Pets and Daylight Savings Time

Have you ever thought about pets and daylight savings time? What I want to know is how does my cat know to wake us up earlier for her breakfast?

Sunday, 29th March, the clocks went 'forward' in the UK from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) to British Summer Time (BST). This means at 1am, the time will change to 2am.

So in theory, when my cat wants feeding at 6am, the new time will be 7am. This is a much more acceptable time.

Each year when the clocks go forward for daylight savings time, I get my hopes up that my cat, Ginger will have a lie in. I know a lot of people have trouble with their cats wanting breakfast early in the morning.

We have some African soft furred rats, which just tend to go to bed when we open the curtains and let the daylight in. I will be watching them to see if they get up earlier in the evening!

Pets Routine

Pets have their own routine which isn't always the same as what the owners would like. There are many reasons why they get up early but I know I would love my cat to sleep in. However, she has trained my husband to get up! Funny thing is, if he out early at the gym, she doesn't bother to come and wake me up.

As a pet owner, I try and keep my cats routine the same. She has three feeding times a day and the rest is up to her. She does have her own routine that fits in with our schedule. Ginger joins in with bedtime and comes upstairs when the kiddies go to bed. She'll wander between their bedrooms and the bathroom checking on us all. As the bedtime has got later, she now has her tea before bedtime. She stays up there even after they go to bed. I like to think that she is tucking them in.

Daylight Savings Time in Practice

To be honest, I think the BST effects me more than the pets. Animals tend to work their routines around the daylight so will take their cues that it is breakfast time when the sun comes up. However, due to their body clock they still get up early in the winter.

Dogs may be more affected by daylight savings times as their routines are more dependant on their owners. Dogs are used to walks and being let outside at particular times and may be confused why the routine is different to their body clocks. It may take a couple of days for them to get used to it whereas others will take the lead from their owners. (Pun intended.)

The only real problems that exist are if you have a pet that needs medication at a particular time. This may be if your pet is diabetic. In this case, a gradual change of meal times would be best. This takes planning!

Summer with Pets

Hopefully with the start of BST, we should get some more sun! Or better weather and least. But the downside is that the warmer weather increases the 'pest' population. Don't forget to give your pets preventative treatment for worms, ticks and fleas. Pets at Home has some top tips for pet care during summer time.

Get in Touch!

Let me know if your pet has its own routine or whether the daylight savings time are having a positive effect.