HEALTH
& FITNESS - HEATWAVE
What are the risks?
In a severe heatwave you may get dehydrated and your body may overheat, leading to heat
exhaustion or heat stroke. Both need urgent treatment. The symptoms of heat
exhaustion include headaches, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, muscle weakness or cramps,
pale skin, and a high temperature. You should move somewhere cool and drink plenty of
water or fruit juice. If you can, take a lukewarm shower, or sponge yourself down with
cold water. Heat stroke can develop if heat exhaustion is left untreated, but it can
also occur suddenly and without warning. Symptoms include headaches, nausea, an intense
thirst, sleepiness, hot, red and dry skin and a sudden rise in temperature, confusion,
aggression, convulsions and loss of consciousness. Heat stroke can result in irreversible
damage to your body, including the brain, or death.
What should you do?
Mostly it's a matter of common sense. Listen to your local weather forecast so you know if
a heatwave is on the way. Plan ahead to reduce the risk of getting heat exhaustion or heat
stroke.
Keep out of the heat.
If you must go out, stay in the shade. Wear a hat and light, loose-fitting clothes,
preferably cotton. If you will be outside for some time, take plenty of water with you.
Stay cool.
Stay inside, in the coolest rooms in your home, as much as possible.
Close the curtains in rooms that get a lot of sun.
Keep windows closed while the room is cooler than it is outside. Open them when the
temperature inside rises, and at night for ventilation. If you are worried about security,
at least open windows on the first floor and above.
Take cool showers or baths, and splash yourself several times a day with cold water,
particularly your face and the back of your neck.
Drink regularly.
Drink regularly even if you do not feel thirsty, water or fruit juice are best.
Try to avoid alcohol, tea and coffee. They make dehydration worse.
Eat as you normally would, try to eat more cold food, particularly salads and fruit, which
contain water.
Seek advice if you have any concerns.
Watch for cramp in your arms, legs or stomach, feelings of mild confusion, weakness or
problems sleeping. If you have these symptoms, rest for several hours, keep cool and drink
water or fruit juice. Seek medical advice if they get worse or don't go away.
Remember that heat stroke can kill. It can develop very suddenly and rapidly lead to
unconsciousness. If you suspect someone has heat stroke, call 999 immediately.
Stephanie recently had three calls in less than one week asking us to take in cats because
their owners had died. Although we would have liked to help all these people immediately
we were unable to do so because there were no vacant pens. Stephanie therefore had to
decide which cat(s) should take priority. One little cat living outside with no one to
look after it was placed at the top of the list. Although a lady has been trying to catch
her, at present she is still at large. The cat is upset by her changed circumstances and
cannot understand why her owner no longer opens the door for her. Consequently she has
taken up residence further down the road, away from all the people who have been trying to
help her. The lady is trying to regain her trust by feeding her twice daily and we are
holding a pen free until she can be caught.
At the second home there were three "outside" cats, a 15 years old ginger tom
and two un-neutered females (one with kittens). The older cat has been offered a home and
one of the female cats has now been caught, together with her four kittens, and has taken
up residence with Stephanie. This young cat has not been used to being inside but appears
to be adapting well and, given time, may be suitable for re-homing. The other cat is
proving elusive at present. The cat in the third call lives outside our area and the
family have been given contact numbers of other organisations closer to home, which may be
able to help.
We also give priority to cats we have re-homed who do not settle for whatever reason, but
here again, it may be necessary for the new owner to keep the cat until we have a space
available for it to come back. Some people may wonder why we do not put a cat in with
another one already in care as happens with some other organisations. It is one of
"Cats Protection" rules not to do this, to ensure that any infections brought in
by new cats are not passed on to existing residents.
We often get asked to "board" cats while their owner is in hospital or moving
home. As Cats Protection aim is to rescue and re-home stray cats and unwanted kittens our
aim is to give "help where we can" but in these circumstances unfortunately we
cannot help. We will however offer names of Catteries (or other organisations who can care
for the cats in their homes) who may be able to assist.
We were very lucky with the weather for the Coffee Morning at Stephanie's and exceeded all
our expectations by raising £761.50 for the cats in care. The ladies serving drinks and
cakes were kept very busy, all the stalls were well supported and Jade Rivett won the
first prize in the raffle (another lovely cake donated by Kim). We would like to take this
opportunity to thank all those who worked so hard to make the day successful and all our
friends who came to support us. If you would like to help at any of our fundraising events
in the future we would be happy to hear from you.
Jimbo and Glow have both now been chosen, although Minnie, Dudley and Caesar are still
with us . Among the cats at present waiting to be chosen are:
* Moon - A lovely black and white boy, age 2 years. Moon came into care with Jimbo, Glow,
Marylyn and Bluey, who have all been chosen and would dearly love to find a home with
someone prepared to give him time to settle.
* Myrtle - This gentle little black cat with some white on her chest is approximately 18
months old and came into care with her 7 kittens last year. Myrtle would prefer to live
with an older person or in a home without young children.
* Willow - A very pretty cat, being white and pale tortie - she is about 21 months old.
Re-homed by us last year she has come back into care because her family has a new baby.
Although quite timid with strangers she is very loving with people she has learned to
trust.
If you are looking for a cat, call Stephanie on 01692 535858. Alternatively you can visit
www.northwalshamcats.co.uk for a description of the cats before giving her a call.
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