Autumn is a comfortable and beautiful season,but also a period of high virus incidence. How to minimize the probability of cats getting sick? Here are the Autumn tips for cat owners.
1. Beware of the Autumn Burnout
You may not be very familiar with it. In fact, autumn burnout can be regarded as an extension of summer burnout. Over the past several decades, summer temperatures have shifted toward more extreme heat, some cats do not recover from summer burnout. And these symptoms extended into autumn. That's why some cats get "autumn burnout" in the fall.
Autumn burnout may lead to their unusual physical conditions. Especially in terms of appetite, autumn was originally the season for cats to increase their appetite, but cats with autumn burnout are reduced their appetite. If your cat has these conditions, it is best to take them to the vet.
2. Increase the Frequency of Brushing Sessions
Autumn happens to be the season for cats to replenish their fur and keep it in good condition. In this season, your cat is shedding its coat as the season changes. During this change, you’ll find your house, furniture, personal items covered with little hairs. Though you can’t stop autumnal shedding, you can do certain things to reduce it.
Helping your cat to get rid of dead hair not only does brushing help to remove dead hairs, but it’s also a good way to reduce your cat’s risk of choking on hairballs. To top it all off - it will also help you two to bond!
How often do you brush your cat in the autumn?
It depends on what type of cat you have. Long-haired cats will require daily brushing sessions. Breeds with light, thin coats may only need a biweekly brushing during the shedding season. Other short-coated breeds with thicker coats could do with a brush once every other day. Not all cats like to be brushed, so it's a good idea to get them used to your brushing sessions from the time they are little.
Apart from this, there are different types of dry cat food to get us through the shedding season with much fewer problems.
3. Cat Appetite Increases
Autumn does make cats feel comfortable, and naturally it will make cats appetite. But why do cats have a great appetite in autumn?
This is also related to the following two reasons:
- Just relieved from the hot summer.
- Store energy for cold winter.
Affter suffering several months of intense heat, cats will suddenly become energetic and their appetite will greatly increase. When autumn is over, they have to face another season they don’t want to experience. So they will instinctively eat more food in autumn in order to protect from the cold.
However, for cats who live indoors, they does not necessarily need to store fat to survive. Conversely, eating too much may cause cats to become obese. Obesity may cause diabetes in cats, which is much more difficult to treat than human diabetes. It may also cause cat indigestion. If your cat diarrhea, you should check if he eats too much. Therefore, cat owners must appropriately prevent cats from eating more food to advoid obesity problem.
4. Beware of Cat Colds
Most cats are more afraid of the cold. Although autumn makes us feel cool and comfortable, the temperature swing between daytime high and nighttime low is much more extensive in this season, which may make cats catch a cold.
People may think that it is not a big deal to catch a cold, and colds go away on their own. But treating a cat's cold will be more troublesome than expected. Some upper respiratory diseases can be serious and may lead to pneumonia, if not closely monitored. Some vaccines currently used by cats can prevent cats from catching a cold, but vaccines alone cannot be foolproof. Generally, most cat's colds are last about 1-2 weeks and not serious.
If your cat has been suffering with cold symptoms and shows no sign of improvement within 4 days, it may be time to visit the vet. Besides, a cat's cold may not be cured. If the cat catches a cold again, the virus may remain in the cat's body for a lifetime. That's a very dangerous situation. Therefore, cat owners must pay attention to the cat not to catch a cold in the fall. It is particularly important to give your cat a regular life with a balanced diet, moderate exercise, and adequate sleep, but don't make the cat feel stressed.
5. Cats Go Into Heat
Autumn is also the season for cats to go into heat, which is undoubtedly a frustrating time for the cat owner who has no planning on breeding. Female cats will try all kinds of ways to attract a male to mate. They will howl loudly, spray walls or furniture with strong-smelling urine. If you have an indoor cat, they may have a strong desire to go out and even attack doors and windows desperately. If your cat isn't able to mate, then her heat is going to be a burden for you both.
Although you can relieve her emotions in some ways, the best cat care would be getting her spayed.
6. Avoid Cats Touching Dangerous Plants
Autumn is a beautiful season full of beautiful flowers, seasonal plants and decorations. But it brings not only colds and autumn burnout to cats, but also the dangers brought by some plants.
The following are the more common plants that are threatening to cats.
- Autumn crocus
- Chrysanthemums
- All parts of the apple plant except the fruit flesh
We usually think of pumpkins and corn are non-toxic to cats, but large ingestions of leaves or corn cobs can become lodged in the intestinal tract and cause a blockage. Therefore, even when you celebrating the harvest, pay more attention to your cat and don't let them be overly presumptuous in joy. Before you and your kitten explore outside in fall, it’s important to know which fall plants are friendly and which are threatening. And don’t forget to put on a cat harness and leash for your cat so that you can keep them away from dangerous objects in time.
In addition, cat owners should do home disinfection work so that cats can through a happy and safe fall day.
Items Your Cat May Need at Fall: