Everyone knows that you need to be more careful with your feline friends over the winter months, they have a knack for getting into trouble! If you’re going away this winter, make sure your cat is being looked after properly, choose cattery Rhyl for you cat.
Be Careful Using Antifreeze
Antifreeze can be fatal to cats if they ingest it; this is a significant issue as they are attracted to the taste of it! Antifreeze is most commonly found in car radiators and can be found in screen washes and de-icers. Unfortunately it is sometimes wrongly used in garden ponds and water features in order to stop them from freezing over, but this poses a serious risk to cats, dogs and lots of additional wildlife so it should be avoided at all costs. You should store any products securely and clean up any spills straight away.
Check Your Bonnet
As the temperature drops, cats have a rather scary habit of crawling under car bonnets and wheel arches to soak up the warmth from car engines and tyres. Make sure you tap the bonnet of your car and check around the wheels and on top of tyres before you get in the car, start the engine and drive off.
Inspect Your Cat’s Paws
When your cat comes in from exploring outside, check their paws and gently wipe them down with a damp cloth or towel in order to remove any rock salt or chemicals they may have wandered through. Roads may have been gritted or salted due to the weather conditions, so you’ll need to remove this from your cat’s paws so they don’t ingest it while grooming.
If you have a long haired cat, you need to be extra vigilant as they are prone to snow compacting between their toes, which then turns into ice balls that can prove to be very painful.
Provide a Litter Tray
Cats need to have access to an indoor litter tray at all times; making sure that they have somewhere safe and easily accessible to do their business. Even if your cat prefers going outside, during the winter months you should give them a litter tray so that they can go to the toilet without having to venture out into freezing temperatures.
Keep Your Cat Warm and Dry
If your cat gets wet while outside, gently dry them off with a towel. Once they’re inside make sure that they have lots of different warm and snuggly places to curl up in. This is also important for older cats or those who have a medical condition such as arthritis.
Provide Places to Shelter Outside
Some cats will prefer to stay inside more during the winter, and others will still like to come and go as they please. It’s a good idea to provide your cat with some shelter outside so that they have the option to stay dry and warm while continuing to enjoy the outdoors.
Up-to-Date Microchip
Your cat’s microchip should always be kept up-to-date with the most recent contact information; this is especially important during the winter months when they might wander off to find somewhere warm to sleep.
