As temperatures drop in winter, pet owners should remember the following guidelines: - Keep your cats inside. Outdoor cats can freeze, become lost or stolen, injured or killed. Frostbite is very common.
- During the winter, outdoor cats or strays sometimes choose to sleep under the hoods of cars where it is warmer. Before starting your car, you should bang loudly on the hood and wait a few seconds to give the cat a chance to escape.
- More cats are lost in the winter than any other season, so please make sure they always wear I.D. tags and are microchipped for extra precaution.
- Ice melt products may contain ingredients that can be very irritating to the skin and gastrointestinal tract and could also potentially result in more severe effects, including depression, weakness, disorientation, low blood pressure, cardiac problems, seizures, coma, and death depending on the type of ice melt and circumstances of exposure. Keep these products out of reach of your pet and thoroughly wipe off your cat's legs, paws, and stomach when they come in out of the sleet, snow, or ice to minimize the potential for skin irritation and avoid ingestion of the chemicals.
- Antifreeze, even in very tiny doses, is a lethal poison for cats. Unfortunately, because of its sweet taste, animals are attracted to it. Be sure to thoroughly clean up any spills from your vehicle. To prevent accidental poisoning, more and more people are using animal-friendly products that contain propylene glycol rather than traditional products containing ethylene glycol. Call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (1-888-4ANI-HELP) if you suspect your animal has been poisoned.
- Never leave your cat alone in a car during the cold weather. A car can act as a refrigerator in the winter, holding in the cold. Your companion animal could freeze to death.
- If your cat is sensitive to the cold due to age, illness, or breed type, keep them indoors.
- If your cat refuses to stay indoors or spends a lot of time engaged in outdoor activities, increase its supply of food, particularly protein, to keep its fur thick and healthy.
- Make sure your pet has a warm place to sleep far away from drafts and off the floor. You should consider a cat bed or basket with a warm blanket or pillow in it.
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