I am sorry to say that my preliminary search for a good cat sun block is not going well. Titanium Dioxide seems to be the best active ingredient that I have found so far, but I am not really satisfied that it is safe enough or effective enough. I will have to look more to be prepared to use it on my elderly cat. This information will apply some to other animals and humans. I alluded to it somewhat in my posts about skin cancer risks for humans and protection for us. I will have to think about whether to write another post or so about the pros and cons of sun block for people and specific ingredients. I am concerned enough to be considering making my own sun block.
This is probably going to be another slow post done in installments as I find more information to pass on to you. I will use the updates thing that notifies people when I add more so you will know to look again, if you want that. I will skip those for typos to keep from absolutely spamming your inbox.
I am going to share the most relevant thing I have found so far about cat sun block. Here is a link to it:
Sunscreen for Pets | Wags and Whiskers
Ok. More to come....
My apologies for not updating this when I added more information. I am going to do that now, in case somebody was waiting for more information.
I wanted to find you a nice clear, yet simple explanation of sunblock for cats. That does not seem to be available. A nice clear, yet simple explanation of sunblock for anybody does not seem to be available. There is a lot of disagreement about sunblock. The whole controversy about sunblock is confusing because it involves not one problem, but several problems.
One problem with sunblocks has to do with high SPF sunblocks or sunscreens. Evidence may point to skin cancer coming from higher SPF skincare products. Some experts suggest that one go with a more moderate SPF, and limiting sun exposure. Another problem with sunblocks and sunscreens is that they may cause users to rely on them so much, they increase their sun exposure more than they would have with bare skin. If you keep that in mind, you can choose to solve it by not changing your sun exposure behavior.
Some people have found evidence that they say means that sunblocks may be causing more cancer than they prevent. I ran across this problem quite a few years ago when I was trying to find a safe sunblock for myself, then for my pets. I found one that seemed safer than most to use on the ears and noses of my dog and cats. Since then, I gave up on figuring it out for years and went more with avoidance of sun as much as possible for myself. That approach was not without problems either.
I have wound up with severely low levels of vitamin D. My Dr. has put me on massive doses of vitamin D every day. I am going to put a film over the window my cats use to sun themselves, until I feel satisfied about some kind of sun block to put on their noses and ears.
I will keep looking for a good cat sunblock or recipe to make it and pass it on when I find it.
It takes different types of blockers to stop UVA and UVB. UVB is easier to deal with since it only penetrates the surface of your skin, but UVB goes deep inside you. "Sunscreen uses organic and inorganic chemical filters to prevent the sun’s rays from penetrating the deeper layers of the skin." That quote came from a more than usually enlightening article about sunblocks and sunscreens. I am going to give you a link to this article, but with a warning. She is using Zinc Oxide in the sun block she is making. Many sites agree that Zinc Oxide may be harmful. I have decided not to use it myself, until I research it more. I would like to suggest that you do the same.
Here is the link to the aforementioned article: Sun Protection 101 + Homemade Moisturizing Sunblock Recipe — Modern Hippie Health & Wellness
A lot of people probably will not like to follow my example in what I do about excessive sunlight, but in case some do, here it is:
I avoid getting sun on me as much as possible. I try to avoid being outdoors during the middle of the day when sunlight is the strongest, 10 am through 2 pm. I wear hats or other head coverings when I go outdoors regardless of the season. During the summer, I use wider brimmed hats that shade my entire face, neck, and ears. I wear long sleeves and cover my legs also. I am kind of sloppy about using my sunglasses well enough. Part of the sunglasses problem is due to not having good options for sunglasses right now. I am working on it, however. You have probably already noticed how expensive prescription sunglasses are.
I also find shade to stay in when out in sunlight, as much as possible.
I was not really worried about my cats getting skin cancer since both of them are dark colored, but the older cat's ears have looked as if they may have been sunburnt lately. That worried me enough to get me looking for a good sunblock for both of them. For now, they are getting UVA and UVB blocking film on their favorite window perches.
This is probably going to be another slow post done in installments as I find more information to pass on to you. I will use the updates thing that notifies people when I add more so you will know to look again, if you want that. I will skip those for typos to keep from absolutely spamming your inbox.
I am going to share the most relevant thing I have found so far about cat sun block. Here is a link to it:
Sunscreen for Pets | Wags and Whiskers
Ok. More to come....
My apologies for not updating this when I added more information. I am going to do that now, in case somebody was waiting for more information.
I wanted to find you a nice clear, yet simple explanation of sunblock for cats. That does not seem to be available. A nice clear, yet simple explanation of sunblock for anybody does not seem to be available. There is a lot of disagreement about sunblock. The whole controversy about sunblock is confusing because it involves not one problem, but several problems.
One problem with sunblocks has to do with high SPF sunblocks or sunscreens. Evidence may point to skin cancer coming from higher SPF skincare products. Some experts suggest that one go with a more moderate SPF, and limiting sun exposure. Another problem with sunblocks and sunscreens is that they may cause users to rely on them so much, they increase their sun exposure more than they would have with bare skin. If you keep that in mind, you can choose to solve it by not changing your sun exposure behavior.
Some people have found evidence that they say means that sunblocks may be causing more cancer than they prevent. I ran across this problem quite a few years ago when I was trying to find a safe sunblock for myself, then for my pets. I found one that seemed safer than most to use on the ears and noses of my dog and cats. Since then, I gave up on figuring it out for years and went more with avoidance of sun as much as possible for myself. That approach was not without problems either.
I have wound up with severely low levels of vitamin D. My Dr. has put me on massive doses of vitamin D every day. I am going to put a film over the window my cats use to sun themselves, until I feel satisfied about some kind of sun block to put on their noses and ears.
I will keep looking for a good cat sunblock or recipe to make it and pass it on when I find it.
It takes different types of blockers to stop UVA and UVB. UVB is easier to deal with since it only penetrates the surface of your skin, but UVB goes deep inside you. "Sunscreen uses organic and inorganic chemical filters to prevent the sun’s rays from penetrating the deeper layers of the skin." That quote came from a more than usually enlightening article about sunblocks and sunscreens. I am going to give you a link to this article, but with a warning. She is using Zinc Oxide in the sun block she is making. Many sites agree that Zinc Oxide may be harmful. I have decided not to use it myself, until I research it more. I would like to suggest that you do the same.
Here is the link to the aforementioned article: Sun Protection 101 + Homemade Moisturizing Sunblock Recipe — Modern Hippie Health & Wellness
A lot of people probably will not like to follow my example in what I do about excessive sunlight, but in case some do, here it is:
I avoid getting sun on me as much as possible. I try to avoid being outdoors during the middle of the day when sunlight is the strongest, 10 am through 2 pm. I wear hats or other head coverings when I go outdoors regardless of the season. During the summer, I use wider brimmed hats that shade my entire face, neck, and ears. I wear long sleeves and cover my legs also. I am kind of sloppy about using my sunglasses well enough. Part of the sunglasses problem is due to not having good options for sunglasses right now. I am working on it, however. You have probably already noticed how expensive prescription sunglasses are.
I also find shade to stay in when out in sunlight, as much as possible.
I was not really worried about my cats getting skin cancer since both of them are dark colored, but the older cat's ears have looked as if they may have been sunburnt lately. That worried me enough to get me looking for a good sunblock for both of them. For now, they are getting UVA and UVB blocking film on their favorite window perches.
