Make Sure Everyone — and Every Animal — In Your House Stays Comfortable

Some like it hot and some like it cold, and that includes our pets. It’s not always easy to tell what’s a comfortable temperature for our furry, feathered, or scaly friends, but it’s important to watch out for signs of distress and adjust accordingly. Here’s some advice for home comfort for pets.

Setting the Thermostat in Summer

We often recommend raising or lowering the thermostat a few degrees depending on the time of year to save energy when you’re sleeping or away from home. But in our climate, it’s probably not advisable to adjust the air conditioner so that it doesn’t come on much when there’s a pet in the house.

You may normally set your thermostat anywhere between 72 and 78 degrees for best comfort. but be sure the pets are as cool as they need to be. You might turn on a fan for a cat or a dog, but birds don’t like drafts, so be mindful that they’re out of the breeze. Make sure birds are not stuck in the bright sun where they might overheat.

Setting the Thermostat in Winter

It’s seldom so cold here in the winter that we need to worry about freezing pipes when the heating doesn’t turn on, but it might get a bit too chilly for some pets, such as birds and elderly cats and dogs, if you leave the heat off altogether.

You’re likely aware that when it comes to cats and dogs, they’re wearing fur coats, so depending on how thick they are, they may do just fine if you set the thermostat lower.

If you want to turn the thermostat higher so heating comes on minimally, you might provide vulnerable pets with a heating pad (choose the pet type, not the ones made for humans) or a space heater. Adjust any aquarium heaters to the optimal setting for your fish.

As always, provide plenty of water, particularly if your house is warm, so cats, dogs, or any kind of mammals and birds can cool off.

For more on home comfort for pets, contact Hansberger Refrigeration and Electric Company of Yuma.