Cat in winter: care, feeding, treatment.

It’s hard to imagine a cat enjoying a winter walk, happily jumping into snowdrifts and catching snowflakes on the fly. This is more about dogs. Although among the representatives of the feline world there are some individuals who like to walk even on a frosty sunny day. Other purrs like warm rooms, soft beds and watching the falling snow through the window.

How different is life for cats in winter? Does a cat need special care, a change of diet and parasite treatment in winter?

What kind of care does a cat need in winter?

Caring for a cat in winter has some peculiarities that should be taken into account to make it comfortable and calm regardless of weather conditions.

Keeping the house warm

In winter time in houses, heat is kept warm by special heaters or heating system. Cats like to be in a warm and dry room. However, it should not be forgotten that it needs to be ventilated and moisturized. Humidifiers will do the job perfectly. In this way there will be no hair problems for your pet who does not leave the room, such as off-season shedding or deterioration of coat quality and brittleness.

A comfortable place to rest

Cats are great lovers of sleep, and in winter time – the cat god himself commanded to doze for 20 hours a day. It is desirable to be aware of all human affairs, because how can you leave your people unattended? But at the same time comfort is above all. A comfortable warm bed, a soft layered bedding or a small insulated mat is just what you need.

For those who like to warm themselves on the radiator, do not forget to put at least a towel on it, or better yet, hang a special bed. The main thing is that there is no contact of the animal’s body with the hot surface. Read more about the cat’s sleep on the radiator in our article.

Peculiarities of wool care

In winter time, cats that periodically walk on the street are strongly “downy”. In pets that prefer to watch the outside world from the apartment window, the volume of hair does not increase so much. However, thorough combing 2-3 times a week, and if necessary and more often, require all purring creatures. The first ones have thick hair that can get into tangles, and the second ones can shed more than required due to lying near heating devices.

An “alarming” cat carrier

Today’s realities are such that together with an alarming suitcase should be ready and a carrier for the cat. In winter, the bottom of the basket or container is covered with a warm mat, or even better a blanket, so that you can wrap the animal while in a shelter, where there is not always heating.

In case of a long stay in the shelter, it does not hurt to put a folding bowl, a bag of food and a bottle of water.

Calming drops or a spray to treat the inside of the carrier will help the animal cope with stress.

What to feed cats in winter?

In winter time, activity, as a rule, decreases, but the need for food increases. This is necessary for the animal’s body to warm up quickly. Somewhere at the level of instincts, regardless of the conditions, cats in winter require more food. This process needs to be regulated by the owner.

If the cat is let outside for walks, its diet should be more caloric. The accumulated fat will help the animal to stay warm outside even in a severe frost. It is desirable not to increase the portion, it is better to give preference to more nourishing feed.

For purely domestic cats, increasing the caloric content of the diet is out of the question. Do not pay attention to the begging meows and sad eyes, putting an extra portion of food in the bowl. This will certainly lead to obesity and associated diseases. In the pet store there are cat diets that allow animals to quickly satiate themselves. If necessary, you can switch to lighter versions of the food to avoid overweight problems.

What do cats get sick in winter?

Being in the cold and damp for a long time, an animal can catch various diseases, including viral diseases, as cats’ immunity weakens in winter:

• cold
• rhinotracheitis
• bronchopneumonia
• panleukopenia
• calicivirosis

When acute, the symptoms of winter illnesses often share a number of common features:

• lethargy
• decreased appetite
• increased body temperature
• nasal discharge
• conjunctivitis
• coughing difficulty breathing

Cats hide painful conditions for a long time, so it is important to closely monitor any changes in the behavior of the animal, by which it is most often possible to recognize the symptoms of indisposition at an earlier stage.

What feline chronic diseases worsen in winter?

In winter, it is not uncommon for chronic diseases that don’t bother cats in the summer to “pop up”. One of them is arthritis or osteoarthritis. Joints “do not like” the cold, and in winter the floor is usually cold and in heated rooms. Therefore, prolonged lying on such a surface can provoke aching pains and lameness. Cats walking on the street can’t be controlled at all.

Veterinarians advise to start taking special chondroprotectors or special joint supplements in the fall. In case of frequent exacerbations, it is better to switch to special veterinary food that already contains these substances. If the condition worsens, you should contact a specialist who will prescribe medications and injections if necessary.

Is it necessary to treat animals against parasites in winter?

In winter, there are no only mites, which hibernate when the ambient temperature drops below 5oC. From these parasites, the cat in winter can be untreated, but only until the end of February. This is the case for cats walking on the street. All other anti-parasitic treatments are carried out as usual. Even a domestic cat can be infected with fleas brought accidentally on clothes, and those, in turn, can be carriers of worms. Experiments of “try not to treat” can end up with health problems for the pet.

In case of emergencies, such as burns on the body from heating devices or frostbite of the cat in winter, timely seek help from a veterinarian. Take care of your purring friends. Let the winter be calm and easy.