Daylight saving time: how to shift your dog's and cat's mealtimes

If you keep the same clock times at the end of March, your dog or cat will get its meal an hour earlier than usual. You can shift mealtimes gradually over the days around the change or switch to the new times right away and see how it goes. If your pet takes medication or has treatments scheduled around meals, ask your veterinarian first.

What changes for mealtimes

Daylight saving time begins on the last Sunday in March: in 2026, that is Sunday, March 29, and clocks go forward by one hour.

For example, breakfast is at 7. After the change, 7 on the clock is the same as 6 before the change. If you don’t shift anything, the meal comes an hour earlier than your pet is used to. A pet still following the old routine might instead ask for food later than expected: around 8 on the clock.

Two ways to shift the times

There are two options, and neither is always better: the choice depends on how your household’s days are organized around work, school, and outings.

Gradually

In the days before the change, move mealtimes earlier by 15 minutes each day so you can keep your usual clock times on Sunday. Here’s an example for a usual breakfast at 7:

Sunday’s 7, in daylight saving time, is the same as Saturday’s 6, so the routine stays continuous. This is an example, not a rule. The same schedule works for the evening meal: a dinner at 19:00 moves to 18:45, 18:30, 18:15, and 18:00, then returns to 19:00 on Sunday.

Alternatively, you can do the same after the change: start at 7:45 on Sunday (the new 8 is the old 7) and move the time earlier by 15 minutes each day until you reach 7. This method means the family has to adjust its own routines for a few days, starting with wake-up and return-home times.

All at once

Starting on the Sunday of the change, switch straight to the new times: breakfast stays at 7 on the clock, even though it comes an hour earlier than usual for your pet. This can work when your household routine is flexible. For the first few days, keep an eye on appetite and behavior. If anything concerns you, talk to your veterinarian.

If there are treatments or fixed schedules

If your pet takes medication that must be given with food or at precise intervals, or your veterinarian has set strict times, don’t change anything on your own. Ask your veterinarian whether and how to adjust the schedule, and do so before March 29 so you have clear instructions when the time changes.

Update feeders, reminders, and related routines

If you use an automatic feeder or a timer, check the time it is set to and, if needed, adjust it according to the manual; after the change, check that it shows the correct time. You may also need to shift dog walks after meals and litter box cleaning if they currently follow mealtimes.

If you use the PawsPet app and have recorded meals as recurring activities with reminders in the «Attività» tab, once you’ve decided on the new time, open the occurrence for the first affected day, tap «Modifica», change the time, and tap «Salva». In the «Quali eventi vuoi modificare?» panel, choose «Questa e le future»: the new time will apply from that day onward.

If your reminders are instead based on a diet recorded in the «Salute» tab, you’ll find «Apri» instead of «Modifica» in the reminder details; it takes you to the linked record. Change the time in the diet entry: open ⋮ in the top right, tap «Modifica», update the administration time, and save. In both cases, after the change, check that the first reminder arrives at the time you expect.

Before the change: three things to do

1. Choose a method and write down the new mealtimes somewhere the whole family can see them.
2. If there are treatments linked to meals, check with your veterinarian before shifting those times.
3. Remember to check feeders, timers, and reminders the day after the change.

At the end of October, the situation is reversed because clocks go back by one hour: the same methods and precautions apply in reverse.