# I keep static shocking them!



## rketto (Aug 22, 2010)

Lately it seems like whenever I pet my kitties they will get static shocked a few times. This is very annoying to them especially near their ears and I hate how often it's happening. Anyone know how to get rid of it? I don't know where it's coming from.


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## Miss Kitty (Dec 22, 2010)

I've been doing the same exact thing to my cat. -_- Usually her ears get shocked but if she rubs up against me, she can randomly get shocked anywhere on her body. And it's not just hurting her; it's hurting me.

For the sake of my cat, if I know that I'm going to get shocked when I touch her, I put my finger up to a screw on the light switch or another conductor and shock myself, then pet her. Personally, I think that it's better to hurt myself because I'm going to get hurt either way, so I simply save her the pain. 8D It's from the cold air outside. I never have the problem in summer, but it's terrible in the winter. You'll have to deal with it until spring comes around.

Do you have one of those special rubbery gloves with the bristles on it? They're supposed to remove the loose furs on your cat's pelt and you can buy one at the dollar store. Since rubber isn't a conductor, you can pet them without either of you getting shocked. n_n


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

If you don't already have one, a humidifier will help to reduce static electricity. You can also keep some live plants in the room, which will serve to reduce the dry air. Of course, you'll need to select plants that are not harmful to cats. Since dry skin tends to result in greater static, you can use moisturizer on your hands. In addition, to the extent possible, avoid synthetic fabrics (polyester, etc.) in favour of cotton or wool (your clothes, blankets on the couch if your cuddling, etc.). Finally, use a damp cloth to occasionally wipe down your cat's fur.


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Ha yeah. I got this problem too! Jack slinks off with an 'OMG, what are you DOING?????' type look. Miu looks over casually and says 'Meh'.


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## kittywitty (Jun 19, 2010)

The same thing has been happening to me and I was wondering if it is causing them a lot of pain. I would imagine it may hurt more for a cat who is smaller than us humans. I will use the above suggestions though.


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## beamjoy (Nov 6, 2010)

The usual scene at my house is a bunch of cats running off in different directions and me chasing after them with my arms stretched out and tears running down my face, saying, _"I just want to pet you!"

_Ok, maybe it's not that dramatic. But they really don't like it. I've started spraying my clothes with Static Guard and that helps a lot.


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## Mom of 4 (Jul 29, 2006)

We have a portable humidifier in the dog's room. We have it running constantly, on high, so it uses 3 gallons a day.
If it is very cold outside, the furance is on so much that the humidifier can't keep up. So I will boil water in a 12 cup stock pot - while we are home and awake. Gotta be safe. I can usually go through a 18 cups of waters in an evening.

It doesn't take a huge amount of water to make a difference.


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## LLM (Dec 24, 2010)

I have that same problem, but almost all the time with Midnight. That rarely happened with Lynxx. Never happens with Luna. I keep shocking Midnight in the nose, and I don't know why and it only happens when we're in my bedroom.


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## CatnipCats (Feb 15, 2010)

I only notice a static problem for a couple of months in the winter, we're so humid most of the time. If I pet the cat from head to tail, when I come back up to their head, my hand will zap an ear. After about 2 of those, the poor things start ducking, anticipating it. 

When I realize it's static season, I'll try to remember to scratch them in one spot instead of stroking. No static then. Sometimes it helps if I take one foot out of my non-conducting Crocs and put it on the floor to ground myself, too.


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## stargirl (Dec 17, 2010)

One of my friends suggested this to me a long time ago, and it works. I have a coat that is faux-fur lined and if I wear it with a sweater or anything to create friction, it's basically a static-factory. I get shocked so bad I've turned off electrical devices by touching them and I've had my finger go numb for several minutes. I've started carrying around an unscented dryer sheet in my coat pocket, purse, car, desk at work, etc. and if the static gets too bad, I wipe (not rub) it on the inside of the coat and for some reason, it removes the static. I've also used it on my hair when it gets too much static, as it's long and straight and tends to stick out like I've been electrocuted. Maybe if you remove the static from your clothes/hair/blankets/couch/whatever with a dryer sheet it will keep you from zapping the kitties?


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## Vivid Dawn (May 31, 2010)

Despite the fact I should avoid synthetic fabrics, my favorite blanky is (acrylic, I think). Poor Paizly tried to nuzzle me last night, and her nose 'exploded'! If I had my eyes open, I'm sure I would've seen a huge spark (little sparks fly when she scoots across the bed), and I certainly heard the pop and felt the zap on my own nose!
She just gave her head a shake, and tried again...no zaps this time, and settled on my chest for the night.


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## lolakitty23 (Aug 17, 2004)

We run a humidifier at night in our house, so we've not had this problem. However, I'm cat sitting for a neighbor, and I continuously shock her and make her fur stick up all over as I pet her. She doesn't seem to mind it since she also seems starved for attention, but after the first couple of times, she winces right before her nose or ears touch my hand. LOL Poor little girl.


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