Is this common?

[ttugurl]

Okay I haven't seen any posts about this so I decided to ask if this is common. At night when my cat Lucy is in her bed, I can see flashes of light and sparks from her tail, feet and hands...they occur in every part of her body. I'm guessing it is just static but it happens every night! Is this normal?

 

[crittermom]

With Winter comes static.I've heard that running a humidifier or rubbing the cat down with a fabric softener sheet works really good.I've not tried either of them though.
I'm sure someone will be on soon and can answer this for you.
What I hate is walking across the carpet and go to pet your kitty and you ZAP them

I try and touch something before I even reach out to pet them.

 

[gardenandcats]

Yes its very common.Mycats hate the zaps they get from the static in the winter. At night in bed with the lights off I can see sparks when I pat them..

 

[kluchetta]

If you put fabric softener (I think mixed with water) in a spray bottle and spray the carpets with it, that helps the static electricity, also.

 

[obi]

Originally Posted by crittermom

With Winter comes static.I've heard that running a humidifier or rubbing the cat down with a fabric softener sheet works really good.I've not tried either of them though.
I'm sure someone will be on soon and can answer this for you.
What I hate is walking across the carpet and go to pet your kitty and you ZAP them

I try and touch something before I even reach out to pet them.

I'm going to guess that rubbing your kitty down with fabric softener is not a good idea, given that the cat will then lick itself clean and ingest it. Probably toxic when ingested. You could do as the other poster suggested, and use softener on the carpets. My parents have a wood burning stove, and they have a kettle full of water on it at all times during the winter, to release some much-needed moisture into the air.

 

[miyas_mom]

I was just about to sugggest fabric softener sheets, but I withdrew because, yes, cats lick and whatever is in their fur will end up on their insides!

 

[catsknowme]

Originally Posted by Miyas_mom

I was just about to sugggest fabric softener sheets, but I withdrew because, yes, cats lick and whatever is in their fur will end up on their insides!

Not only toxic, but the fragrances are very irritating to the cat's sensitive nose! Poor kitties who have to experience that

Putting moisture in the air, whether through a steam kettle or a humidifier is a much better solution, and beneficial to your skin too!

 

[sullaford]

Wow, I've never seen this... but then again my cats can't sleep with us because the fiancee will not get any sleep. Makes me wish she slept as deeply as I do because I let them in everytime she's not home for the night.

 

[rockreno]

Originally Posted by catsknowme

Not only toxic, but the fragrances are very irritating to the cat's sensitive nose! Poor kitties who have to experience that

Putting moisture in the air, whether through a steam kettle or a humidifier is a much better solution, and beneficial to your skin too!

The wet kitty wipes you can buy in thr grocery or pet store would probably work as well as the fabric softener, and their non-toxic. They also have the added bebnefit of moisturizers for the skin.

My Sam, who has very dry skin, runs to me as soon as she sees the package. I think she likes it so much becuse it feels like I'm bathing her like a mommy cat.

 

[joecool]

my cats get all staticky when i pet them on dry days, but oddly they dont seem to mind being shocked. It is almost as though they like it.

 

[purrpaws]

I got some spray conditioner at Petsmart. I spray it on their brushes before I brush them.

 

[kluchetta]

Excellent idea!