How to Keep Outdoor Cats Warm in WinterJanuary 24, 2012
I found the neatest websites with great ideas for keeping outdoor cats (owned and feral) cozy in winter. Although I’d prefer your cats are curled up at your feet on a cold winter night, not all cats want to or are able to live indoors.
Clever Outdoor Housing Ideas
Check out these ideas from the P.A.C.T. Humane Society for inexpensive, relatively easy-to-construct outdoor housing options for kitties that need a warm place to curl up at night.
Outdoor cats also need more calories and fresh water in the winter. Leaving a bowl of cat food outdoors on the back stoop is a great way to attract other creatures searching for a meal, including those that may potentially harm the cat you’re trying to protect, such as raccoons, coyotes, and possums (let alone rats).
Water bowls can also freeze in the winter. Here are some great ideas from IndyFeral for outdoor winter food, water, and shelter for kitties.
SnuggleSafe Heat Pads are a wonderful means of providing warmth on a cold night without the worry of electrical cords. They’re used in veterinary hospitals, as well, to keep warm our recovering, young, and geriatric patients. After microwaving the Frisbee-size disk per the manufacturer’s specific instructions, they provide warmth for 6-8 hours, sans cord.
Help Stop the Spread of Feral Cats
All cats, whether feral or owned, need to be spayed or neutered to help prevent the sad perpetuation of the feral cat problem in the United States. Feeding unaltered cats, while noble, contributes to the birth of more feral kittens.
Trap/neuter/release programs, such as the Feral Cat Project, started by our very own Dr. Christine Wilford, provide a safe, no-cost or low-cost means of altering un-owned cats. These programs help thousands of cats every year.
