Fans That You Can Wear: How Cats And Dogs Are Beating The Heat In Japan

The device developed to provide comfort to cats and dogs consists of a battery-powered fan that weighs 80 grams. The fan is attached to a mesh outfit and keeps the animal cool by blowing air around it

A maternity clothing maker in Tokyo has collaborated with veterinarians to develop a wearable fan for cats and dogs. Since cats and dogs cannot shed their fur coats, the wearable fans are an effective way for pets to beat the heat in Japan’s scorching summer. ( Image Source :Twitter/@OurWorl91027476 )

A maternity clothing maker in Tokyo has collaborated with veterinarians to develop a wearable fan for cats and dogs, news agency Reuters reported. Since cats and dogs cannot shed their fur coats, the wearable fans are an effective way for pets to beat the heat in Japan’s scorching summer.

The device developed to provide comfort to cats and dogs consists of a battery-powered fan that weighs 80 grams. The fan is attached to a mesh outfit and keeps the animal cool by blowing air around its body, the Reuters report said.

Motivations Behind The Creation Of The Fan Outfit

The president of maternity clothing maker Sweet Mommy, Rei Uzawa, said she was motivated to create the battery-powered fan outfit after she saw her own pet chihuahua suffer due to the scorching summer heat in Japan, according to the report. She said every time the chihuahua was taken out for a walk, it became exhausted due to the heat.

Quoting Uzawa, the report said there was almost no rainy season this year, so that hot days came early. She further said that in that sense, she thinks her company and the veterinarians it collaborated with developed a product that is “right for the market”. 

Tokyo endured the longest heatwave on record after the rainy season ended in the Japanese capital in late June. Temperatures up to 35 degrees Celsius were recorded for nine days. On the eighth day, the temperatures exceeded 35 degrees Celsius. This was a streak Tokyo had seen only once before 1875, when the record-keeping commenced. According to Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency, over 4,500 people with symptoms of heat stroke and exhaustion were admitted to hospitals during the heatwave. 

Dogs And Cats Wearing The Battery-Powered Fan Outfit

Sweet Mommy launched the battery-powered fan outfit in early July, the report said. Uzawa said the company has received around 100 orders for the device. The battery-powered fan outfit costs 9,900 yen (INR 5,930), and is available in five different sizes.

A Twitter user has shared a video on the microblogging platform in which cats and dogs wearing the fan outfit can be seen. 

A Japanese company launches a line of a wearable fans for cats and dogs to stay cool amid the summer heat.@Sweetmommy_jp #Japan #summer #Heatwave2022 #pet pic.twitter.com/bKr2wcCAjs

— Our World (@OurWorl91027476) August 1, 2022

Some of the customers using the product include a five-year-old Scottish Fold cat named Sun, a nine-year-old female Pomeranian and Poodle Mix named Moco, and an eight-year-old female Poodle named Purin. 

"I usually use dry ice packs (to keep the dog cool). But I think it's easier to walk my dog if we have this fan," Mami Kumamoto, the 48-year-old owner of two dogs, was quoted as saying in the report. Kumamoto owns Moco and Purin.