Heat Wave

Seattle's 1941 record of 100 degrees farenheit was broken today. The official reading out at the airport was 102 and possibly rising this afternoon. The overnight lows are warm as well, in the low 70s. Last night it got down to only 71, the first time in 64 years that the night temperature hasn't dropped below 70. And all of this when the average high temperature here is in the mid to upper 70s this time of year. Needless to say the weather has been headline news.

Now before those of you in the Midwest and South laugh at us wimpy northwesterners, you should know that because we're liable to go a whole summer and not hit 90, most people here don't have air conditioning. In fact, only 13 percent of households in Seattle do have air conditioning. This mother-in-law apartment above the garage is most certainly not one of them.

I can deal with this climatic inconvenience. I try not to exert myself - I do a lot of reading, catch up on emails and the like. The cats are the ones I worry about. In fact someone we know had her cats boarded because of the temperature. Betsy and Wyatt have received no such privileges.
However, I have taken other measures. That's right - I've been doing some internet research about cats in the heat. As one web site recommended, I periodically drop ice in their water to 1) cool it down and 2) interest them in their own water bowls. This technique has been somewhat successful though as the afternoon lethargy sets in, I'm beginning to think the suggestion about dropping water into their mouths with an ear dropper might be a necessary next step.

I also moved food and water to the coolest part of the apartment, the downstairs entry way. (Up here we're solid confirmation of the fact that heat rises.) I forcibly carried Betsy down, even taking her favorite rug, but she immediately walked right upstairs again. She has also spurned my attempts to have her lie on a towel wrapped around ice (see picture). Unfortunately (as we've always suspected), while gifted with unique emotional intelligence, Betsy's practical reasoning capacities are severely limited.

Wyatt, meanwhile, has found a cool spot under the bed from which he has rarely emerged. He seems to be doing well, bolstered by his youthful bodily strength. If things get really bad here, my next plan is to run some cold water and dip their little paws in it - also an internet suggestion.