If you’re a pet owner, you probably take great care to keep your four-legged family member healthy and happy. One issue you may be uncertain about is how to set your indoor heating at the best temperature to ensure your pet’s well-being. Gaining an understanding of how pets react to different temperatures can help you decide on an ideal thermostat setting.
Pets and Indoor Temperature
Normal body temperatures for dogs and cats range between 99.5 and 102.5 degrees. And like humans, they don’t react well to significant temperature variations. In a colder environment, an animal’s coat can act as insulation to help them stay warm. Pets don’t perspire as much as we do, so they use different methods to lower their body temperature in warmer conditions. Dogs pant, and cats groom themselves so their saliva can evaporate and cool them down. How your pet handles high or low temperatures is also affected by their:
- Coat type. Pets with longer or thicker coats tolerate cold better, but they’re also more sensitive to warmer environments. In general, it’s the opposite for short-haired animals.
- Body size and weight. Cats and smaller breeds of dogs tend to get colder faster than larger animals. The extra layer of insulation carried by overweight pets can make them more tolerant of colder temperatures, but that additional weight can also make them overheat in higher temperatures.
- Age and health. Puppies, kittens and senior animals often do better in a warmer environment. Pets with certain health issues, like heart conditions, can become distressed when the indoor temperature is too high.
How to Choose the Right Temperature
When you’re at home and active, 69-72 degrees is a good temperature range to maintain for a pet’s comfort. For periods when you’re away from home, or sleeping, it’s best to keep the temperature set a few degrees lower. You can use all the above factors to fine-tune these general guidelines and arrive at temperature settings that will best suit you and your pet’s needs.
For help with any aspect of the indoor heating in your Eastern North Carolina home, contact us at Jackson & Sons.