Hi, I’m Dr. Lauren! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my two adventurous cats, Pancake and Tiller.
Certainly one of my favorite cat memes of all time is that this zinger—a straightforward commentary on such an advanced creature: the cat.
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Snow is cold, unpredictable, wet—all conditions that cats are categorically known to detest. We’re treated to a suggestion that the cat took one take a look at the white stuff, and marched back inside.
Seems easy, right? But like cats themselves, the topic is complicated below the surface.
Cats & Snow (Shovelling into Feline Enrichment)
This text is about cats and snow, but in point of fact, it’s a few much larger topic. Unless they’re setting foot outside, you may’t specifically speak about snow and cats.
It calls for a deeper dig (or shovel, to keep on with the snow theme) into the enrichment of the lives of cats, whether via snow, or other means. How will we, as cat owners, best answer the query: how will we best enrich the lives of creatures who so enrich ours?
Feline Enrichment: The Flurries Start
I’ve seen veterinary practice in many various countries, and there appears to be a really definite line on the subject of cats and their lifestyles. Interestingly, many countries on the earth agree: it’s borderline barbaric to maintain indoor-only cats. It’s an advanced discussion, and in no solution to be solved on this forum, but this viewpoint is very important to set the scene.
Feline medicine began to embrace feline behavior within the 2000s, a development driven by issues like Feline Environmental Enrichment (EE).
Though definitions vary, this source says:
Environmental Enrichment (EE): The addition of a number of ‘aspects’ to a comparatively impoverished environment with a view to improve the physical/psychological welfare of the animal(s) involved.
As a vet, what I discovered interesting is that almost all of those tools (‘aspects’) were meant to mimic the things that a cat would encounter in on a regular basis life—in the event that they were allowed to have outdoor access. The implication is that cats were kept solely in impoverished environments, to start with.
Obviously, it’s not all the time a straightforward situation, for example, enrichment will be hugely vital for cats in shelter environments, obese cats, and cats that must live indoors for medical reasons, to say a number of.
But sometimes, plainly we overcomplicate things to find yourself right back where we began.
Easy boxes generally is a type of countless enrichment for cats and entertainment for human companions.
Does EE Work?
Creative and interesting minds had excellent ideas about providing cats with all kinds of EE:
They were well-thought-out and crafted ideas. And showed great care and compassion for the well-being of our feline friends.
But little to no discussion was about having cats on leads and taking them outdoors… if anything, that seemed almost taboo. As an alternative, enrichment seemed focused on attempting to bring the outside indoors.
But, being inside, regardless of how enriched the environment, can never truly replicate the outside.
Let It Snow: The Weather Outside Is…Frightful? Really?
In humans, research touts improved mental states, decreased blood pressure, and other positive health effects from spending time in nature or respiratory scents from certain plants referred to as volatile organic compounds. And birdsong has been touted as one other positive mental health boost.
Though much stays to be studied and clarified, and clearly, these haven’t been studied in companion animals corresponding to cats. Nevertheless, the potential for similar medical advantages isn’t such a leap, as weren’t all creatures genetically derived from living outside, in a natural environment?
Furthering that supposition, studies suggest that the reward centers activated in birdsong are conserved across mammalian species, not only humans.
So, being outdoors seems to have positive, enriching effects. Not surprising, as when you spent your entire life in a house, never to set foot outside, or make latest friends, never to eat meals with colleagues, go for a jog, lay out under the celebrities, or do a cold-water swim in a lake or the ocean, life might find yourself seeming pretty dull. And if that was the case, would having a PlayStation and latest mobile phone together with the nicest furniture and most tech-savvy appliances really make it that a lot better?
Many Words For Snow
The dichotomy of how different societies view one of the best ways to counterpoint the lives of companion felines can also be very interesting. And, I believe, a bit like snow, within the sense that each society has a unique viewpoint on the matter, just as many societies have varied terminology for various snow based on their geographic location and cultures. Which brings me back to the unique topic of this week: snow.
Anything novel, briefly bursts, will be entertaining. Nevertheless, I’d argue that anything inherent to 1’s evolutionary behavior may have probably the most profound and lasting impact.
After I first adopted Pancake and Tiller, I had an “indoor-cat-only” mindset. Subsequently, they’ve been paddleboarding, sailing, outdoor walking…they usually enjoy it. So I’ve seen either side of the equation. A brand new term has also been bandied about for cats that enact such activities: Adventure Cats.
Pancake and I on the open seas
Snow & Cats: Whiteout Or Wonderland?
So, snow. The hazards are definitely real. Similar to the neighborhood kids might whack you in the pinnacle with the soccer ball if you step foot outside…there are small, but potential concerns for leaving the home. But does that stop a child from playing soccer? Should it? Certainly one of my veterinary mentors once said: take care of what’s in front of you, not the chances of what may occur.
Potential Dangers Of Cats Being Exposed To Snow
- Frostbite: Snow means freezing temperatures. Having worked within the Midwest for a few years, I’ve seen frostbitten cats, firsthand. It tends to be paw pads and ears, though other extremities (and indeed, the entire body) are vulnerable to the cold. A straightforward rule of thumb: if it’s too cold for you, it’s probably too cold to your cat. Just as you may have a fast peek outside for a minute or two, then head back in, your cat must have the liberty to do the identical.
- Pawpad cuts: Cats, though more continuously dogs, can get cuts from walking on ice, which we are likely to forget will be quite sharp, as we wear shoes.
- De-icer: Even pet-safe deicers may cause issues for cats, but others will be worse. In case your cat shall be outside, avoid deicers in areas they shall be.
Potential Advantages?
But are there advantages from being exposed to snow? While scientific data regarding cats is lacking, given the above advantages of being exposed to nature typically, I’d argue that the potential advantages should (generally) outweigh the concerns, given appropriate supervision.
I’d go further to argue that potentially novel stimulation, within the true outdoor environment, may very well be a few of one of the best EE on the market. Some might even say: the unique EE. The smells, the sounds, perhaps a bird or two, definitely should be equally, if no more, enriching than a plastic mouse and a shelf or two. Give me an excellent snowball fight, over the most recent entertainment console, any day. Chasing friends, the texture of the cold (but not too cold) biting your face, the great thing about the snow as you run and the flakes fly…those things are priceless. They make you are feeling alive.
For humans, and for cats.