Do Cats Sweat? Here's How Cats Cool Themselves Down

Humans have millions of sweat glands in their skin. Cats, on the other hand, do not have sweat glands covering their body so it's often asked whether or not cats sweat. The answer is yes: cats do sweat—it's just a little different in felines.

Here's the lowdown on how cats sweat and ultimately cool themselves down.

How Do Cats Sweat?

Cats primarily sweat from the pads of their feet and from their noses where there are eccrine sweat glands. While there are technically sweat glands in the skin of a cat, these are different types of sweat glands called apocrine sweat glands. Apocrine sweat glands secrete an oily substance in a cat that works like a pheromone. The paw pads are where you may see sweat coming off your cat as they are walking across a hard floor or table.

Why Do Cats Sweat?

Sweating occurs in an attempt to keep your cat's body temperature normal. Just like humans in the summertime, if a cat becomes too warm they will begin to sweat. When the sweat begins to evaporate off their paw pads, it provides a cooling sensation, which may help lower the body temperature. However, because the paw pads of cats do not take up a lot of surface area, it only provides a small amount of cooling power so cats use other means to cool off.

Cats may also sweat when they are stressed, i.e. while your cat is at the veterinarian, traveling, or meeting a new pet for the first time.

Why Do Cats Pant?

Unlike dogs, cats do not pant unless they are very stressed, cannot breathe, or are extremely overheated. Panting is not an efficient way for a cat to cool its body off, though, so if your cat is panting it may need immediate help with regulating its temperature, calming down, or breathing. A panting cat usually needs immediate veterinary attention and should not be ignored.

What is Normal Cat Temperature?

Cats have a normal body temperature between roughly 100 degrees and 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Sweating of the paw pads and potentially even panting may occur if a cat's body temperature gets over 102.5 degrees, so it's important to watch for sweating paw pads closely.

How to Cool Your Cat Down

Since panting and sweating through the paw pads are not efficient methods to cool down, cats will often lick themselves to allow moisture to evaporate off their bodies. You may see this happen more often in warmer months when a cat may naturally be battling summer heat. This can provide a cooling effect and subsequently lower their body temperatures.

But if you want to help your cat cool down, there are also things you can do.

• Point a fan toward your cat
• Place your cat in the shade or on a cool surface
• Refresh their water bowl
• Give them a rinse with cool water or provide them with large bowl of water to play in (if your cat doesn't hate water)
• Move playtime to cooler parts of the day

If you think your cat is overheating, do not waste any time in attempting to cool it down while transporting it to your veterinarian. Seizures, permanent brain and organ damage, and even death can occur in cats if their body temperature gets too high for too long of a period.