It’s 37 degrees Celsius in the shade on the terrace of our finca in rural Mallorca. During the current heatwave (back-to-back with the previous one) our ‘family’ of adopted cats is taking life very easy. They appear each morning for their breakfast, but eat less than usual, then disappear for the day to hide from the sun, until hunger – or habit – draws them back for dinner.
At this time of the year they tend to seek shelter closer to the house, so that their various sources of water for drinking aren’t too far away. Occasionally we spot them in their hiding places. Dusty likes to sit under the turntable (which hasn’t turned for years) that supports our solar panels. It’s a spot that gets no sun at all, and he’s made it his own. Beamer heads for the dependencia, snoozing next to the stock of winter logs. When it’s hot like it is now, it seems unbelievable that we need log fires in the winters . . .
Cooling his ‘Bits’
Our newest cat – little Pip – favours the corner of our dining terrace, settling in a sun-free spot near a large pot plant. And one of her best friends – Nibbles – often joins her. Nibbles (who does occasionally live up to his name) has an amusing habit: in the evenings, when we dine on the terrace, he sits nearby on the wall, with his legs dangling down on either side of the wall. We assume this is to cool as much of his lower body as possible.
Pip (left) and Nibbles have found a cool spot on the terrace
Nibbles chilling out on the wall
All the cats are enjoying the new solar-powered water feature I bought earlier this year. It has become yet another source of water for them. This one has an additional benefit: the fountain seems to give off a fine mist when it’s in operation and when any of the cats comes over to greet us in the evenings, they usually have a light dampness to their fur. They’re clearly enjoying this way of cooling themselves.
Nibbles drinks from the fountain
And us? We’re spending the heat of the day indoors, with our Birman Minstral, enjoying the benefits of airconditioning. Come the (slightly) cooler evenings, we’re outside – topping up the water in the places where the cats like to drink . . .
Jan Edwards Copyright 2015
I can relate to all this. It has been quite hot here in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado but certainly not as hot as Mallorca. But….today it is in the high 60’s outside. That’s Fahrenheit, of course. We have had two days of lovely rain and we really needed it.
When it is so hot we do the classic thing, close all the windows, draw the shades and turn on the ceiling fan. We do not need an air conditioner here. In the evenings, as soon as the sun goes below the mountain to the West the temp drops right away. Most nights I need to wear a light sweater outside. Maybe it’s because we are right next to a decent size creek. This morning I actually said to hubby, “I think I’m going to make a fire in the woodstove.” NO….I don’t think I will.
Here comes the sun…..for about one minute when the clouds move over.
All your cats are very cute. I love the posture of the one on the wall. Our Westie does the same
pose on the sofa arm, lets his legs hang down on each side. Isn’t it fun the way our animals add
so much to our lives? They make life fun.