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Child Item

Cat sunscreen

Mountainsandh

Apologies I'm sure this has been answered somewhere but a search has returned no results.

We have a new kitten, and she is white with black markings. Thankfully she has a black nose and some black markings around the nose area, but her ears are white, and the eye area is completely white too, and looks very sensitive.

She's not going out yet, and due another visit to the vets mid August so I know I can ask then, but I'm thinking if I knew of a brand of feline sunscreen that somebody on here can recommend, I could start getting it online for later.

My MIL had a white cat who died of cancer, her ears were a disaster in the end, so I would really like to avoid that for our little new addition.

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ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Even sunscreens for pets are only suitable for dogs and horses, as they contain ingredients toxic if ingested and cats groom and swallow differently to dogs. Some vets suggest sun blocks designed for babies and to be used sparingly. The best course of action is to avoid exposure to the sun.

StillThinking

I use small amounts of children's factor 50 on my ginger cats nose and ears on really sunny days. He's 8 now and no sign of anything untoward or any ill effects from the suncream

Graces7

I had a pet lamb with sunburned ears; simply bathed often with cold water.

https://www.agefotostock.com/age/en/Stock-Images/Rights-Managed/SSJ-181732

and google has a range of ideas..

ldy4mxonucwsq6

Because of a cats grooming habits it's best to avoid human sun protection products as some of them contain chemicals toxic to cats.

There are non toxic, natural sunscreens available that are formulated especially for cats.

Mountainsandh

Graces7 wrote: »

I had a pet lamb with sunburned ears; simply bathed often with cold water.

https://www.agefotostock.com/age/en/Stock-Images/Rights-Managed/SSJ-181732

and google has a range of ideas..

That would be so cute !

When I googled feline sunblock, it came up with organic type sunblocks, I might order something like that, and on really sunny days use factor 50 baby sunscreen I think.

Srameen I guess you would have to weigh the risks and benefits of a potential long term toxic element against skin cancer... like I said I saw the damage on an otherwise healthy cat, it was gruesome.

My cats are indoors/outdoors (not willing to debate that

), keeping them in on sunny days would be cruelty too, so that would have to weigh in the equation equally.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

How long would mud last on a cat? At least it's ears.

Would it be possible to put some light material clothing on your cat? It's difficult to find something that's practical and not cringe worthy though.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Mountainsandh wrote: »

That would be so cute !

When I googled feline sunblock, it came up with organic type sunblocks, I might order something like that, and on really sunny days use factor 50 baby sunscreen I think.

Srameen I guess you would have to weigh the risks and benefits of a potential long term toxic element against skin cancer... like I said I saw the damage on an otherwise healthy cat, it was gruesome.
5
My cats are indoors/outdoors (not willing to debate that ), keeping them in on sunny days would be cruelty too, so that would have to weigh in the equation equally.

Of course you have to weigh up all the pros and cons, I fully agree. But why risk things when there are solutions; such as using less risky formulations like baby sunscreen? The sun can be avoided by providing shade outdoors. Cats are not stupid and will readily avail of an awning, old umbrella etc in the garden to shelter them from excessive sun and heat.

It's important to differentiate between keeping our pets cool in this weather, which is hugely important, and protecting them from harmful rays. And prevention is of course better than cure. Once the skin is sunburned the damage is done to the cells.

Mountainsandh

Amir Savory Bassinet wrote: »

Because of a cats grooming habits it's best to avoid human sun protection products as some of them contain chemicals toxic to cats.

There are non toxic, natural sunscreens available that are formulated especially for cats.

I've only seen one so far called Men For San, that looks good anyways, but I'll keep looking. There's that Badger Company organic thing that keeps coming up but that's for humans I think, and I would guess that some plant extracts are just as bad as some other chemicals for cats...

Graces7

Mountainsandh wrote: »

That would be so cute !

When I googled feline sunblock, it came up with organic type sunblocks, I might order something like that, and on really sunny days use factor 50 baby sunscreen I think.

Srameen I guess you would have to weigh the risks and benefits of a potential long term toxic element against skin cancer... like I said I saw the damage on an otherwise healthy cat, it was gruesome.

My cats are indoors/outdoors (not willing to debate that ), keeping them in on sunny days would be cruelty too, so that would have to weigh in the equation equally.

Yes opinions vary greatly which is why I simply referred to google!

The pet lamb I mentioned; her ears stood on end, very red. I kept cold water bathing them and tethered her in the shade. she was fine.

One of my cats has white ears but they love the long grass here so shaded .

would maybe be more danger for an indoor cat sleeping on a sunny windowsill?

Mountainsandh

I don't know... my MIL's cat was an all outdoor cat.

His ears turned completely black, one of them had this big bubble type tumor, all black and crackly, it looked so sore and awful. It had to be put down because the cancer had spread. I guess it wasn't worthwhile trying to fight it at that point.

Now I know I'd probably be acting on it way quicker than the MIL if I saw anything suspicious and catch it early (she's your old style outdoor cats mind themselves and I just throw out scraps type of person), but I'm thinking even if it's just when I think about it, when it's exceptionally sunny, or if said cat turns out to be a sun lounger gal, I have a chance to reduce or prevent the damage, so that's why I'm looking into it now. Rather than say : "oh yeah, I should really look into it some day".

Mountainsandh

Wesley Big Troop wrote: »

Of course you have to weigh up all the pros and cons, I fully agree. But why risk things when there are solutions; such as using less risky formulations like baby sunscreen? The sun can be avoided by providing shade outdoors. Cats are not stupid and will readily avail of an awning, old umbrella etc in the garden to shelter them from excessive sun and heat.

It's important to differentiate between keeping our pets cool in this weather, which is hugely important, and protecting them from harmful rays. And prevention is of course better than cure. Once the skin is sunburned the damage is done to the cells.

There's no problem with shade here anyway. Plenty of it in bushes, we have awnings, it's a really rural set up with trees and really wide hedges all around. I have no worry about that.

I'll see what the vets say about baby sunscreen, organic or whatever, versus the ones that are designed for dogs and horses that you were saying (I've seen them pop up in searches alright).

Mountainsandh

Milan Fit Bowling wrote: »

How long would mud last on a cat? At least it's ears.

Would it be possible to put some light material clothing on your cat? It's difficult to find something that's practical and not cringe worthy though.

Mud sounds like a great idea actually ! don't know if she would let it stay there or whether she'd lick it off right away though.

I don't think the hats or fabric things would be tolerated, she's a feisty thing. Maybe if she was a zen persian luxury cat

She came from the farm ghetto I would guess, so there ain't nobody gon' sticking on any clothing on her

jesuischarlie

Filtabac Uk should be fine, patch test it on a small area of the ear first. Aniwell in the Uk stock it. The NZ/Australian version is not ok for cats but the Uk one should be fine

Irish Stones

Amir Savory Bassinet wrote: »

Because of a cats grooming habits it's best to avoid human sun protection products as some of them contain chemicals toxic to cats.

I had a white cat with grey/black markings, but her ears and nose were white and I was adviced to put sunscreen on them.
After long researches and many questions I ended up using an infant sunscreen with protection factor 50+.
I chose this because I thought that if it was safe for infants, it could have been safe for cats too.

Well, now I suspect that her grooming and licking off that cream could have contributed to her hyperthyroidism and later on to her liver disease and failure, which led her to death.

There are non toxic, natural sunscreens available that are formulated especially for cats.

I tried one of those creams but I was unhappy because it was too runny, and I was quite sure it didn't stay on her ears long enough to create a durable protection.

Anyway my cat, who loved sunbathing in the window, never had visible damage to her skin bar some fur loss around the edge of her ears.

mountain

We have a white cat, and vet advised us to use sudocreme on his ears.

He’s patient enough while having it put on.

ldy4mxonucwsq6

mountain wrote: »

We have a white cat, and vet advised us to use sudocreme on his ears.

He’s patient enough while having it put on.

Surprised vet advised this as it contains zinc oxide (the same ingredient that makes human suncream unsuitable) which is toxic to cats.

emilymemily

Could you try MooGoo Spf 30, theyre a natural ingredient skin care brand that can be used on babies, sold in most chemists. Im not 100% on the ingredients but it could be an option to look into.

Mountainsandh

That's what I read about the zinc too, it seems some have titanium instead which is supposed to be less harmful, but all I found was an infant stick thing and reviews weren't great (too thick!).

Good point about the staying power, part of the reasons for posting here as only first hand experience can determine how lasting an application is really...

Mountainsandh

emilymemily wrote: »

Could you try MooGoo Spf 30, theyre a natural ingredient skin care brand that can be used on babies, sold in most chemists. Im not 100% on the ingredients but it could be an option to look into.

Definitely ! Although she licked the dog's paw pads the day he came back from groomers I suspect they had applied moisturizer, likely smelling of milk/cream.

ldy4mxonucwsq6

emilymemily wrote: »

Could you try MooGoo Spf 30, theyre a natural ingredient skin care brand that can be used on babies, sold in most chemists. Im not 100% on the ingredients but it could be an option to look into.

Unfortunately also contains zinc oxide, no good for cats.

They do have a Dr Zoo’s Zinc Free Suncream, and another one I have seen is PETfection Sunscreen Spray.

I haven't used either before so can't say if they are any good.

boomerang

Two sunblocks for children suitable for cats: Aldi and Nivea. They aren't harmful, while other kids' sunblocks are. I have a link somewhere.

Mollyb60

I've also been recommended to use sunscreen on our kitty so I'm watching the thread with interest.

sunbeam

I've used Nivea Kids factor 50+ on my cats occasionally in the past, but have just noticed that they have changed the formula to include Ethylhexyl Salicylate which can be toxic to cats. :mad:

I'm not sure about the baby version.

Mountainsandh

Mollyb60 wrote: »

I've also been recommended to use sunscreen on our kitty so I'm watching the thread with interest.

I will present all the ideas from here to the vets, see what they say, make a decision for myself, and post on here.

ILoveYourVibes

Dr Zoo https://moogoo.com.au/sun-safety someone mentioned it though moogoo etc.

My pet sunblock. https://www.mypetsunblock.com/

Zinc oxide free suitable for cats ..even if they lick.

twomonkeys

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

Dr Zoo https://moogoo.com.au/sun-safety someone mentioned it though moogoo etc.

My pet sunblock. https://www.mypetsunblock.com/

Zinc oxide free suitable for cats ..even if they lick.

Both of those have zinc oxide as the main ingredient.

ldy4mxonucwsq6

twomonkeys wrote: »

Both of those have zinc oxide as the main ingredient.

The Dr Zoo one (their Suncream that's designed for pets) is zinc free, don't know if it's stocked here in Ireland but it's available online https://www.worldforpets.com.au/products/47732

ILoveYourVibes

Amir Savory Bassinet wrote: »

The Dr Zoo one (their Suncream that's designed for pets) is zinc free, don't know if it's stocked here in Ireland but it's available online https://www.worldforpets.com.au/products/47732

My pet has one too.