Published Aug 21, 2025
Clearwater Police Department / Facebook.com
As we sizzle under the hot sun during the dog days of summer, a near tragedy in Florida reminds us how important it is to keep our cats out of hot cars, which can quickly turn into an oven.
In Clearwater Beach, Florida – located near Tampa Bay on the gulf coast – a careless cat owner left a young gray tabby cat in a parked car on a steamy hot day when the temperature was 92 degrees. That already is hot, but in a car, the greenhouse effect of heat beaming through closed windows can kick the temperature up to 120 degrees within minutes, and 150 degrees within an hour, according to the National Weather Service. That is dangerously hot, and could be fatal to a cat!
In August, police found the poor animal – who looks to be a teenage kitten – inside the car, where only a rear window was cracked. Officers forced down one of the car’s windows, then moved the cat to a police car with the air conditioning blasting. A video from the Clearwater Police Department’s Facebook page shows the grateful kitten on the dashboard of the police car.
Clearwater Police Department / Facebook.com
“It’s the middle of summer, and that’s no time to leave a cat inside a closed-up car when you go to #clearwaterbeach,” said the Facebook post with the video.
Officers took the cat to a veterinarian to be examined. The cat’s owner was charged with animal cruelty, and it’s unknown whether the feline will return to the owner. I wish I knew how the cat is doing since the August 1 incident, but I cannot find any follow-up news coverage. We hope this cat has been adopted into a new loving home with a more conscientious human.
The gray cat’s ordeal could have quickly become fatal, and we are grateful that the police intervened on time. Police in Philadelphia also rescued animals locked in a dangerously hot car in July. Temple University police officers responded to a call from a caring woman who spotted several animals stuck in a car on a day with record-breaking, 98-degree heat in Philadelphia. Police officers removed seven dogs and a cat from the vehicle, in time to save their lives. The animals were brought to a Philadelphia shelter and put up for adoption.
Clearwater Police Department / Facebook.com
We are sharing these stories as a public-service message with a warning to cat parents to never leave their cat in the car, especially during the spring and summer! Even on a milder day in the 70s, the greenhouse effect that traps heat within glass can heat your car to dangerous temperatures within a half hour. Your cat will start open-mouthed panting from the heat, and he can quickly succumb to heatstroke.
If you don’t have a climate-controlled garage and you need to transport your cat to a veterinarian during the hotter months, I recommend going a step further in order to spare your cat the experience of an ovenlike car. Even when you open the doors to air out the heat and turn on the air conditioning to the max level, the car is going to be very uncomfortable for several minutes before it cools down.
I once put my cat into a hot car for a vet visit during the summer, and I felt horrible to see the heavy, open-mouthed breathing, even though I was blasting the air conditioning. Now, I drive the car around the neighborhood for a few miles as the A/C cools it down. Then, I will park in front of the house, run in to get the cat, then go back to the cooled-down car. Think of it as the inverse of preheating an oven: You are pre-cooling the car.
Clearwater Police Department / Facebook.com
If you see an animal stuck in a car on a hot day, please call 911. And whether in a car or elsewhere, be aware of signs that your cat is experiencing heatstroke. This is a serious medical emergency that can become fatal, and heatstroke can occur just from poor ventilation.
Heatstroke symptoms include panting, rapid breathing, drooling, lethargy, and collapse. If your cat shows signs of heatstroke, immediately move the cat to cool location and provide water. Then, seek prompt veterinary care.
Our cats have minimal self-cooling abilities compared to us humans, who are covered in sweat glands. Cats only sweat a little between their foot pads, so it is harder for their bodies to lose excessive heat.
The best thing we can do to help prevent our cats from overheating is to keep them inside, provide access to cool and shady areas, and always provide plenty of fresh water. And keep your cats out of hot cars!
