Static shock while petting cat

I recently got a new cat. She's been hiding for three weeks but last night she came out and is allowing me to pet her outside of her hiding spot.

She is a long haired cat and every time I pet her I get shocked. I have a lot of static electricity in my body i think because I get shocked a lot more than the average person.

I have carpet upstairs and tile downstairs but she's not ready to trust me outside of her safe room yet so she's mostly on carpet.

Is there a way to prevent this? Can I spray static guard or something on myself or her? I read you can use a humidifier will that really work?

Any suggestions or advice is appreciated.


Thank you

Don't spray static guard or any other chemical on yourself or your cat

Static is common during the winter months because of the dry air. A humidifier can help. Most cats really aren't bothered by the occasional shock when you pet them.

LTS3 said:

 
Don't spray static guard or any other chemical on yourself or your cat

Static is common during the winter months because of the dry air. A humidifier can help. Cats really aren't bothered by the occasional shock when you pet them.

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Not true, a lot of the adoptable cats at the humane society are highly offended if you zap them. I've heard that to combat this problem at cat shows, the breeders rub their cats down with dryer sheets.

Maybe my cats are just weird My Aby gets zapped on his (wet) nose every time he bashes his head on me Cat noses are pretty sensitive but my Aby doesn't seem to notice.

I second the humidifier. It will help with the hair situation as well.

All of my (short-haired) cats are shocky! I still remember being in my dark room and seeing the lighting bolts when petting the cats. Heck, just taking off my clothes I could see them. Probably doesn't help there's a fleece blanket on my bed. And Oliver always glares at me when he sniffs my hand and gets zapped.

I wouldn't put any chemical on a cat. Their systems are very sensitive and it could be toxic to them. I think that a lot of cats with kidney or liver issues have been exposed to toxins in the home  or outside. 

It's funny someone mentioned dryer sheets with show cats. I'm the most static-y person I know (I've gotten shocked touching WOOD) and used to put diluted Downy in my hair. It seriously helped the most out of everything. Not that I would ever recommend it, but I was desperate. I managed to fry my CD player even after touching the blinds accidentally at work.

Do NOT rub your new cat with dryer sheets! A humidifier may help. Also, if there's something in the room that you could touch to ground yourself before you pet her, that might help. We used to be able to get such things to install next to desktop computers. I'll ask my incredibly retro computer club for suggestions and get back to you.

Margret

Margret said:

Do NOT rub your new cat with dryer sheets! A humidifier may help. Also, if there's something in the room that you could touch to ground yourself before you pet her, that might help. We used to be able to get such things to install next to desktop computers. I'll ask my incredibly retro computer club for suggestions and get back to you.

Margret

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I stick my entire body (palms first) against the door before touching anything (ESPECIALLY light switches). Yes, it will look weird, but trust me, your cat will be happy. Not always possible to do that, like in bed with the fleece blanket (especially when Penelopy rolls around on it; I should call her "Sparky").

Thanks everyone I'll try the humidifier and hopefully that helps. I'll also try touching something before, does it need to be metal??

Also so I should or shouldn't use dryer sheets on her? What if they are like the unscented sensitive skin kind? I would only try this if humidifier doesn't work.

She doesn't seem bothered by the shocks so far she just enjoys the pets but they really hurt me. I hate getting shocked. I had no idea this could even happen lol I've never gotten shocked from my short hair before.

I'm in the process of getting her to trust me so if it continues I don't want her thinking every time I touch her she gets shocked lol

hellothere1234 said:

Thanks everyone I'll try the humidifier and hopefully that helps. I'll also try touching something before, does it need to be metal??

Also so I should or shouldn't use dryer sheets on her? What if they are like the unscented sensitive skin kind? I would only try this if humidifier doesn't work.

She doesn't seem bothered by the shocks so far she just enjoys the pets but they really hurt me. I hate getting shocked. I had no idea this could even happen lol I've never gotten shocked from my short hair before.

I'm in the process of getting her to trust me so if it continues I don't want her thinking every time I touch her she gets shocked lol

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You should NOT use dryer sheets.

Please NO dryer sheets 

hellothere1234 said:

Thanks everyone I'll try the humidifier and hopefully that helps. I'll also try touching something before, does it need to be metal??

Also so I should or shouldn't use dryer sheets on her? What if they are like the unscented sensitive skin kind? I would only try this if humidifier doesn't work.

She doesn't seem bothered by the shocks so far she just enjoys the pets but they really hurt me. I hate getting shocked. I had no idea this could even happen lol I've never gotten shocked from my short hair before.

I'm in the process of getting her to trust me so if it continues I don't want her thinking every time I touch her she gets shocked lol

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Under no circumstances should you use dryer sheets!

Grounding yourself is probably not going to do the job; the cat would need to be grounded as well. Instead, try some more local humidity — wet a washcloth in warm water and wring it out well; you want it warm and just damp. Then wipe her with it as the first stage of petting. If it's not dripping, just damp, and not cold, she'll barely even notice it, but I bet it will remove the static from her fur.

Margret

I live in Wisconsin and my poor cats gets zapped a lot when the temp drops. I try to touch something first before petting the cats. I usually boil a big pot of water for hours to add humidity to the house. Also agree that you should not rub a dryer sheet on your cats. A chemical allergic reaction may occur.

All you need to do is slightly dampen the palms of your hands with a bit of water first, before petting the cat. They don't have to be soaking wet, just have gone through a slight dampening, with the water mostly dried off using a towel. The water acts like a discharge to the electricity.

PushPurrCatPaws said:

All you need to do is slightly dampen the palms of your hands with a bit of water first, before petting the cat. They don't have to be soaking wet, just have gone through a slight dampening, with the water mostly dried off using a towel. The water acts like a discharge to the electricity.

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I do this with Hekitty during the winter months, especially if she is lying on my bed (the spread has both satin and velvet on it, ACK!).  Barely damp does the trick.  Of course, when she climbs in bed with me at night, and we've both been rolling about in our sleep, I often get zapped awake.  Doesn't seem to bother her at all.

It helps if you keep your skin well moisturized. Plenty of skin lotion after you shower and hand cream several times a day.