Wintertime Dangers for Your Cat
When the weather turns cold outside, a whole new set of potential dangers presents itself to cat owners. While some of these hazards will only affect cats that spend a lot of time outdoors, some of them can affect indoor cats as well. Here are some of the most important for owners to worry about.
Wintertime Dangers for Your Cat
Cold
It should go without saying that cold weather can easily cause problems for your cat. Cats that have certain medical conditions such as kidney disease and diabetes will also have a more difficult time due to cold weather. Arthritic cats may experience problems as well. Make sure that your outdoor cat has a warm shelter to use when necessary and plenty of warm bedding.
Water
Cats need access to fresh water at all times no matter what time of year it is. Extremely low temperatures will likely cause the water in your outdoor cat’s bowl to freeze. You need to monitor this constantly and change out water as necessary. You don’t want your cat to drink from potentially polluted puddles of water, gutters, or bodies of water.
Cars
Cats that spend a lot of time outdoors will seek shelter in the strangest places. This includes under the hood of your car. If you turn your engine on with your cat under the hood, disaster could occur. To ensure that your cat isn’t hiding under your hood whenever you’re about to leave, you could try startling him by blowing the horn or knocking on the hood itself.
During the winter, your car will need antifreeze to ensure that your vehicle doesn’t get damaged. When putting some in your car, ensure that you don’t spill any on your driveway. Your cat will be attracted over to the spill thanks to its sweet smell. He will then be prompted to lick it up because it also has a sweet taste. Unfortunately, the smallest amount of antifreeze can be deadly to your cat.
Food
Indoor cats aren’t safe from danger during the winter either. Two of the biggest holidays of the year occur during the winter, and both are usually accompanied with plenty of cooking. It’s best to avoid feeding your cat turkey or other foods, especially high fat foods. His digestive system isn’t built to handle certain human foods, and painful symptoms could result.
Christmas
The ribbon and wrapping on presents may look nice, but they’ll quickly be torn off and become alluring to your cat. Be careful allowing your cat to play with these objects. If he swallows something, it could cause an obstruction.
There will also be plenty of ornaments on the tree. Those made of glass are very fragile and can easily be broken. Don’t allow your cat to play with them because lacerations could occur.
Plants
Many people like to make their homes look better during the winter by sprucing it up with plants. If you own a cat, then you’ll need to choose your plants very carefully. Mistletoe can harm your cat if ingested. Lilies in particular are very deadly to cats too.
You do your best to keep your cat safe throughout the year. Just pay attention to these potential hazards that can cause problems during the winter months for your feline.
