Movies News Talk
daylight saving time: Prepare for Your Pet's time Zone Jitters!
Daylight Saving Time (DST) is coming and you might already be excited about that extra hour of sleep! But hold on! What about your pet? They’re not too thrilled. According to Dr. Jeffrey Kelu (a circadian rhythms researcher at King's College London), those fuzzy pals completely rely on your schedule. They don’t get DST at all, meaning they totally depend on your routines.
Animals rely on biological clocks, these are amazing internal systems synchronized with natural light-dark cycles. This produces predictable sleeping, eating and hunting patterns – these are circadian rhythms. pets however, adjust their schedules to fit ours! Your dog probably doesn’t wake up before dawn– they usually wake up whenever you wake up!
Because your pet aligns with your schedule, shifting clocks causes serious issues! Your pooch might get up earlier and start demanding their walk. Your cat? Extra vocal demanding meals. Dr. Kelu says it's because their biological clocks are suddenly out of sync due to the schedule shift from daylight saving time.
Pets love routine. That sudden schedule shift might cause anxiety or even an upset stomach! To stop problems, start shifting their schedule now – about a week before the clock change, adjusting their feedings and walks about 10-15 minutes earlier or later (depending on how much the clocks shift). Small shifts make much, much less issues!
Remember, be patient, Dr. Kelu says! It can take days (or longer!) to fully readjust. Just like you would recover from jetlag, this could apply for your pets.
This change isn’t simply limited to household pets, however, it affects those animals in the wider world; especially within a suburban or urban setting.
That DST change impacts wildlife dramatically; most prominently impacting those deer around suburban or urban environments which get frequently involved in road collisions. A US study shows that that shifting the clocks around autumn puts more drivers on the roads at dusk (this is that major active period for deer) creating a bigger collision risk; meaning more of those collisions involving automobiles. Experts think getting rid of DST entirely might stop this; avoiding significant amounts of deer accidents. It is something the wider environmental management community really needs to consider.
Remember your pets depend on your schedule, those fuzzy pals! They don’t understand what Daylight Saving Time means and that’s why that sudden schedule change affects those fuzzy, feathery friends more than expected! Plan accordingly and make that change smoother for everyone– those animals will surely appreciate that consistency!