Managing the clock change for your cats

23rd October 2020

When the clocks change, many cats won’t notice the difference. You might put their food down an hour earlier or later or arrive home from work at a different time. Cats sleep for around 16 hours a day, and when they’re awake they might be outside exploring. They have a routine, but will they really notice if you change yours?

Some cats will have stricter routines than others and might notice changes to your schedule. Here’s how they might be affected:

Mealtimes

Many cats will graze on their food throughout the day but for those cats who have set mealtimes, they might be a bit put out if there is a delay in their food being served. You could change your cat’s mealtimes gradually so they’re less likely to be waiting desperately at the food bowl for an hour when the change does happen.

Medication times

Generally, cats won’t be affected if their medication is given to them at a slightly different time, however if they are diabetic, their insulin and food needs to be given at accurate timings. Prior to the clock change, it’s best to speak to your vet about how to handle any changes to your cat’s medication schedule.

Pet door curfew mode

If you have a SureFlap Microchip Pet Door with the timer lock set to lock and unlock at the same time each day, your cat could become confused if you suddenly change the curfew time by an hour. Instead of making a sudden change, change the times gradually over a week or two leading up to the clock change.

Your routine

Some cats will know when you’re due to leave the house and when you’re due to return if you have a strict routine each day. Many of us will go out to work at the same time each day and return at the same time. You could change this gradually by running a few errands before or after work in the week leading up to the clock change.