No Winter Shelter for Pet Cat is Animal Abuse

 

Our area is bitterly cold with temps dipping to 15 below zero and night with a high in the single digits during the day. Throughout the week there have been winter weather alerts on the news, and at the animal shelter to bring outdoor animals indoors or to provide an insulated shelter with a heated pad or self-warming pad and straw bedding. But in spite of all the warnings people in my neighborhood put their pet cats out even though there is no winter shelter. 

No insulated shelter for an indoor at night / outdoor during the day cat when weather is extreme is animal abuse in my opinion.

Yesterday when the windchill was 15 below zero I heard a sorrowful meow and followed the sound until I found a black cat sitting in the snow covered leaves. It didn’t run for me and I picked up the cat and brought it indoors. The tips of the cats ears and the bottom of its paws were ice-cold / freezing.

Cold cat laying on the bed. He seems happier

I brought the cat indoors to my heated mudroom and the cat laid on the pet bed next to the heat vent. The mudroom is close to the side entrance and if the cat wanted to go outdoors into the bitter cold it had many opportunities. The cat stayed put only leaving the bed by the heat vent to eat, drink or use the litter box.

I wonder what would have happened to this cat had I not searched for it. Would it have frozen to death like the family of dogs did in the doghouse in St. Louis, MO?

Apparently this cat belongs to one of my neighbors who put the cat out daily at 6 AM then allows the cat back into the house at 6 PM. This pet owner does not feel a shelter is necessary because the cat has fur, and that cats have survived harsh weather for thousands of years.

I will agree that feral cats will survive the harsh winter better than a domesticated house cat and that is because the feral cat has adapted to their surroundings and knows where to go for shelter.

A feral cat in a groundhog den

When people do not heed the advice of experts concerning weather alerts and safety measures for their pets that are outdoors without a winter shelter then I think these pet owners are animal abusers.

About Heat Lamps For Cat Shelters

Heat lamps with a reflector are a good way to keep cats warmer in a garage, basement or a shed. My friend raises small farm animals and told me that I should buy heat lamps with a reflector for my garage because it is a good way to keep the feral and stray cats warmer in winter.

The lamp reflector and clamp can be position easily but must be used with a heat lamp and a porcelain socket. Position the lamp to where you want it. I have two in my garage where the feral and stray cats go for shelter during winter.

The lights are 5 feet above the cats in one section of the garage I have self-warming beds under the lights for the cats. The heat lamp is a good way to provide warmth in garages, workshops or sheds.

My garage is 475 square feet and I have 4 heat lamps with reflector plus one space heater. This garage is 98 years old and is drafty, is not insulated but I did hang thermal insulated blackout drapes in a variety of colors, bought inexpensive ones at Walmart and king-sized fleece blankets over the interior walls. Then added carpet remnant on the floor.

The space heater is set at 59 degrees and the lights are left on throughout the night. The other night the temperature was 11 degrees with a windchill of 4 degrees. The thermostat indicated that my garage was 39 degrees. For a feral cat that is accustomed to living outdoors, this space is warm. Although along with the heat lamp and another form of supplement heat, you should also provide the cats with self-warming beds and insulated cat houses or doghouses filled with straw.

Feral Cat Sleeping in Winter Shelter Post Card

by Susang6

Do not use blankets for cat bedding in the garage, shed or cold basement because the blankets will retain the cold.  

Kitty Tube Insulated Cat House

Keep your outdoor cats safe from wind, rain, hail, extreme heat and cold with a kitty tube cat house.  This tube will provide your cat with a comfortable outdoor resting place. The interior is roomy; three cats can sleep comfortably.  

If you are providing your indoor/ outdoor cat with a kitty tube cat house then set it up on your porch, patio, or deck.  However  if you intend to provide stray or feral cats with an outdoor cat house then you will need to choose an area that is away from human traffic.   

A good location for the kitty tube would be behind evergreen shrubs or tucked under bamboo or ornamental grass.  Any location that is quite and hidden is ideal for a feral cat house.

If you reside in an area that gets snow and heavy rain then elevate the kitty tube. 

The higher elevation protects the cat and bedding from water drainage and snow.   If you do not have higher ground then build a platform base of cement blocks and then set plywood that is an inch thick on top of the cement block.  

Tips:

The kitty tube comes with a thermal pad.  Feral cats are more accustomed to straw than they are to a thermal pad. They prefer to burrow into straw and then sleep.  I removed the pad and gave it to my indoor cats.  I then filled the kitty tube with straw.  Feral cats tend to mark the straw.  You will need to check the straw bedding and if it soiled then remove and add fresh straw to the cat house.

Secure the kitty tube with bungee cords.  This will protect the cat house from being uplifted when there is a strong wind.

The door design on the kitty tube provides easy passage for your cat and keeps predators out. 

The tube is a safe and secure place for outdoor cats to give birth.