we are having a cold snap and i am concerned about my very furry 3-year-old Himalayen cat getting cold outside

Question

she hates to be inside and races around from window to window knocking everything over and rips the house to shreds to let me know that she wants out! so to keep her warm outside, at night i have been putting 2 large jugs of hot water by her bed in the garage. i wonder if it would be even nicer for her if i put a heating pad in her bed. would that be safe? have any of you ever tried that? i understand that it is not healthy for an outside animal to have an actual radiant or convection heater in their living quarters because then they are prone to catch cold when they go outside because the ambient temperatures is so different from each other.

Answer 1

if she is a mostly outdoor cat, then she was able to aclimatize to the weather, she has put a full winter coat on and thats why she is acting like she does when she is inside. She's too HOT. If she is in the garage, with the door closed and no wind can get in, her bed is full of blankets, and she is properly fed and sheltered, there is no need to add anymore heat. If your still concerned get her an enclosed box one that is fulled closed on all for sides and top with just a small door to go in. Get it off the floor a few inches so there are no drafts and its not on the cold ground. Stuff it with warm bedding. She be fine in even below freezing. Watch the news if they issue an alert for animals because of the cold, then bring her inside for the time.

Answer 2

I once had a neighbor who kept their cats outside even in winter. I used make a kind of bed for them on my patio deck chairs with old blankets, towels and cushions. I'd fill up two or three cocal cola bottles with hot water and put those underneath the blankets of this cat bed I made. I also made a kind of "tent" with one of the blankets to cover the bed. The cats were kept warm this way thorugh the coldest part of the night... but I did have to refill the bottles once or twice during the night and early morning... so that was not really an efficient way to keep these cats warm but they did make it through the winter.

I was thinking why not install a heat lamp somewhere near the cat's bed in the garage? If not, then I think a heating pad will be OK as long as you make sure that its cover is sufficiently cat-proof - wrapped in a thick towel and set on "low."

Answer 3

Well, on the news this morning, a cat was stuck in a tree for 3 days during a snow storm. The cat was fine.
A garage would be an improvement over that.
Anyway, heating pads shut off after an hour as a saftey feature.

Answer 4

I don't know where you are but where I am we had temps in the 20's for several days and teen's for several nights. I just used cardboard boxes and cut a hole in one side and stuffed blankets for warmth inside. This seemed to do the trick for my outside kitty. He doesn't get the garage as it is more cold in there from leaks and it traps cold air in. Anywho, I arranged the boxes so that they can be sheltered from wind chills as well. Hope this helps. No electric stuff though as your cat may claw at it and electricute herself.

Answer 5

I'm sure a heating pad would be a good idea, as long as you don't have a good that would be out there with her and chew it up. They also make special pads that reflect the animal's body heat back to their bodies. Seems like the heating pad would be better. I know they have fur to help keep them warm, but when it's really cold I feel they need extra warmth some how.

It's good to hear people care about their 4 legged friends.

Answer 6

I don't understand. If you are concerned enough about your cat to be worried about it getting cold, why are you not concerned enough to educate yourself on how to keep a cat indoors and the things you can do to make its life equally as exciting as running around outdoors. The life span of an outdoor cat is approximately 5 years. The life span of an indoor domestic cat is now between 16 and 18 years of age. Spend your time figuring out how to make her happy inside, not out.

Answer 7

Wow, it truly is quite remarkable. The pups deserve all kinds of domestic dog rewards and treats, isn't this an astounding thanks to remind human beings to continually be form to animals, those little fellows saved a baby's existence. it would want to were very not likely that this tale might want to have had any such joyful effect without the pups. thanks for the chuffed, coronary heart-warming tale! and that i'm chuffed you're back Scooter!

Answer 8

You could make sure that she has shelter and you could use old rags to give her some bedding. She will survive, they are pretty independent.