Cold Weather Shocks

[fleur4]

Hi.
I just adopted an adorable cat last night. She's very, very sweet and loves to be petted, but we keep getting static shocks. She gets scared and runs away. Both my husband and I experience this with her, I'm sure it's because it's very cold out, but does anyone know how to prevent this??

 

[tabbytom]

The air is too dry. Run some humidifier mist without chemicals or fragrance or essential oils. Or have a fish tank or water fountain which can double up as drinking fountain for your kitty.

 

[LTS3]

I wouldn't let a cat drink out of a fish tank. Fish tank water is full of nasty bacteria. fish poop, water conditioner chemicals, etc

Run a humidifier in your home to add moisture to the dry air. Some people say that lightly rubbing a dryer sheet over the cat's fur helps but I'd be concerned about the dryer sheet chemicals getting onto the fur which a cat then ingests while grooming.

 

[tabbytom]

I wouldn't let a cat drink out of a fish tank. Fish tank water is full of nasty bacteria. fish poop, water conditioner chemicals, etc

Run a humidifier in your home to add moisture to the dry air. Some people say that lightly rubbing a dryer sheet over the cat's fur helps but I'd be concerned about the dryer sheet chemicals getting onto the fur which a cat then ingests while grooming.

........Errrrrr.............Better make myself clear. I don’t mean drinking from the fish tank. I meant one way is having a fish tank and the other a water fountain which the cat can drink from it (water fountain). Of course not from the fish tank. Sorry I joint the sentence together and it sounds that it’s ok to drink from the fish tank

 

[fleur4]

Great, thank you!!! That makes sense. I'll get a humidifier from Amazon!

 

[EmmiTemmi]

In the mean time, before the humidifier arrives you can always fill a large sink with hot water or put damp towels over radiators (as long as the radiators don't get too hot so there's no fire risk). My landlord doesn't allow humidifiers, so I've been getting creative to stop the static from the dry air shocking my cats and I!

 

[fleur4]

Thank you, I'll try that, too.

 

[LTS3]

If you have old radiators, you can put a radiator humidifier on top. Here are some: Old School Tech: Radiator Humidifiers These won't work if you have basebaoard heaters or some other heating system. A heat proof container (baking dish perhaps) filled with water is a DIY option.

 

[neely]

It may be a little pricey but depending on your living situation if you have a furnace you can get a humidifier installed on it. Here is a better explanation: Why Install a Humidifier with My Home Furnace? | HVAC.com

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Simmer some water in a pan on the stove. It will add some moisture to the air, and it's free.

 

[MeganLLB]

Just place some bowls of water by your registers. You can spray your couch with static guard. A humidifier would be the best though.