Cuddling is one of the many benefits of having a cat. But, have this happened to you? You picked up your cat and start cuddling it and then-boom! There’s like an electric shock that both you and your cat felt when you cuddled. That is static electricity. Want to get rid of that? Then this article is right for you.
Static electricity happens when there is friction between two objects which causes sparks. Scientifically, it means that the negative and positive charges in an object are not balanced. It can happen when there is low humidity in the air. Examples of the presence of static electricity in our daily lives include your hair standing out when you remove your cap or hat and touching a door that is made of metal. This low humidity gives your cat fur and you the static electricity when you touch each other since friction happens.
Static also happens when your loving cat rubs itself on things like the couch, the rug, etc. Because of the friction between the two bodies, which in this case is your cat and the couch, your cat’s fur becomes charged. One most strong evidence of the presence of this static electricity is when you and your cat both feel shocked upon touching or when you touch their fur. This shock isn’t dangerous for your cat but it is an unpleasant feeling for sure. I bet your cat will give you the killer look once they’ve experienced this zap when having pets.
The scenario in the example above often happens during the cold season or winter. Since the temperature is low and it is cold, a lot of us use indoor heating equipment to keep us warm. In this case, indoor heating makes the air inside the house lose its moisture.
Now that we know where the sparks or the static electricity is coming from, we can do something to make your cutie cat comfortable during these “electric” days. The basic solution to this problem is to bring back or add moisture – either on your surroundings or on your pet. Always remember that more dryness in the air means more static electricity presence.
One most used way to reduce or stop static electricity on cats is by using a humidifier. A humidifier adds or brings back moisture to the air, reducing the dryness in the air that is a perfect condition for static electricity to be present.
Having a Humidifier is the Solution
To know the amount or level of dryness in the air, you can use a hygrometer. A hygrometer can measure the presence or value of humidity in the air. It is inexpensive and you can buy a hygrometer in household stores. If the reading in the hygrometer is below 30%, then you have a dry air condition. With this data in hand, you can then turn on your humidifier to turn back the moisture in the air.
A humidifier usually uses water and then emits vapor coming from the water into the air. However, others use water with scented oil so that the humidifier will do two jobs – putting moisture back to the air and spreading a nice scent on your home. Having a humidifier doesn’t only help with the static electricity on your cat’s fur, it also has other benefits! One of these benefits is it also helps moisturize your cat’s skin during the cold season as your cat’s skin will tend to be more itchy and dry during this time. It can also help cats that have feline asthma and other respiratory diseases.
With all these positive things about using a humidifier in stopping static electricity on your cats, there is one lingering question in a lot of cat owners’ minds: are humidifiers safe for cats? This worry is understandable since cat owners only want the best for their fluffy babies. The answer is yes, humidifiers are safe for cats.
Cold mist humidifiers are the ones usually used by cat owners in their homes. A cold mist humidifier is a type of humidifier that uses a fan to evaporate the water and therefore produces and emits cool vapor into the room. However, a warm mist humidifier will also be perfect for you if you are living in a much colder region. One con of a warm mist humidifier tho is it can emit extra hot mist which can hurt the cat and can lead to scalding. Here’s our recommendation for the best humidifiers to prevent static electricity at home:
Conclusion
Now that you have known how to stop or reduce static electricity on cats, I hope you can buy a humidifier to make your cat more at ease and comfortable. May there’ll be no more or at least less zap for the both of you when you cuddle together.
