cats and time change

Setting Kitty's Clock for Daylight Savings Posted Tue, Oct 30, 2007, 4:09 pm PDT When we turn back our clocks, we enjoy that extra hour we gain. Our cats, however, don't understand why we're suddenly not adhering to an agreed-upon schedule. The major frustration centers around meal time. If you feed your cat on a schedule, then daylight savings means kitty has to wait a whole extra hour for her meal. But since we humans have the advantage of knowing when it's coming, there are things we can do to help a cat adjust. Here's the key: do a gradual transition, so daylight savings sneaks into your cat's schedule rather than comes all at once. Start early. Feed your cat 15 minutes later than usual. The next day, feed him 15 minutes later than that. Continue this in 15-minute increments, so that the transition takes four days.  Morning can be especially rough during daylight savings time, since kitty expects you to rise and shine according to the schedule he's used to. So prepare the night before by doing an interactive play session right before bed, then offering him a little late-night treat or snack.     Another way to ease your kitty through the transition is to set out puzzle feeders before your cat's dinner. The Play-n-Treat balls are great. You fill the ball halfway with food, then as the cat rolls it around, kibble randomly drops out of the hole. This can help keep your cat satisfied as he waits for dinner. If kitty still seems impatient during the transition, distract him with a little interactive play session.