Your pet indoors in winter: heating, shedding and weight gain

From October to March an animal spends almost all of its time indoors. A flat in winter is a completely different environment from a flat in summer: the air is dry, the temperature is flat around the clock, there is little daylight and walks are short. The body responds to that entirely predictably, and most "odd" winter symptoms come from this rather than from illness.

Dry air is the main winter problem

Central heating roughly halves indoor humidity compared with a comfortable level. For a person that means a dry nose and static; for an animal it produces a whole run of effects that owners rarely connect to the radiators.

• Dandruff and a dull coat that has started to fluff up and carry static.
• Itching with no parasites: the animal grooms and scratches more than it did in summer.
• Dry, cracked paw pads and a dry nose.
• More sneezing, snoring in sleep, dried crusts around the eyes.
• In cats, more hairballs, because the grooming has become more intense.

1. 1Keep humidity in the range that is comfortable for people — roughly forty to sixty per cent. The simplest approach is a cheap hygrometer instead of guesswork.
2. 2A humidifier in the room where the animal sleeps gives the biggest effect. Bowls of water on radiators are the fallback, but they work much less well.
3. 3Cross-ventilate for a few minutes twice a day. Frosty air is drier, but airing out clears stuffiness and dust.
4. 4Do not put the bed right against a radiator. The animal will pick the warmest spot itself and then dry out there all night.

Why the shedding does not stop

The classic question: "why is the cat shedding in December, surely that happens in spring?" The answer is simple: seasonal shedding is triggered by changing day length and temperature. In a flat with steady warmth and constant electric light those signals are blurred, so the animal sheds a little all year round.

• It is not a problem if the hair comes out evenly and the skin underneath is clean.
• Brush more often than in summer — it is the single most effective thing you can do, and for cats it also cuts down how much hair they swallow.
• Cause for concern: bald patches, scratching to the point of sores, redness, dandruff with an unpleasant smell. That is a vet visit, not a humidifier.

Pets drink less — and it matters more than it seems

In winter animals drink noticeably less: no heat is pushing them to, and activity is lower. For cats this is one of the most serious seasonal risks, because the urinary tract copes badly with dehydration and the trouble starts quietly and gets noticed late.

• Put several water bowls in different rooms. One bowl next to the food is the worst possible arrangement for a cat.
• Many cats drink far more willingly from moving water. A drinking fountain genuinely works here.
• If the animal eats only dry food, adding some wet food over the winter helps noticeably.
• Do not stand bowls next to a radiator: the water goes stale and warm quickly.

Be alert if a cat starts using the tray more often or, conversely, sits in it a long time with no result. That is not a "winter quirk" — it is a reason to call a vet the same day.

Less movement means weight gain

The walks got shorter and the portions stayed the same. That is how animals put on weight over the winter and spend until midsummer losing it. Noticing in time is hard, because a winter coat is thicker and everything looks normal.

• Check with your hands rather than your eyes: the ribs should be findable under a thin layer of fat without pressing.
• If activity has clearly dropped, reduce the portion rather than increasing it "because it is cold". Extra calories are for animals genuinely living outdoors, not for one sleeping by a radiator.
• Count training treats out of the daily ration rather than on top of it. Indoor winters mean more treats, and that is usually where the surplus comes from.
• Replace the walk with work indoors: scattered food, puzzle toys, several short training sessions a day.

Less daylight: sleep and mood

A short day shifts the rhythm: animals sleep more, slow down, and cats wake in the middle of the night and start tearing around. That is normal, but you can work with it.

• Keep feeding times fixed — that is what sets the daily rhythm once daylight stops doing it.
• Move the main play session with a cat to the evening, before the last meal. Hunt, then eat, then sleep is the natural sequence, and it takes the edge off night-time activity.
• Open the curtains during the day and leave the animal access to a windowsill. Light and watching the street outside are free enrichment.
• Marked apathy, refusing food or a favourite game for more than a day is no longer "winter sluggishness" and deserves a closer look.

Winter hazards inside the flat

Everyone remembers the frost, yet most winter vet visits are about something that happened indoors.

• Plants brought in from the balcony for the winter end up within reach. A number of popular houseplants are toxic to cats.
• Candles and string lights: cable to chew and an open flame to catch with a tail.
• Tinsel is the classic one, and it ends in an intestinal blockage. For a cat it is a lethal toy.
• Windows left on the tilt setting are a trap: a cat gets stuck in the gap and injures itself trying to get free.
• Leftover festive food: bones, sweets, dough, sausage, chocolate. Chocolate, onion, garlic and grapes are toxic to pets in principle, not only in large amounts.
• Cleaning chemicals before the holidays: the animal walks across a freshly washed floor and then licks its paws.

The conclusion is not complicated: in winter an animal needs not more warmth but more attention to small things — humidity, water, portions, and what is lying within reach. None of it costs much, and the difference shows within a few weeks.