If you’re lucky enough to be a pet mama, chances are you treat your fur babies like they’re literally your children. You fuss over them, take more photos of them than would be considered socially acceptable and even take them with you on holidays. But there’s one aspect of caring for your pets which may have escaped your attention—keeping them warm during the colder months. Yep, even though they have a furry outer coat, your four-legged friend does still feel the cold. Luckily, there are a few simple ways you can keep your pet warm throughout autumn and winter. Here, our friends from online petsitting community, Pawshake, give us the lowdown.
Location is everything
If your pet must spend the majority of their time outside, ensuring that they have proper outdoor housing is absolutely vital. There’s a great range of kennels for dogs and enclosures for cats, chooks, bunnies that offer water, rain, frost and wind protection. You must ensure your pet’s bedding is raised off the floor and away from cold drafts including the door ways of kennels. Fill an outside kennel with warm dry blankets that are washed regularly.
Feed them right
You may notice that your pet’s appetite will increase during the winter months. This is especially true for pets who spend a lot of time outdoors as they will use more energy to keep themselves warm. Make sure you keep a close eye on their weight ensuring that they are properly nourished, but not overfed from too many winter snacks.
Walkies!
There’s nothing like a walk in the park and some aerobic exercise to get rid of the winter blues. Rug up and head out for your pet’s favourite activity. Not only will your dog love you for it, you’ll reap the benefits, too.
Bottle it up
Cold days can be particularly uncomfortable for slimmer, younger or older dogs and cats. Try placing a hot water bottle, with warm not hot water into your pet’s bedding to keep them nice and cosy.
Book a pet sitter
Going on a beach holiday to beat the winter blus? Not to worry! Pawshake offers a wealth of online trusted pet-sitters to look after your precious pets whilst you vacay. They will even send you daily photo updates of your beloved animals so you can see that your pet is safe and sound with the sitter this winter.
