Daylight savings time can be difficult to adjust to, even for your furry friends. The time change means a change to their routines and feeding schedules which can be disorienting – just like it is for us! However, there are some tips that can come in handy to help transition your furry friends into the new time zone.
Here are a few ways you can make the time change easier for your furry friend, from Dave Wilson, senior director of Shelter Health and Wellness at the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society.
Daylight savings tips for your furry friend
1. Prepare your furry friend in advance
- If your companion animal has a strict and reliable feeding schedule, you can move their mealtime by small increments leading up to when the clocks go ahead. For example, if you start a few days ahead, you can shift the feeding time by 15 or 20 minutes per day to make it easier for your furry friend to adjust.
2. Splitting the difference (if you forget)
- If you forget to change your furry friend’s schedule the week ahead, then on the day of daylight savings, you can split the time in half and feed your furry friend 30 minutes earlier than normal.
3. Doing the process backwards
- Another way to make this change easier on your pets is to ignore the clocks on Sunday morning and feed your furry friend at their regular time. Then over the following four days you can change their feeding time by 15-minute intervals.
By using one of these tips and successfully shifting your pet`s feeding times, you and your furry friend should be ready to adjust smoothly to the daylight savings time change!