was hard keeping your next kitten indoors 24 hours a day.
You endured it for several months, exploring alternatives like fencing, since you were unwilling to risk the agony of losing another beloved pet to any of the fates. You even took the kitten to work with you, but no solution came easy. You felt guilty restricting it and were unable to sustain the effort required of indoor games to entertain your newest energetic household member.

You asked, why not walk him on a leash, kind of a Safe Prowling? You remembered lions and tigers being walked on leashes at the circus, so why not your miniature version?
Begun as a kitten, he walked naturally on a leash and it has led to untold pleasures. Adult cats may take up leash walking when invited, but that is rare. Mostly, if you try to force an adult cat to perform in this way it will plant itself, firm as a mule, gritting its teeth and hurling silent invectives.

Sometimes your catwalks are a circus, for they rarely take place in a purposeful, straight line. Rather, they are erratic, zigzag affairs that include repeatedly running back and forth across the street. The cat is unconcerned that you are at the other end of the leash and may race to the nearest tree, where it scampers halfway up, delighted to have found such a huge scratching post. It may expect you to join it, which you may do if so inclined.

After all, what else are summer's long days and balmy nights for if not exploring nature with your pet? You walk avidly with your cat year-round, in every kind of weather, but summer walks are especially timeless. Sultry mornings find you pajama-clad and groggy before coffee, stepping out under the wide canopy of summer trees into air laced with the scent of pine and wild roses. The is sun tiptoeing over the redbud tree, you are shaking off the sandman or remembering dreams, and your cat is sprawling on the apron of the neighbor's cool concrete driveway, repeatedly and ecstatically rolling its thick white fur over the rough surface.

Suddenly, with little meows, he leaps up and makes a beeline for a patch of tender grass, which he ravenously consumes. All the grazing makes you think sometimes you're walking a cow, but you're also wondering what the indoor cat's eating. A flock of sparrows soars out from behind a house, squirrels scamper in a yard.

After he finishes his salad, you fall to the cat's side and lavish it with kisses. The cat rubs against you.
You both look up as a cardinal lands on the fence. The cat drools. You're thinking, pretty bird. Your cat is thinking, breakfast. "Cat" is just the first half of "catch" and you in pajamas run with your cat to "catch" the bird. You know but the cat does not that a cat on a leash is no match for an airborne cardinal and the bird escapes.
To hide embarrassment, the cat falls into the gutter and pretends to clean its coat, producing a white cat with a mantle of crushed leaves and the fallen blossoms of trees.

The cat signals an invader under the neighbor's van! Quickly, you cross the street to confront the offender, which turns out to be the exotic odor of tires. The cat is captivated. You, too, are crouching down, examining the underbelly of the van to smell what it smells. But of course, you can't, and a good cat will never reveal its methods.
You flick a long strand of crabgrass, the cat pounces. It finds outdoor toys intriguing and you can't beat the price. You walk together as clouds drift by and morning light plays on rooftops and trees.

Summer evening catwalks are particularly delicious, languorous affairs. Evening walks are yin--wide open, relaxing--and seduce you into a pleasure-filled, stress-free zone.
There are times you have cried when you didn't know you needed to. Workday tension dissolves like dust in the rain under wide-open skies painted with pastel sunsets, fiery sunsets, or no sunsets at all. Well-tempered office air is exchanged for the real thing, which you inhale regardless of the air quality index. Stars, shadows, and soft breezes, the lingering scent of fresh mulch, air steeped in ozone after rain, breathtaking walks under moonlight, restore your senses and sensibilities.

Somewhere between houses three and six, you sink into the quiet. Often the cat just sits and so do you. You gaze at the foliage of trees like lace against the blue-black sky. The nightingale's call softens any hard edges in your memory.
You hear the neighbor's gurgling pond stocked with his beloved fish and consider the unfortunate neighborhood cat not on a leash that thought the fish were his personal sushi. You note the graduation of seasons as they subtly unfold, watch the light decrease a little each day.

In near-total darkness at a distance of six feet, the cat discerns a mouse and flushes it from under a bush. It leaps out and flies high into the air, then races right back to the cat, which clearly has plans for it. You are in no mood for a mouse decapitation and divert your cat with the promise of a home-cooked meal, which does not amuse it.
One morning, your partner accompanies you on the walk. Formerly nameless neighbors say hello and you inquire of their health and praise their lawns. You recite stories about almost every house on the cul-de-sac that catch you by surprise: who's moved, who's taking care of a sick mother, who's got a newborn. After six years, you see you're part of a real neighborhood, a community of friends rather than strangers.

Occasionally during a walk, problems you've been grappling with surface and, mysteriously, some innate wisdom floats up to meet them, rendering a clearer view. Looking at life from the outside offers relief from chaos and details pressing in too hard.

Or you find the perfect title for an article you are writing. Satisfied, you scoop up the cat and bring it home to your good cooking. You wish it could reciprocate, but since mouse tartare is not your cup of tea, you forgive its culinary shortcomings.

The pain of losing your kitten years before has sensitized you to all animals. Innocent birds, rabbits and squirrels, even the sidewalk cricket, are at risk. You consider becoming vegetarian although your cat, clearly, does not.
On days when you do not wish to perform a catwalk because you're tired or it's late, the cat will persuade you otherwise. Because it has no intention of relinquishing the walk, it spares no expense, including emitting pitiful wails and sending streams of bodily fluid toward the door.

Kitty insists its neural pathways are stimulated, its synapses fire better, and it is happier altogether through walking.
You know you've become a prisoner of your compassion. The only consolation is in knowing that the cat walkers of New York City, where it is a practiced art, would commiserate.

Reluctantly, you exit with the "monster" you've created. Its senses snap to attention as it lifts its nose to catch lingering aromas and twitches its ears to cicadas, crickets, and many mysterious sounds.
Within seconds, evening's magic has cast its spell and you are lost to yet another catwalk.
 

Before Setting Out

If you have a happy indoor kitty and are committed to this, don't change it. Cat walking is only for those who love the walk or want to learn the walk, and want it as much for themselves as for the cat. If you choose to walk the cat, here's what you'll need, along with some other advice:

• One willing kitty. Begin under 1 year old. Some adult cats may just be waiting for an invitation to go walking but this is rare. (Kindly never force them.)
• One cat at a time or you will be pulled in 18 directions and may never try it again.
• Small dog harness or small dog collar, fitted securely but not tight. You should be able to get one finger in but the collar should not be loose enough for the cat to escape. Cat may also escape from expandable cat collars so they are not advisable. Use an expandable dog leash instead.
• Once cat is leashed, pick it up and take it outside. This avoids the habit of the cat thinking it can just run outside on its own when door opens.
• Sidewalk, grass, or safe area (i.e. no cars, well lighted) to do the walk.
• Minimum of 10 minutes to as long as you want, twice daily if possible.
• Any weather except for heavy rain. If cat gets wet from snow or light rain, please bring inside and towel dry.
• Continuity. Cats are creatures of habit. Once you begin the walk seriously, plan to continue it or you may have to put cat in therapy. This is costly.
• Flashlight for night walks.
• Avoid encounters with other animals. If you run into another cat or dog, gently and soothingly pick up the cat, turn him away from the animal and head home. Resume the walk another time when neighborhood prowling is down.

* Feed cat after the walk. It will associate coming home with eating. This is desirable.

How to Keep Your Hot Dog Cool

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JULY 9, 2012 IN  The Washington Post

By Barbara Elisse Najar July 9, 2012

Summer is here, and we’ve shed our coats. Dogs and cats don’t have that luxury, but their fur, which keeps them warm in winter, also protects them in the summer by preventing them from taking on too much heat. It’s a fine system until it gets too hot, at which point it can be overwhelmed, with potentially dire consequences.

Dogs and cats are homeotherms, meaning they maintain a fairly constant body temperature of 101 to 102 degrees, according to James H. Jones, an expert in comparative animal exercise physiology and thermoregulation at University of California at Davis. “The trick to being a homeotherm is to be able to adjust internal heat gain and heat loss . . . in order to maintain a constant body temperature,” he said.

Unlike humans, dogs and cats can’t sweat to cool themselves. A common misconception is that cats and dogs sweat through their paws, but, says Kimberly May, a veterinarian with the American Veterinary Medical Association, “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,” Cats and dogs are able to release heat in other ways, though.

Conduction transfers excess internal heat when animals contact objects cooler than themselves, such as when lying on cool tile. Convection transfers heat away through cold air or water; this occurs when an animal jumps into a pool, is hosed down or has a fan trained on it. Evaporation dissipates heat from within the body when a dog or cat pants. This is their only internal vehicle for releasing stored body heat.

Counterintuitively, fur can help an animal cope in the heat.

“Fur actually insulates the body in cold weather and helps prevent the body from taking on too much heat in warm weather,” says Jones. “Fur acts as a thermal regulator to slow down the process of heat absorption.”

By shedding in hot weather, dogs and cats make their coats more suitable for heat protection instead of warmth. “The thick undercoat that’s needed in order to trap body heat in the cold weather is not required in warm weather. The remaining outer coat is optimal for handling heat as long as it’s not extreme,” explains veterinarian Marty Becker, author of numerous books about dogs and cats.

For this reason, experts agree, it can be a mistake to shave or dramatically trim the coat of a dog or cat in the summer. While it may seem that it would be cooler, it can actually make an animal hotter. In addition, cats and dogs need protection from sunburn and insect bites.

“Dogs have developed their hair coats for a reason. It’s a barrier between the dog’s skin and the sun,” according to Emily Rogell, medical director of the Metropolitan Emergency Animal Clinic in Rockville. “The less heat and sun reach the skin, the less hot the dog will be. I don’t recommend clipping or shaving unless there is a medical reason,” such as a skin condition or terribly matted fur.

Shaving could also contribute to dehydration, says Jones, noting that research has found that “camels in the desert that are shaved, for example, do worse than those with fur, requiring more water evaporation to stay cool.”

Despite these natural mechanisms, Washington summer days can quickly overwhelm pets, even if a human might experience the weather as benign.

But when dogs run around, or are walked or run too long, or when they’re left in the sun, a warm house or a car, they can quickly overheat. Panting or cooling off with water, cool tiles or moving air no longer works to dissipate their rising body heat. And their fur begins to trap heat rather than fend it off, compounding the stress on their body.

“Exercise in the heat is double jeopardy,” says Jones. “The animal’s metabolism is generating internal heat at the same time as it starts having trouble discharging the external heat.” Meanwhile, as the animal tries to maintain its normal body temperature through more panting, it loses water through evaporation, which can cause dehydration.

“Try running in a fur coat for 20 minutes on a warm day, and you’ll have some idea what it’s like for dogs and cats overcome by heat,” says May. “And let’s not forget, dogs don’t know when to stop. They are perpetually willing to keep going despite the heat, just to please us and be with us, and can’t tell us they’re getting too warm. You have to be able to recognize the signs.”

Certain breeds of dogs have particular difficulty in the heat. These include Siberian huskies, Alaskan malamutes, Akitas and chow chows, with coats built for cold weather, and breeds with a pushed-in snout that prevents efficient panting and cooling, such as pugs, bulldogs and Boston terriers, and Himalayan and Persian cats. (In general, cats are less at risk because those that go outside seek shade; vets say most heat problems with cats occur when they’ve been left in a too-warm house or car.)

Any breed of dog or cat that is overweight will have trouble in the heat. “Obese and overweight dogs are particularly heat-sensitive because their weight interferes with thermoregulation — specifically, being able to radiate heat away from their body sufficient to cool down,” according to Allison Sande, an emergency and critical care veterinarian with VCA Veterinary Referral Associates in Gaithersburg.

How can you tell if a dog or cat is in the danger zone regarding heat? It will seem sluggish and perhaps confused. “She will be panting very hard, and her tongue and gums will look bright red,” says May. “If the situation progresses, they may even look gray or purple, which is very bad. She will be weak and uncoordinated.” An animal in heat-induced distress will hyperventilate, drool excessively and show signs of fear. If the body temperature rises above 106 degrees, there can be brain, tissue and organ swelling, with abnormal blood clotting that can damage the kidneys, heart, lungs and brain. Animals eventually collapse and go into a coma, at which point seizure and respiratory arrest develop.

Such problems can escalate fairly quickly.

“A man who happened to be a medical doctor went running with his dog and the dog began panting and becoming lethargic,” says Ashley Hughes, a veterinarian at Friendship Animal Hospital in the District. “He stopped for a while, then started running again with the dog, but this time the dog collapsed and couldn’t get up. He took the dog home and kept a watch on him, but the dog began to get worse. By the time he arrived here for medical care, there was nothing we could do, and the dog died.”

The key to avoiding such an outcome, the vets say, is to always err on the side of caution in hot weather. If you see your animal panting heavily, take it into the shade or a cool room. Run a constant flow of tepid or slightly cool water over its body, especially its head, neck, chest and groin areas. Use your hand to wipe off the water so it carries the heat with it. You can wrap the animal in cool, wet towels, but wring them out and wet them again to keep them cool. Seek immediate medical attention. Spraying with cool water may work for animals with short, sparse hair, but for dogs with lots of hair, the coat can become warm and water-logged and actually increase heat retention.

To prevent heatstroke, vets recommend walking animals only in the coolest parts of the day during the summer, and keeping the walk short. One good rule of thumb for when it’s okay to walk your dog is to put your palms on the sidewalk; if it’s too hot for your palm, it’s too hot for a dog, says Becker. Keep homes cool or well ventilated. And think twice about taking animals on trips and to outdoor events, where it might be hard to prevent them from becoming overheated. And never leave an animal in a parked car on a warm day.

Najar is a freelance writer in Potomac who lives with two cats.