Summer With Your Pets
Fur, fur everywhere! If your pets are cats and dogs, summer heat has them shedding all over the house! That’s natural since they must go through moulting every year to regulate their temperature and keep their skin healthy. The fur drives us crazy all over the house and clothing but they are family members so I’m not a big advocate of leaving our pets outside. Well, not unless we stay outside with them! After all, we shed too so will find our own hair all over our pillows as well. The difference is that we shower so our hair is in the drains and hairbrushes. We can give our dogs some relief from the summer heat by bathing them. Cats are constantly grooming but often will get fur balls but they must cough them up.
Like it or not, we just have to live with more fur during the summer unless you have a hairless cat and some expensive types of dogs that rarely shed. Daily brushing becomes necessary, much the same as we must brush our own hair. If you have a long haired cat or dog, that’s even more important or their fur will become matted just as our long hair will become a tangled mess.
Fleece material is a magnet for fur so should be avoided. Cotton doesn’t attract as much. If you have access to your own dryer, that will help remove a lot of fur from clothing. A rubber glove will help attract fur from the carpet. Of course you’ll want double taped rollers to use on your way out of the house for your clothing.
Summertime can be a lot of fun for the entire family but please don’t leave pets outdoors any longer than the rest of the family. Just as humans can get sun strokes, so can your pets. A dog or cat has a longer life indoors, not prey to any other animals or cars in the street. Pets should be well hydrated just as you should be. You are not the only one that can be sunburned. Dogs and cats can also get sunburned if exposed for too long, especially if they have light hair color or in spots not covered in fur. There are pet brands available. Leaving a dog at home indoors is best when the temperatures are soaring. Cats are probably best to leave indoors anyway. They are fine with cat toys and something to sit on by a window sill.
Okay, a dog usually needs more exercise so when it’s a really hot day and he/she must stay inside with air conditioning, you’ll need to find some inside entertainment. If you have stairs, throw a ball to the top of the stairs and have your dog chase the ball upstairs and bring it back multiple times. Teach your dog a job perhaps using a clicker, such as retrieving your socks or slippers … or something useful. There are many puzzle toys that you can try … maybe finding treats from inside that bone.
Other reasons to keep your pet inside include protecting it from the pests prevalent during the summer such as fleas and ticks. They are bound to bring them inside and are very difficult to get rid of once invading your home. There’s no guarantee that you’ll have zero problems by keeping your pet inside because you can carry a flea in on your shoe or one can crawl through a screen crack so it’s still a good idea to pre-protect your pet with an over-the-counter product like Front-Line or something similar. Therefore, it’s better to be safe with that mild early protection than wait for a full infestation.
With all the summer concerns, I wouldn’t trade having our cats and dog for my children growing up. It’s all worth it for their sake. According to many respected studies, pets are better to have at all ages. They have a real and positive impact on childhood development. Although usually pets in homes are dogs or cats, it doesn’t always make a difference to a child in terms of teaching empathy. The Psychology Today site describes Hal Herzog Ph.D. who grew up with a snake and later a duck, moving on to more traditional pets. The snake encouraged him to study for his Ph.D. He later developed a love for animals of all types as a result of his first snake. Dr. Herzog continues describing many studies linking positive connections of the psychological well-being of children growing up with pets “… according to an excellent review of 22 studies of the impact of companion animals on child development.” All seemed to agree that growing up with pets adds to higher self-esteem, cognitive development, and social skills. The research appeared in the September 2017 issue of the journal Antrozoos conducted “by a group of high-powered statisticians from the RAND Corporation.”