Each season has its own specific dangers for animals that are specific to that season. However, these vary significantly depending on whether your pet is an outdoor or indoor cat. Thus, for both situations, we have collected the particularly important things that should be taken care of when winter arrives.
With the onset of winter, it’s not just the particularly cold weather that cat owners need to worry about. In the case of outdoor cats, salted roads can also dangerous. So it’s important to consider whether even cats that originally lived in a garden might be safer in the warmth of the house.
What are the dangers of outdoor cats?
As mentioned above, cats living outdoors are at significantly greater risk than their counterparts who are protected by the warmth of their homes. The outdoor animals are exposed to many environmental and physical hazards. And the amount of these only increases with the onset of cold weather. Below is a list of the dangers that most threaten cats living outside:
- Hypothermia:the chances of frostbite are quite high in the cold months, so it is essential that you provide your cat with a warm hutch so that he can go inside if he gets cold. This is especially true when temperatures drop below freezing.
- Dehydration: if the temperature reaches freezing, the water outside will freeze, so the cat will have no water to drink, and danger a
dehydration. For this reason, if the temperature drops below freezing, be sure to bring your kitten inside.
- Freezing -Heated mattress: if your cat sleeps outside (garage, boiler room), you may want to use a heated mattress to help keep the animal’s body temperature and warm.
- Significant weight loss – increase food ration: it is important to know that although experts do not necessarily recommend increasing food ration for indoor cats, it is important to do so for outdoor cats, as a cat living outside in the cold burns many more calories.
- Salted road: a salted road can also be a significant danger for the cat scratch its paws. From now on, antifreeze sticks developed for the same purpose could also pose a risk, with serious health consequences if licked.
Winter hazards for indoor cats
Even though cats who are indoors in cold weather may be relatively safer, they are still typically exposed to the dangers that they face in winter. These are:
- The heater: the heater itself can be a danger, as it is very easy to burn the cat, so it is advisable to barricade it so that it cannot get close to it, thus to prevent the cat from getting burns.
- Dry air: dry air during heating can cause a lot of discomfort not only for you, but also for your cat. So don’t be surprised if he’s also choking on air and perhaps drying out his skin.
- Colds: even in the heat indoors, your cat can catch a cold, so make sure the temperature doesn’t go below 15-18 degrees Celsius, as this can be very bad for your cat’s health.
- The festive treats:Finally, holiday treats also contain a number of toxic foods that need to be hidden from the animal, so always be aware of that, be sure to keep chocolates, sweets. Always make sure to keep all sweets and treats, such as candy and sweets, well away from the animal.
If you try to take care of the above, winter will certainly be a much safer season for your cat.
