Yup, it may be the dog days of summer, but fall is definitely in the air. My boys have begun to lay on my lap in the mornings again.

During the summer, they want out. Every morning. Right away. There must be tasty bugs out in the kennel to hunt. Gizmo is always good about coming back inside for breakfast, but Simba must be persuaded. In fact, I usually feed Gizmo first, and if I’m lucky, Simba comes in after Gizmo finishes.

Some days now Simba comes in for breakfast with no prompting at all.

While cats (and dogs) usually do shed most during the fall and spring, it’s not due to temperatures — as I used to think — but rather the length of days. According to “The Cat Newsletter”:

The shedding is largely influenced by daylight, and this is called “photoperiod”. The number of hours a cat is exposed to sunlight in a day (photoperiod) triggers the shedding process. In addition, shedding varies considerably with breed as well as husbandry practices (i.e. bathing, grooming, activities, etc.).

The days are getting shorter, and it is triggering them boys to want to be inside more in the mornings. Before I know it, I’ll be stalked again (they follow me around as I get my breakfast ready, jockeying to be the first one onto my lap).

Technorati Tags: summer, fall, shed

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