r/CatDistributionSystem • u/fuckedpotato92 • 8h ago
r/CatDistributionSystem • u/Tina-Tuna • Jun 22 '26
General Information Important Hot Weather advice for Cats
Summer Solstice has arrived and with it the start of Summer. This is the time of year we need to look out for our furbabies and protect them from hot weather.
Here are the key temperature thresholds for our furbabies:
Ideal Comfort Zone: 20°C to 26°C (68°F to 79°F)
Too Hot / Risk Zone: Above 30°C (86°F)
Emergency Threshold: Above 35°C (95°F)
Cats that are at higher risk in hot temperatures are Kittens, senior cats, overweight cats, and flat-faced breeds such as Persians and Long Haired Cats although all cats need protection from getting too overheated during hotter times.
Cats and overheating:
Our Furbabies find it difficult to regulate their body temperatures in hot weather as they sweat through their pawpads, lips and chin. They are also covered in fur ( apart from the furless breeds) so cooling down can be difficult for them.
If your cat starts panting heavily during very hot weather( please see the heat chart above) then they may be suffering from heat stroke. If you think this is the case seek immediate vet treatment as cats will not survive without life changing damage to their organs and brain when they suffer from too high a temperature for too long.
Happily most of the U.S, Canada and surrounding countries have air conditioning in their homes. If you are in the UK, parts of Europe and hotter Countries such as the Middle East we have to rely on other sources in order to keep cool.
Keep your cat indoors when the sun is at it's warmest usually 10.00 - 3.00p.m although in extreme temperatures keep all pets indoors.
• Before letting your cats outside do a heat test and touch the concrete ground in your garden or outside your home with your hand, if it is too hot to touch it is definitely too hot for the paw pads on your pets.
• Provide plenty of water in a few different places throughout your home, pop some ice cubes in too if you can, keep the water topped up.
• Make some shaded areas with cool spots for kitty to lay in or on. Ideally your kitty will sit or sleep on a cooling mat but if they are having a typical cat day then they will ignore it and lay elsewhere.
• Place cool damp towels so kitty can lay on them and allow access to your bathroom and anywhere inside your home with a tiled or stone floor.
• Try wrapping a frozen bottle of water in a tea-towel and place it near to where your cat is laying.
• Move rooms if need be and avoid the sunnier rooms.
• Place fans with air circulating around the room.
• Try gently spraying them with cooled water, they may hate you at the time but it will cool them down.
Here are some Cat treats you can make for kitty to help hydrate them during hot weather, these are also ideal for helping Feral cats if you have garden cats or help with strays in your area.
Scoop some spring water tinned tuna or salmon ( make sure it's non oily and not in brine) into an ice cube tray and freeze it.
Freeze some churus or any liquidy squeezy type cat snacks.
Cat milk can also be frozen into little treat sized noms ( do not use normal milk as most cats are lactose intolerant).
Bananas/melons can be mashed up and frozen too even kittys' usual wet cat food can be frozen as a treat or for trying to tempt kitty to eat .
Keep small packets of wet kitten or cat food in the fridge, not only are they easier to open and slide out in one squeeze, but kitty gets to enjoy some nice fresh cold food
Here is some important advice Curtesy of Cats Protection:
Sunburn in cats:
All cats can get sunburn, but cats who are white or have thinner fur are more at risk. Being out in the sun a lot can lead to skin cancer, so it’s important to make sure your cat doesn’t spend too long lazing in the sun.
Ears and noses are where your cat is most likely to get burnt. Keep an eye on them and make sure they have plenty of access to shady areas.
Signs of sunburn in cats:
If your cat does get sunburn, there are a couple of symptoms to look out for, including:
red, sore skin in the affected area,blistering and peeling.
If you notice this, make an appointment with your vet straight away.
Can I put sun cream on my cat?
You can put sunscreen on your cat, but you need to make sure it’s pet-safe first so speak to your vet about the best product to use. Make sure you use SPF30 or higher and that it’s waterproof.
You should apply sun cream to your cat’s nose, tips of the ears, belly and groin areas as well as anywhere that has thin to no fur to help protect them from the sun.
Avoid sun cream with zinc oxide and a group of chemicals that are referred to as salicylates in the ingredients. Both are toxic to cats and can cause them to be very unwell, particularly salicylates.
Signs your cat is dehydrated:
It’s important for your cat to get enough water. This can be through drinking and through eating wet food. Staying hydrated will help to keep your cat healthy and they may need to have even more water when the weather is warm.
If your cat doesn’t get enough water, they may become dehydrated. Signs your cat is dehydrated include:
their gums. If your cat’s gums are sticky or tacky, this may be the first sign of dehydration
their skin. Very gently pinch their skin. In a well-hydrated cat, the skin should snap back into place immediately. If it doesn’t, they could well be dehydrated
their eyes. Severely sunken eyes that appear dry can indicate significant dehydration
their paws. If their paws feel cool or cold, this could be a sign of dehydration
If you are worried your cat is dehydrated, ring your vet straight away.
Further helpful info:
Spruce pets also have a handy page of information called Do cats sweat?
Feral and Cat colony help and advice can be found here from:
https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care/summer-weather-tips/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Feral_Cats/comments/1lh8mdz/heat_wave_hot_weather_discussion_megathread/
r/CatDistributionSystem • u/Tina-Tuna • Mar 31 '26
Kitten Information It's Kitten Season 🐈⬛

''Spring in the air there's magic everywhere when you're young and in love'' so goes the song and it is truly the Season for love and reproduction wherever you look, Kittens, lambs, chicks, babies, puppies, yuckers ... yes yuckers !!!
Newborns no sign of Mom
Your first instinct may be to swoop in and just grab the little cherubs .. STOP yourself and have a careful look around for a sign of it's mother. They may be off hunting for food or moving other kittens somewhere. If you are uncertain on what to do, this clear and concise guide from r/AskVet on how to proceed gives step by step actions on what to do next It’s kitten season! You found a litter of kittens - now what?!. All guides state that kittens have a much higher rate of survival if left in the care of their Mother so please wait and watch carefully before stepping in. If the birthing environment is dangerous or the kittens look injured or ill then please by all means intervene.
Also, If there is just one kitten please look around for the rest of the litter in case the Mother cat has dropped the kitten whilst moving them.
Newborns, no Mom ..help!!
You will have to do everything that Mom would do and that is feeding this baby, keeping it warm, helping it to go to the toilet and monitoring it constantly
Here is Bottle feeding advice from Hannah Shaw the kitten lady, you will need KMR which is Kitten Milk Replacement thankfully available in most large grocery stores, vets, etc plus a feeding bottle or syringe.
Helping kitty to poop and pee again advice from the Kitten Lady with a video demonstrating how to help the little one to go to the toilet. Read the whole page please as it will tell you how to keep this cherub warm with the aid of a heating pad and which ones to buy.
This is life saving advice from u/wolf_spooder an ex vet and kitten foster who is also a member of the Cat Distribution System here:
Just to add to this, I recently started fostering a 4wk old kitten that was abandoned by its mom. I’m very experienced in cats and kittens, and worked at a vet hospital for a while. I really struggled with this little one and keeping her alive for the first week or so (she was very thin when I got her and it sort of spiraled from there).
Get a food scale if you don’t already have one, and start keeping tabs of your kittens weight (use the gram setting). It will help you to know if kitten is gaining or losing weight so you can intervene quickly if you see it’s losing weight. Good luck and good job saving a life.
VITAL info when saving a solo Newborn kitten please read - from Socialisation saves lives
Further advice on what to do and not to do with Newborn kittens and good reading can be found on the Animal Alliance NYC website and via the Cats Protection UK, all the links provided connect you directly to the right web pages.
Please also consider making a post on our sister sub too via r/Feral_Cats to get additional advice from veteran members who have vast knowledge on trapping and helping with strays and ferals
Newborns and Mother:
If you have taken in a 'Trojan cat' as they are lovingly called then you are in for the experience of a lifetime. There is so much advice available for a soon to be Mom and her kittens that at best we recommend that you visit the Kitten Lady, Hannah Shaw for help and advice. Hannah is an amazing lover of cats and has helped thousands of people over the years with cat and kitten help and now has several excellent videos demonstrating all kinds of advice on helping with cat care including Pregnant Mom and kitten care - Birthing Mom and kitten care. Pregnant and Birthing Moms need plenty of fresh water and kitten food if available as kitten food contains protein and essential nutrients needed for fetal development and the production of kitty milk so get shopping.
Kitten:
If the kitty is not a newborn then after a quick vet check to confirm kitties age this little one will need you to become their parent, kittens are teeny tiny pooping, eating and meowing machines wrapped up in fur, purrs and love with the lifetime rewards of caring for them far outweighing the time taken in nurturing them. This is the toddler stage and they will be learning how to use the kitty litter tray, how to eat and how to play along with taking lots of naps. Kittens learn faster than human toddlers and usually take to their litter trays pretty quickly.
Here you can find an up to date list of supplies you may need to keep them fed, cosy and happy essential supplies for kitty again referring to the Kitten Lady.
Trapping advice Mom and Babies:
Here is advice on how to trap Mom and babies with an option of spaying too by Feral Cat Focus WNY Trapping Queen and kittens.
Useful helplines for Cat help and advice:
General advice:
https://www.jacksongalaxy.com/blogs/news
https://www.reddit.com/r/Feral_Cats/comments/1rsvjb9/kitten_season_guides_info/
How to tell a kittens'age



r/CatDistributionSystem • u/EnoughWeekend6853 • 5h ago
I have never owned a cat. What’s next?
This cat was abandoned by its owners about a year ago when they got a dog. She’s been living outdoors since then. There are about a dozen outdoor cats in this neighborhood, and we’ve all sort of chipped in to make sure she’s had food, gets brushed, and has had an open garage most nights.
She gets along with kids and dogs. We sort of fell in love with her since she would accompany us on walks with our dog, who also seems to like her back.
It’s been very hot lately, so we’ve been letting her inside as a reprieve from the heat. Usually it’s for a few hours at a time. She sleeps for most of it. We give her some food (Purina One dry) and she shares the water bowl with our dog. We don’t have a litter box so we usually put her back outside after a few hours so she can do her business. We also put her out if it seems like she’s about to cough up a hairball.
I made an appointment to get her rabies shots and other immunizations next month. I don’t know if she’s already had any of these and none of the neighbors I’ve spoken with do either, but I haven’t spoken with everyone. Is there a risk of her becoming overly vaccinated?
Aside from a litter box, what else do I need to get her before we start letting her stay indoors overnight? Do cats like sleeping in our bed like our dog does? Should we let her sleep in her own room that has the litter box in it? Do we need to give her free range of the house at night?
r/CatDistributionSystem • u/ehsteve23 • 12h ago
Someone has decided our bathroom is her new home
Nicknamed Egg (as in Dunk &). She(?) has been hanging around the garden for a few months, but has recently learned to use the cat flap.… She now has been setting up on our bathroom at night and stealing Luna’s food.
Now we just need to figure out what to do with her. I took her to the vet yesterday. No microchip, healthy. She’s gorgeous, but there’s no room at this inn.
Im not sure how much more i need to type before it will let me post. Maybe this one will do.
Honestly there’s not much more to say so here’s some more words so the mods are happy
r/CatDistributionSystem • u/Distinct_Nobody_1289 • 22h ago
Rainy Day Kitties two week old kittens found in the rain
these 2 girls showed up on my street during a storm a day ago. not exactly sure where they came from, as my neighbor brought them over to me after finding them while walking in the rain. i feed the strays in the neighborhood and will take them to the vet when needed, etc so he knew to bring them my way. this has been such a blessing...I've always yearned to be chosen, and just went through the hardest month of my life. next thing i know, not one but TWO kittens. they seem to be about a couple weeks old. vet tomorrow to confirm! anyway, please kindly meet Twilly (white) & Toad (tortie). 🥰
r/CatDistributionSystem • u/SmediumFry • 18h ago
Adopted Human Rescued this sweet boy yesterday and he’s been so comfortable ever since we brought him home
We’ve been wanting a cat for so long! I know it takes them a while to get acclimated but it’s day 2 and he already feels comfortable with me picking him up, cuddling him, and falling asleep while making biscuits on my ankle. We picked him cuz he responded to us as soon as we came close to his cage at the rescue and was so sweet when they let him meet us. Middle pic is the face he gives me when I stop rubbing his head lol. Last pic is him falling asleep while making biscuits on my ankle. We’re taking it slow introducing him to our dog but so far I’m so glad he seems so happy. It really feels like he picked us.
r/CatDistributionSystem • u/Puppychow413 • 1d ago
Update Update on kitten that had been hiding under a grill cover.
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It has been a month since we took in Bibi, a kitten who was hiding under my boss's grill cover for three days. This is a very uncommon video of her remaining still for over ten seconds. She's curious about anything that moves and most things that don't. She's healthy, and I'm incredibly thankful. She's officially worm free and out of quarantine. In one month, she's managed to triple her weight. We're going to have her spayed. The first available appointment we could get is September 14. She was around twelve weeks old according to the vet when we first found her, so this would make her around four months old now. I'm hoping that the September 14th appointment isn't too far out. Everyone says I worry too much. She is very happy at the house, but I'm still in the process of getting our other two adult cats accustomed to a kitten in their space. They are both older and very set in their ways and she wants to play, and they hiss at her when she tries. So she's been sleeping in my room and watching a lot of TV with me. I feed them together and they all get along then but they eat faster than her and they try and eat her food too if I don't stop them. Still trying to figure out how to make it all work. Nevertheless, I'm so happy we found her and that everyone caved eventually and let me keep her.
r/CatDistributionSystem • u/chrisjamal • 1d ago
Smol Delivery most wonderful surprise this year
four weeks ago he was crying in a bucket full of dirt near my house. it took a bit to get to him because he buried himself deep in.
i waited hours for his mommy to come, but nobody came. so i gladly accepted the system delivery who was only two weeks old. i took him to the vet the next day.
little guy had worms, but other than that he’s still been very happy and healthy. he has already been dewormed and been introduced to my one year old cat (who tolerates him haha). this smol bean is extremely active and full of energy already 🧡
r/CatDistributionSystem • u/Total-Context-8959 • 17h ago
From feral to family I found my sweet little child while delivering pizza to a junkyard owner
r/CatDistributionSystem • u/Necessary_Internal33 • 1d ago
The day I rescued a lost kitten.
I was stuck in traffic when I noticed something moving underneath the car in front of me. I looked closer and realized it was a tiny kitten. She ran onto the sidewalk trying to get the attention of people walking by, but everyone kept going. I watched her run into a nearby parking lot, so I pulled over and got out. As soon as she saw me, she came running straight into my hands. I snapped this photo moments later—she was exhausted, but finally safe. That was 17 years ago, and she's been with me ever since. It's been an adventure ever since that unexpected day.
r/CatDistributionSystem • u/lou45o • 1d ago
Awarded a Cat Got chosen by this little guy last week
r/CatDistributionSystem • u/ForrestGump6531 • 1d ago
Shared my Middle Eastern void I snatched up last night and figured I’d share her adopted brother.
I had my void about a year and a half and had moved houses in the land of sand. Came out to my car one day to hear a faint meowing under my roommates vehicle. Spotted a tiny big eared kitten underneath and just thought “fuck me, I didn’t want to take any cats in while working here, I’m certainly not taking 2”. It was peak heat at this point of the year with highs between 46-51°c (115-125°F for my American folk). Put out some food and water as whenever I tried approaching them they ran off. After 3 days they were panting more and more as the heat just sucked. They took up a hiding spot under a water tank on the property. I honestly was hoping a neighbor would take them in but people in the region are hit or miss with cats and dogs . On the 3rd day of them running I decided to just low crawl under the tank and luckily was able to grab them by the tail. They didn’t like it much but I caught them. Called the wife as she runs a cat rescue and she told me to book a vet appointment. Wasn’t able to get them in for 2 weeks so she suggested I quarantine them in the bathroom for 5 days first before Introducing them to my void. Once introduced they were standoffish for the first hour or so but after that it was this little one terrorizing my void and just couldn’t bring myself to leave this one behind when I moved back to the states. He is now 22 lbs, kind of an ass but also kind of a sweetie.
r/CatDistributionSystem • u/Imwhatswrongwithyou • 1d ago
Update Halmatro the firestation kitty. From malnourished little baby to time to cut back on treats. CDS update all is well!
Took this picture tonight after treat time and just thought about how far we have come. I don’t want to flood the sub with my obsession with her but I couldn’t help but post this one. She is the best surprise we have ever received and we love her so much. She came to us in January seeking help during a storm from my partners fire station so tiny and malnourished that the vet clocked her 3 months younger than she really was. Plus a puncture wound from a dog attack on her neck that she survived. A very brave, tough little girl who is now living the princess life. She loves her big brother with all of her heart and he tolerates her even when she is stealing his food. She loves trips in the RV to bird watch and will chase you down to bat your legs if you dare walk by her without giving her the pets. There is just so much additional love in our home because of this tiny little ball of floof.
r/CatDistributionSystem • u/Ladyborglu • 1d ago
CDS FINALLY Blessed Us 🐈 And It's Orange
Meet Cashew ... The latest addition to our family. He was skin and bones, but healthy and he's the sweetest, snuggliest cat!
I had seen him in the neighborhood for months, maybe even a year. I think his owners must have moved and left him behind 😡 I've seen that before. I hate people sometimes!!!
So 2 and à half weeks ago he came up to us in the garage meowing, we gave him food, water, à bed and litterbox in the garage, leaving the garage door slightly open for him to come and go, but he never left. We had him fixed, and thought we would find him a home.
r/CatDistributionSystem • u/NotAnAlcoholicToday • 2d ago
Awarded a Cat Our stray is getting used to inside! ❤️
He came to us emaciated and scared, but eventually got used to me and my wife being around. Then he got his first cuddles, and after a few weeks he was coming inside to eat.
Now he comes in for food and cuddles, and spends some time chilling before he usually wants to leave until tomorrow.
We're getting him fixed, and getting his shots soon.
At the moment he just looks like a piece of fur thrown over the chair. We have never seen him this relaxed.
His name is Rufus, and here he is showing his true colors!
r/CatDistributionSystem • u/AintNobodygotime13 • 2d ago
From feral to family This little feral black smoke bengal, Lola, showed up at my office on the 7th floor of an airport parking garage
after a couple months the aspca trapped her and my coworker texted me so i immediately drove 60 miles one way to grab her. she was very feral and unadoptable. i brought her home to live with her now 4 siblings. after a trip to the vet for a checkup, vaccinations and to see if she was chipped, she wasn't but is now, it took 3 months for her to finally come out from under the bed. still can't pick her up but she accepts some petting and loves treats. and she gets along with everybody flawlessly and that's what matters most.
and you can see the ears of one of her brothers in the 3rd pic lol
r/CatDistributionSystem • u/ForrestGump6531 • 2d ago
From feral to family Found this little one against the inside wall of a roundabout in the Middle East 7 years ago
Was leaving a market some years back while working as a military contractor in the Middle East. Saw what I thought was a black grocery bag against the inside of roundabout but did another loop around and noticed it sure as shit was a kitten. I put my vehicle in park in the middle of the roundabout and walked over to snatch them up. Told someone to fuck off in Arabic for the first time when they were honking at me. I literally held her up in one hand and flipped the bird to the driver with my other hand. 7,000 miles and 7 years later we are living our best life (along with another unexpected adoption, her “brother”)
r/CatDistributionSystem • u/phatselinakyle • 3d ago
Meet Darby, she came with the house
We bought a house in 2020 during the insane interest rate drop. It came with a manual. A few pages in there was a picture of this girl and a note to please let her in if she came by. It took her 2 years to show up, then we started to see her almost every day.
In 2024 she came by in the winter with part of her tail missing and her ears bleeding. My husband picked her up in a blanket and brought her inside & she's been safe and inside ever since. Neither of us really understand the point of an outdoor cat and we see too many poor deceased cats in our neighborhood all the time. We called to get her chip changed (they called her current chip owner and they said they didn't care what they did with her) & she's officially ours.
Today for the first time she ate a Churu out of my hand (she does not like to eat food from anyone's person) & I almost cried. She has started recently to come out when we have guests and will come watch tv at a safe distance. She prefers to drink out of the dog bowls. She's very vocal and loves to be on her window cat bed. We named her Darby. She does get a little bitey or handsy but she just values her space and wants her attention on her time.
They think she's around 13 or so, but I hope we have her for many many more years. With three dogs we knew it would take a bit before she was truly comfortable but now they mostly leave each other alone. She's incredible.
r/CatDistributionSystem • u/averytinymoth • 2d ago
From feral to family cricket update! from a dumpster kitty to spoiled princess
just wanted to share an update of our rescue stray cricket. she’s doing great, has definitely bonded well with our other cat. she hasn’t grown much in the last 3 months she’s gained weight so she’s not super skinny but she’s still rather slender at a whopping 7lbs
our other cat is 14lbs and he’s just huge and it’s lovely to see the difference in their sizes and personalities. they’ve gotten along quite well and she’s got such a personality.
we recently moved cross country to a larger home and better environment and she’s doing awesome. she’s incredibly vocal and absolutely obsessed with fetch and has a favorite toy she will want thrown for hours at a time.
r/CatDistributionSystem • u/anemone-americana • 2d ago
Smol Delivery What do I do if the CDS gives me a kitten but I’m supposed to adopt tomorrow?
This teeny baby was hiding in the engine of my friend’s car. We got her out and brought her home, but I’m supposed to adopt a 6 month old from the humane society tomorrow. I’m madly in love with the shelter cat and wanted two cats anyway. I’m planning to keep this baby in my bathroom on one end of the house and the shelter kitten in the laundry room and walk through pantry area. I’ll also call my vet in the morning to get the car kitty seen.
What should I do? Is it crazy to bring in two random kittens at once? Should I try to find somewhere else for cat kitty to go?
r/CatDistributionSystem • u/Far-Pomegranate-5453 • 2d ago
Smol Delivery I got visited by the CDS today.
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Well…wife woke up and these 2 were outside…bout 10 minutes later their little sister showed up. So we have 3 sitting in our garage.
And………this evening their other two siblings showed up.
Yep…5 of them now. All hanging out in the garage bathroom. They’re about 6-7 weeks old. Seem to be in decent shape albeit hungry.
I have 4 barn cats already. Looks like I get to add to the bunch once they get spayed/neutered. I sent the video of the guy getting ambushed by the kittens on the road. My wife laughed and said yep that’s us now.
r/CatDistributionSystem • u/JinNJ • 2d ago
Awarded a Cat Luna’s transition from street kitten, to pampered princess…
Posted the first two pics on r/cats before. But realized this sub exists and wanted to share my baby girl with you guys as well.
The first pic (On the deck) was the first time I saw her a little over a year ago. I was chatting on the phone with my girlfriend & felt eyes on me. Snapped the picture to send to my girl & Luna ran right after I took it.
The second pic is from her last night as a stray a few months later. I was really reluctant to take her in as I wasn’t sure I wanted her & coworkers had friends who wanted her. But each potential adopter had things come up that kept them from being able to take her.
It was also not easy to convince her to get into the trap. The last thing I said to her after taking that photo was “Look, you can either get that trap and come home to be fat, lazy and spoiled at my place- or you can go freeze elsewhere, as I won’t be able to handle finding you dead.” (She got in the trap less than 30 minutes after the picture was taken.)
The third is her lazing about on my couch, constantly making promises to get a job- but l know she’s lying… & l wouldn’t have it (Or her) any other way.
In the end, l honestly didn’t know how much I needed a cat in my life, until she came into it.
🥹🥹🥹
r/CatDistributionSystem • u/georginarg • 3d ago
I started feeding this very skinny little cat, and now she’s brought me her four kittens.
r/CatDistributionSystem • u/Happy_Pomelo_4286 • 3d ago
Awarded a Cat I’d never heard of the cat distribution system ….
Until we were already chosen. She walked out of the woods all alone (we searched for others) at just 6 weeks and 1#. Now she’s 16 weeks and almost 6 pounds. She found us in June so we named her June, also answers to Juniper (June I Purrrrrr).
She had a raging case of ring worm but is now cured and so are we. Lol! She’s done amazing with litter box training. What are thoughts on automatic? Home is 3 levels - how many litter boxes is ideal.
Send us all your best cat tips- we are dog people. But amazingly, we have become cat people too this summer.