4 Tips For Keeping Your Cat Safe During The Winter

During the wintertime, the cold weather outside can pose a risk to your cat. Here are a few things you need to know about keeping your cat safe during the winter months. 

#1 Keep Your Cat Inside

Even if your cat is typically an outdoor cat, you should try your best to keep your indoors during the winter months. If your cat is typically an indoor cat, make sure that it doesn't sneak past you and get outside during winter.

In winter, your cat can easily freeze when it is outdoors. Cats can suffer from both hypothermia and frostbite. 

If you live near any roadways, there is an increased risk that your cat could get hit and injured due to winter road conditions, such as ice and snow, and due to the shorter daylight periods. 

Additionally, someone could easily take pity on your outdoor cat and take it inside in an effort to keep it warm. The best course of action during the winter is to keep your cat inside. 

#2 Keep Your Home Warm

Next, you need to make sure that you keep your house warm. Do not leave your cat at home all day inside of an unheated house. Cats tend to hold in the cold, and if you leave the house unheated, your cat may not be able to shake the cold. 

If it is not possible to keep your entire house warm, put your cat inside of one room and keep that room warm. 

#3 Dry Your Cat Off

If your cat does go outside and gets wet, use a towel and pat them dry with a towel. This will help to prevent their skin from getting irritated and will help remove any snow, ice or salt crystals that are on your cat's skin. 

Additionally, be sure to wipe down their paws. Salt and chemical de-icers can hurt your cat's paws and can be toxic if your cat cleans their paws and ingests these chemicals. 

#4 Refrain From Bathing Your Cat

You should refrain from bathing your cat in the winter. If you bath your cat extensively, you will remove oils from your cat's body. When you remove these oils, you increase the chance that your cat will develop dry and flaky skin. The cold weather outside increases your cat's risk of getting dry and flaky skin as well. 

If you have to bath your cat during the winter months, be sure to use a shampoo that adds moisture back into your cat's coat. 

If you take the precautions above, your cat should be able to make it through the winter unharmed and without any inconveniences as well. If the worst should happen, take your pet to a clinic like Gwynedd Veterinary Hospital as soon as possible.