Keep cats sun safe this summer with Cats Protection’s summer tips

Keep cats sun safe this summer with Cats Protection’s summer tips

Green-fingered cat owners can find out how to create a feline-friendly garden and keep their pets sun-safe this summer when Cats Protection visits the Southport Flower Show.

Ahead of its attendance at the event at Victoria Park, Southport, in August, the charity has released its top tips to keep cats healthy and happy as they enjoy the great outdoors this summer.

As well as feline-friendly planting tips, cat owners are being offered advice on how to protect cats from sunburn, which can cause skin cancer.

Cats Protection is the UK’s leading feline welfare charity, helping around 190,000 cats a year through a network of over 250 volunteer-run branches and 34 centres.

The charity’s Events Manager Emma Osborne said: “We’re often asked by cat owners for tips to encourage cats to stay close to home and perhaps the best one is to create a feline-friendly garden. Cats love areas where they can hide, play and sleep and they also appreciate certain plants such as catnip.

“Providing a fun and interesting environment will mean cats will naturally want to spend more time nearer home, keeping them safer and allowing you to enjoy each other’s company.

“While cats love to lounge around in the sun, it’s important to remember that cats can suffer from sunburn, which can have serious implications. Cats with white ears are most at risk, but it’s important that all cat owners take some simple steps to make sure their pets are protected on the hotter summer days.”

The charity’s top gardening tips for 2017 are:

• Cats love to nibble grass and it is believed that it helps them to cough up hairballs. A particularly popular variety is Cocksfoot, which has broad leaves making it easy to bite. Seeds are available from garden centres and pet shops and it can easily be grown in trays within the home for indoor cats. Outdoors, cats will love their own grassy patch in their favourite spot in the garden.

• The ultimate garden treat for fun-loving felines is Catnip (Nepeta Cataria), a plant which is renowned for inducing a highly excitable reaction in cats. Not all cats are susceptible but 70% of them will show great interest in the plant – rubbing, licking and sniffing it with delirious enjoyment for around 10 minutes. Dried catnip is available in pet shops but the fresh plant makes an attractive addition to the garden for both owner and puss. As it’s a member of the mint family, it can become invasive so is best confined to a pot rather than in the ground.

• Too much sun exposure can be dangerous, particularly for white cats or those with unpigmented noses or ears. Help avoid this by providing lots of shady ideas, either with plants or a pop-up tent.

• Sunblock products are available specifically for use on animals, some of which have been designed to be lick-proof. A vet should be able to recommend or source one for your cat. Make sure any sunblock is suitable for cats, as they can be more sensitive than some other animals to the chemicals included. Always check with a vet before using anything intended for humans on a cat.

• Lavender is a great herb to plant in a feline-friendly garden, providing a bushy and attractive hiding place for cats.

• Aside from planting, gardeners can look at other ways to make their garden interesting for their cat. Piles of logs make excellent areas for scratching claws, while low shrubs make interesting hiding places for cats to snuggle up in for an al fresco snooze.

• Avoid plants which can be dangerous to cats. Lilies in particular can be lethal if a cat ingests pollen from its fur after brushing against them. A full list of plants that are dangerous to cats can be found on the International Cat Care’s website www.icatcare.org

• Ensure your cat is fully vaccinated before venturing outdoors to protect against diseases and parasites. Neutering is also vital to prevent unwanted kittens being born and to reduce roaming.

• Cats Protection recommends microchipping as a safe, effective way of identifying your cat should he become lost when outdoors.
• Inside the home, fans will help to keep cats cool in hot weather. Place them around the home but do not point directly at pets. Encourage your cat to drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration.

Visitors to Cats Protection’s award-winning vintage summerhouse-inspired stand at the Southport Flower Show will also be able to find out more about the work of the charity and how to become a volunteer. There will also be a range of cat-related merchandise available to buy, as well as leaflets and guides to cat care.

To find out more about the work of Cats Protection, please visit www.cats.org.uk

For more information about the Southport Flower Show, please visit www.southportflowershow.co.uk