Snow, cold, cold, snow, … We go out less, and there is not much to do : nature and small tiny creatures are in slow motion.
For an inside only cat, the wintry weather doesn’t change his everyday life a lot, but for cats who can go out in the garden as us, it has a big influence : we have fewer things to watch, and fewer preys to hunt. We sleep more to spend time, and Claire pays attention to play more often with us : indeed, we tend to get into mischiefs or to play fight slightly too often to occupy us !
How do your cats react to the wintry slowing down ? Do they tend also a little to be bored, and to show themselves creative to keep busy ?
Category Archives: Living with cats
How to help stray cats in winter ?
PIXIE : When Claire and Momo woke up yesterday morning, the garden was quite white. Indeed, after several days of polar temperatures (-10 C / 14 F), it had snowed.
Only Zorro seems to enjoy this white, cold, and wet thing. His fur thickened, more than mine, and he’s eating more since November : he gained approximately 1 kg. He’s thus well protected by his fur and his additional fat, and can come to warm himself when he wants inside.
I don’t like cold, and I don’t like snow. I am sure that the majority of stray cats either.
How to help stray cats in winter ?
Here are some simple actions you can do :
- Build a shelter for them (video below).
- Place the shelter in a quiet and a little hidden place.
- Heighten the shelter from the ground to isolate it from the cold and from the humidity.
- Direct the entry according to the wind so that it’s protected.
- Verify regularly that snow does not block the entry.
- Verify regularly that the inside is clean ; renew the soiled straw.
- Leave some water and food at disposal in a place where it does not freeze.
Are there stray cats near you ?
If yes, how do you do to help them in winter ?
Cat feeding : consequences of a food imbalance
Three weeks ago, Claire followed a training about cat feeding. This training was given by Philippe Bocion again, a behavioristic veterinarian.
Feeding correctly a cat seems so easy, and nevertheless that can be so much complicated !
For Mr Bocion, no matter that the cat eats kibbles, canned food, or « home-made” food : what is important is that all the nutriments necessary for the cat are present in good proportions and in adequate quantities.
In this table, the recommended minimal percentages are expressed for dry food material. For a can of patee for example, it’s necessary to do a small calculation : if there are 75 % of humidity in the food, there are 25 % of dry material. The label indicates 7 % of proteins. 7 % divided by 25 % equals 28 % : there are 28 % of proteins on a base of dry material in this patee. Thus this food contains a sufficient proportion of proteins for a grown-up cat. This calculation can be made for the other ingredients.
A food sold in a pet shop or at a veterinarian will be a little more expensive but will be of better quality than a low-end food. If your cat eats kibbles, you must make sure that he’s drinking enough.
What are the consequences of a food imbalance ?
As Claire loves us very much, and as we like you very much also, we prepared you a list of main nutriments that should be in our food. We have indicated their utility and the consequences of a deficiency or an excess for each of them. Just a small reminder :
- We are not veterinarians.
- We want to offer you an overview of nutritional information in tabular form of reference.
- This list aims to be as complete as possible, but is definitely not exhaustive.
- The sources of our information are indicated at the bottom of the list.
Enjoy it !