The short answer to this question is yes, cats do sweat, but only through their paws unlike us humans who can sweat all over our skin surface. While this may sometimes be uncomfortable and undignified for humans it is nevertheless a good way to regulate body temperature and this occurs over almost all if the human skin surface area. As I said cats sweat through their paws and this is the only part of a cat’s body which is adapted in this way, but of course the surface area of the cat’s paw is very small so sweating alone is clearly not an efficient way for a cat to maintain and regulate it’s body temperature so logically there must be other mechanisms at work.
Given that all mammals have to regulate their body temperature in one way or another how do cats both domestic and wild do this other than the limited amount they can sweat through their paws? Well there are thought to be a number of other ways :
1. It is rare to see a cat pant when compared to dogs but when it is very hot they can certainly do this and it can help regulate their body temperature.
2. On a hot day cats will tend to sleep and not exert themselves, they will save hunting for night time.
3. On a hot day they will find somewhere cool and shady to hide out and they may lie on a cool surface if they can find one.
4. Cats are by nature fastidious and grooming keeps a cat clean of course but but it is little known that this may also be part of the cat’s temperature regulation. If the skin is wet with saliva through grooming then evaporation will act to lower the cat’s body temperature somewhat
So what happens in the event that a cat fails to regulate it’s body temperature? Well a cat’s normal body temperature is normally around 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit, if the cat’s body temperature rises to around 105 or 106 degrees for any length of time then the cat may suffer heat stroke. The symptoms you might expect to see would be that the cat may be lethargic and uncoordinated, the mucous membranes in the mouth may be bright red and the cat will be panting. Beyond this you may see seizures or other neurological signs and if untreated then deaths are possible. Heatstroke in the cat then can be very serious so do not try and treat it yourself, get your cat to a vet at once if you suspect it may be going on.On the way it may help if you were to cover the cat with cold damp towels, do not use ice or very cold water.
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