Clocks going back? Your pet has not approved the new breakfast time

Back to the Future, straight to the food bowl

You have gained an hour. Your pet has apparently lost their breakfast. It is the least glamorous time-travel plot imaginable: no DeLorean, just someone staring at a cupboard at what your phone insists is five in the morning.

In the UK, the clocks go back at 2am on Sunday 25 October 2026, returning to 1am. If breakfast normally happens at 7am, the same moment in your pet’s old routine now arrives at 6am. Waiting until the new 7am means waiting an extra hour.

Some pets barely notice. Others run the kitchen with the precision of a railway timetable. The useful thing is to agree a plan before two people each decide the poor creature cannot possibly have been fed.

A breakfast example you can put on the fridge

PDSA suggests easing routines later in small steps, such as ten minutes a day. You can begin before the change or adjust afterwards. This example starts afterwards and is for an otherwise healthy adult pet whose meal timing is flexible; it is not a feeding prescription.

For a usual 7am breakfast, Sunday’s 6am on the new clock matches the old timing. Move towards 7am gradually if that suits your pet. Keep their usual food and daily amount; the extra hour does not call for a bonus breakfast.

• Sunday 25 October: 6:00am GMT — the equivalent of the old 7am.
• Monday: 6:10am. Tuesday: 6:20am. Wednesday: 6:30am.
• Thursday: 6:40am. Friday: 6:50am. Saturday: 7:00am.
• Write down who is feeding and tick off the meal once it is given. If the example does not fit your pet, use a slower plan or ask your vet.

For dogs: the toilet trip comes before the lie-in

A dog who needs to go out cannot read the small print about British Summer Time. PDSA advises keeping that first opportunity at the equivalent of the usual time on the first morning, then easing the routine across. Do not make a dog wait simply to match the new clock.

Evening walks need a separate look because darkness arrives earlier by the clock. Check when your normal route will be light and decide who can do it. The breakfast example is not a reason to delay every part of the day together.

For a puppy, keep toilet opportunities responsive to their needs. For an older dog, keep comfort and their established care plan ahead of a neat timetable. An accident is a reason to help them, not tell them off.

For cats: the dawn shift already has a manager

Cats Protection explains that cats are naturally more active around dawn and dusk. An early-morning appearance beside your pillow is not necessarily a new habit created by the clocks.

Keep familiar play and feeding cues predictable. If you use a timed feeder, check its clock and daylight-saving setting rather than assuming it follows your phone. Put the new times somewhere everyone can see them; a cat with two breakfast staff will rarely volunteer the relevant paperwork.

For outdoor cats, Cats Protection recommends keeping them indoors overnight. Make sure indoor resources and things to do are available. For kittens and senior cats, keep the plan suited to their existing needs rather than stretching meals to fit this adult-pet example.

New night-time restlessness or a change in eating or toileting deserves a conversation with your vet. The calendar is context, not a diagnosis.

Keep medicines and appointments out of the experiment

A meal reminder and a medicine interval are different jobs. If your pet has timed medication or meals linked to treatment, ask your veterinary team how to handle the hour change. Do not move, skip or double a dose using this breakfast example.

For appointments, use the local time confirmed by the practice. Check shared calendars and any standalone feeder or reminder device after the change. A useful household note needs only the pet’s name, the agreed routine, who is responsible and what has actually been done.

Save the film-level drama for the sofa. With a shared plan, Sunday morning can be pleasantly uneventful — apart from the cat’s formal complaint about your timekeeping.