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An older man in overalls drinks lemonade through a straw on a porch while a spotted Bengal cat sits close in the foreground. 16 / 37

A Hot Afternoon, a Cold Lemonade, and One Bengal Who Knew Exactly Where to Sit

AI imagebengal catsummerfront porch

It's the kind of warm afternoon when the porch is the only sensible place to be. Hank sits on a low chair with a tall glass of lemonade, a lemon slice floating among the ice, sipping through a straw with his eyes half-closed in quiet enjoyment. His free hand rests on Ziggy's back. The Bengal sits right at his knee, front and center, golden-green eyes gazing off toward the street with the dignified calm of a cat who has decided the afternoon is going well. A towel hangs on the railing, and potted plants line the steps.

Hot days call for a little extra attention to pets. Cats are better at handling heat than many dogs, but they still need constant access to fresh water and a cool, shady place to rest. Some cats drink more readily from a wide bowl or a moving water fountain, and adding a little extra water bowl in a favorite spot can help. Signs a cat may be overheating include panting, drooling, restlessness, or unusual lethargy, and those are a reason to move it somewhere cool and call your vet. Citrus drinks like lemonade aren't meant for cats, so it's best to keep the glass for the humans.

Ziggy doesn't seem interested in the lemonade anyway. He has the shade, the breeze, and a hand on his back, and on a day like this, that's all anybody really needs.

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