Keeping Feral Cats Water from Freezing

This week our weather is extreme and the temperature has gone down to 22 degrees below zero. Even on bitterly cold winter days, we take care of the feral and stray cats... it's caretaking as usual except when the temperature is extreme we have a  hard time at preventing their water from freezing.  After trial and error, I did learn that heavy rubber livestock feed bowls are the best choice for keeping feral cats' water from freezing.

Thin plastic like Tupperware or metal is not a good choice for outdoor cats during winter, the metal holds the cold and the water freezes very quickly. I was going outdoors to check the cat's water every two hours. I would take along 2 gallons of hot water to melt the ice in the bowl then I would fill the bowl with room temperature water. 

When the roads opened up we went to the Tractor Supply store and bought the heavy black 100 % rubber 2-gallon bowl. I filled it with room-temperature water because it doesn't freeze as quickly as hot water.  Look for the heavy rubber bowl in the livestock section.  Know that there is a strong rubber smell and that the smell fades over time.

When the outdoor temperature was 10 degrees the water that was on the south side of the house and in the sun did not freeze. However, the bowl was fully frozen within 4 hours when the sunset and temperature went to 4 degrees.  The sun warms the rubber which prevents the water from freezing.

Note: The cats were able to break the shallow ice on the top and get the water below.  

Know that the water in this rubber bowl still freezes but not as quickly as plastic or metal.

 

I check the rubber bowl every 4 to 6  hours during the daylight and my husband makes sure the bowl is ice-free at 1OPM. If the ice is thin on top we will break it up and add cold water to the bowl.

No worries when removing the ice from the rubber bowl, it's easy to remove and the rubber does not crack.

NOTE: The best water source for feral or stray cats would be running water as in a garden pond with a waterfall, moving water does not freeze but if your weather is extreme and temps below zero all water will freeze. I have seen the feral cats break up the thin ice in the garden pond with a waterfall to get to the water below.

Also, electrically heated water bowls are a good way to prevent the feral stray cat's water from freezing.  

Feral Cats - Winter Snow Photographs

The  feral cats that are in my care reside in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains.  These cats take shelter in thicket dens and in the rock crevices.  

Here is a collection of some of my favorite winter photographs of the colony cats.   The cats were photographed after the February 2011 blizzard .  This arctic blizzard brought 22 inches of snow and ice to our area and extreme cold temperatures.  

The feral cats sought shelter in the woods, neighborhood sewers and few neighbors left their heated garages open a crack so the cats would have shelter from this brutal snow and ice storm.

 It snowed for three days and three nights and when it finally stopped the  Colony caregivers needed to rescue many of the feral cats from blocked sewer pipes, and snow encased thickets that trapped the cats exit. We took turns at digging out the cats as the windchill was 4 degrees. 


Photographs and text by Susan Golis ©

Cat tracks in snow

Adult feral cat crosses snow to get to thicket den

Path to feral cat feeding station

Feral cat eats first meal in 4 days (Cats were trapped in dens, we removed the snow and ice)

Feral cat looks thankful for the food