i am moving and my 1 1/2 year old indoor cat is going to have to be kept outside?

Question

it will be around 35 degrees out where we are moving and we have a barn that she will stay in.. is this safe she doesn't have her winter fur.. please dont harass me.. i dont have a choice in this move...just tell me if u think this will be ok for her.. i dont have a choice, besides taking her to the humane society, which is overcrowed right now, i checked.

Answer 1

If the barn is secure and she can't get out, that will help. Sometimes cats run away when you first move because they don't know the new place as home. She has no concept of predators if she's been indoor, and she shouldn't be allowed outside of the barn - especially at night. If you can get her microchipped at the vet, it could help if she does manage to escape and get lost.

At least she has shelter, and if you provide a box with blankets where she can sleep she should be ok with her own fur and body heat. My parents have outdoor cats in the mountains and they do fine with a doghouse on a sheltered back porch with clean warm blankets. They do come in the house if it gets stormy or extremely cold, but usually they prefer to be outside.

Make sure you check her food and water a few times a day to make sure it is not frozen, and give her plenty of attention. This move is probably just as traumatic for her as it is for you.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Cats have been living in barns for as long as there have been barns. And it may be 35 outside, but if there are other animals inside the barn, it's likely to be much warmer inside it.

If the barn will have hay in it, then this will help...It can be very nice bedding, and helps to insulate, as well.

If it won't, you might consider getting a dog house that can be placed inside the barn, and get her some good bedding. The dog house will help keep her body heat contained in a smaller area than just a big barn. Also, if there's no hay, then the risk of fire is decreased, so you might add a heating pad (on low!) to the doghouse to help keep her warm.

She'll grow a winter coat in no time, and will probably be a big help in keeping the barn free of mice.

When you first get to the new place, it is probably best to keep her locked in the barn for a week, just so that she can get used to her new space and not feel the need to run home. Also, if you have something that smells like you, that you can leave in the barn, this will help her feel at home. With moves like this, one of the biggest things that helps cats recognize the new place is the furniture...if you have an extra chair or even an extra pillow, she'll probably appreciate having that nearby.

Answer 3

Pay attention to the answers from Nancy and abfanmom... If you truly have no choice, do everything to help her. Do not have her inside till you move and then just immedialtely leave her out there alone. At the beginning check on her VERY OFTEN so she will learn you are still there.

Free water is absolutely required. For outside animals and strays I keep water in a flat-bottomed large steel dish sitting on a heating pad all winter. I do put a towel or sweatshirt over the pad to catch any water splashed out and to keep the cats from burning themselves as they lay around the dish.

The igloo doghouses that are nitrogen-insulated are very warm (tested one myself in 13-degree weather). You can make her an almost-free house: Get two or three very large boxes, one a little larger than the others. I pass the word around that I want carefully-opened boxes from water heaters, applicances, furniture. Put foam peanuts in the bottom of the largest box. Then set the smaller box(es) in and fill in the side spaces with more peanuts or crumpled newspaper or both. Close and tape the end/side flaps so there's just a small opening; always cut one or two small escape-openings in the other end. The I get heavy roll plastic and completely wrap the box, taping it at seams. Over the entrance holes just cut the plastic on three sides so it makes a flap that keeps some of the air out. Tape the plastic to the box on the cut sides. Put old blankets and sweatsuits in the box for her to snuggle in.

Again - the most important is keeping unfrozen water. Over the years I've been told the heating pad is not safe but I've never had a problem. I do not let it set on cardboard; the flat lid of a cooler or a rubber car-floor mat is good. Last year I got a large heated dog-water-bowl which is wonderful. So I used the heating pads to make some warm beds.

Another warm place to make is to get an old table and some roll plastic. I put an old upholstered chair (a box when no chair) on the table, then draped the plastic over all, holding it by putting the plastic under the table legs. It's not real warm, but does cut down some on the cold air and does hold in their body heat to make it warmer.

Small beds can be made from old coolers (heavy thermos coolers) WITHOUT the lid. Add a rug or sweatshirt, face the open side near the wall or cover with plastic so your cat can still get in at the edge and you have a good outdoor bed.

Answer 4

If this cat has never lived outside, in any weather, sticking her out in a barn....alone in 35 degree weather....will be a "death sentence" for her. She WON'T know how to keep herself warm OR safe, since she's never had to before. It would be much kinder, if you don't have any choice in this matter, to ask your vet to help you find her a new home. If nothing else, run an ad in the newspaper, and find her a new home that way. You can choose the person you want to have her, and she'll have a safe/warm home. Good luck

Answer 5

In all honesty, Greyhounds have the tendency to be quite unruly whilst around small children. This is especially true with the Italian breed of Greyhounds. Greyhounds are attention seeking dogs and they will jump at any opportunity to prove this. I've heard accounts of Italian Greyhounds feeding on unattended infants. Being a parent myself I would be appalled if I came home and unsuspectingly found my child mauled to death by a raving mad dog. If I were you I would choose a more, child-friendly dog like a Doberman Pinscher or a Rottweiler. These two breeds of dogs may have a horrible reputation but it's not as bad as people may think.

Answer 6

This is going to be hard on both of you. Be sure she/he has a place in the barn where she can build a nest. Provide a box and pieces of blanket. Cover the box with more pieces and cut a hole in one end so she can get out. Put her food and water near the box and her liter box in another quiet corner. Get the box before you move and let her get familiar with it. (Maybe put some catnip in it to encourage her to stay inside.) That way her smell will be on it when she has to sleep in it after your move. Stay in the barn with her for awhile when you first move her. Walk around with her in your arms and let her see her new home from the protection of your arms. Show her the box and let her explore the barn. Good Luck. May I ask why she will have to stay in the barn?

Answer 7

It is to cold to place an indoor animal outside during extreme temperatures. If it were still summer she would have plenty of time to adjust to the weather.

See if you can find an alternative method until summer so she can adjust during nice weather,

or see if you can make her a heat source. Heat Lamp, heating pad etc. I use heat lamps with my dogs which works great.

Answer 8

With no winter fur she's going to be cold and miserable as well as not have people around. This radical a change in environment is going to be extremely stressful for her. Try as best you can to keep her indoors, even if she's confined to one room.

Answer 9

The last thing you want to do is take her to the humane society. Try to have her in the house. If its like 35 degrees, she will most likely freeze to death. That's so sad.............. =(

Answer 10

that is mean and your cat is not used to the outdoors and will be terrified. try to have her stay with a friend until you can provide her with the home she deserves. I had to move and have had my cats 10 yrs and if they didnt except pets I didnt move there...end of story