My cat is constantly charged up with static, how do i touch/discharge him without getting zapped?

Question

How do you ground a cat?
A bit of background; Gus is is an older, very affectionate black tomcat comparable in mass to a small planet. In a nights lazing about on our new couch we estimated he generates enough electrical potential to power most of california. So when i come home from a long day I am no longer greeted by a cuddly feline but rather a poping, sparking, lint covered electromagent.
Sounding like a microwave full of foil and attracting bits of fluff and paper as he bounds towards me, I prepare for an experience which I can only describe as akin to closely embracing a tesla coil. So, as my girlfriend runs for the heart paddles, Gus sadly moseys off, as he doesn't understand whats gone wrong or why hes also recieving a hefty dose of current. I tried to explain it, but hes never been one for the hard sciences and mentally files all forms of electricity under 'human witchcraft'.
How do I safely discharge my little buddy without him zapping us with his static sparks?

Answer 1

defuse it by swiftly touching your cat using your backhand, once there's a contact made the static charges has made its way to you unnoticeably...it works to me.

Answer 2

Water will slightly neutralize the charge. Two answerers have already stated this, but if I were YOU, I would opt for a humidifier rather than spray your cat with water. Cats don't like that, in my experience. :)

From a scientific standpoint: Gus is getting shocked whether you do or not, and he's only a cat, like you say, getting zapped is "witchcraft" to him. So my advice to "safely discharge" Gus COMPLETELY? Get a different couch, plain and simple.

I can only speculate what the actual problem is, because I have limited information. I assume the new couch is causing the problem because you specifically mentioned it was new in the text of your question.

Answer 3

My poor cat has been staticy for a month now. Static seems worse when brushing her. It is probably from the brush and from the carpet.

Found this on the Internet:
Cat Static
During winter or other dry seasons, cats may pick up static and discharge it every time you pet them. One solution is to rub them with a fabric softener sheet. The chemicals in fabric softener are not a problem for cats, although some of the more heavily-scented ones may be objectionable to the cat.

Some people invest in humidifiers for the house, and that reduces the static in a cat's fur as well.

Answer 4

I found that in winter weather when the heat is on it gets very dry, Invest in a humidifier which will help a great deal. When I would pet my cat I would get little shocks, now I use a humidifier & don't have all that static like before,I beleive that's thats the right solution, try it, you don't have to spend a lot of money, a 3-gallon one is onder $80.00. smaller ones are even cheaper, you'll find its a good investment.

Answer 5

Hi,

We have four cats and we went through this problem every winter.
The only thing that solved our problem was a humidifier.

Please don't spray the cat with water, that only going to make him more upset.
First he gets shocked and then he gets sprayed with water...not a good idea.
According to my Vet the use of a spray bottle to train a cat or for any reason is the worst thing you can do.
If the water gets into the cats eyes, ears or nose it can cause an over abundance of yeast which would require a trip to the Vet.
Plus the cat isn't going to know why your spraying him, he's going to associate the bottle of water with you and that can cause trust issues.

Answer 6

ROFL, ok, several things you can do. He is getting the static from the carpet, get some static free and spray it on the floor. He must be a long haired cat so combing him will help. You will generate static while doing this but you will be at the same level so no big deal. If you really want to get him back, wear gloves, then touch his nose to a metel object after you pick him up. He will zap himself. Good luck

Answer 7

You can either touch him with something that conducts electricity well (most metals) which is also attached to the ground somehow. Another route (even though this sounds mean) is spray him with water which will conduct some of the electricity into the atmosphere. All it takes is a few spritzes and most static should disappear.

Answer 8

Get a humidifier set up. It will reduce the amount of static by like 90%

Answer 9

Rub him with a dryer sheet.