NFT - Outdoor pets in the winter... a question
 

Winter is coming... and I've never had an outdoor pet before.

Some of you might remember that we recently moved to the area around KC and are now living on acres. About a week after we moved in we had a black kitten show up that has adopted us and we care about a lot. He has been an outdoor cat this whole time but with this cold weather around the corner I have some concerns.

I built a little house for him that sits on our porch and is in a spot where rain and snow cannot get to it but I still have concerns that it will still be too cold for him out there. The house I built him has styrofoam insulation on both the walls, the rear, and two panels under the flooring.

Here is the house for context:

https://i.imgur.com/rarGUrM.jpg

The other option I am considering is placing his house in the shop and just closing the door on him overnight and letting him back out in the morning. Not my favorite idea as I don't want to have to keep a litter box anywhere.

Have any of you kept a cat outdoors during the winter in Missouri or somewhere that gets equally cold and have thoughts on this?

TIA

That's really tough with a cat, if it's like 20s-30s he'll be fine but if it starts getting below 10 he has to go inside.

I have 4 kids and I generally think of them as indoor animals to be honest.

Our farm cats seem to be fine. They find their warms spots and suck it up.

Insulate it & put a blanket in it. They’ll be fine.

Good advice here.
http://www.vetstreet.com/dr-marty-be...winter-weather

And I'd try to find the best place you can out of the wind.

I've never understood this crazed culture that freaks out when they see a dog outside in cold weather. It's a ****ing wolf. What did dogs and wolves do before we have nice houses? Plenty of wild dogs and wild feral barn cats that make due. If I had a dog, it would be strictly an outdoor animal. Dogs smell and destroy houses. But seem to make great pets and good hunting animals. Dogs used to be either an indoor or outdoor pet, but in the last quarter of the century they've moved to solely an indoor pet for some reason.

I'd nail patch of gunny sack to the front of it for an easy door that will block the wind. Otherwise looks fine...

ROFL @ this logic. Do you run from cats because "holy shit, it's a ****ing tiger!"

Yeah. Keep the wind off and they can retain heat pretty well.

One thing you need to do is make sure it’s the warmest place around. If they go looking for a warmer place coyotes will have breakfast.

Off hand question, why are you opposed to keeping it in the shop? We try to keep a cat in our shop to keep the mice down.

I have had outside cats for years.
Provide a shelter with straw, put on Southern Exposure of house protected from wind and rain.
When it gets super nasty cold I allow them in my heated garage.
Always make sure they have water

It's amazing how we think animals need our help to survive in the outdoors. It's kind of arrogant.

Put a wind break on the front of it and lots of straw inside.

Do you have a barn they can run into though? I have a greenhouse but there isn't a great temperature difference between inside and outside when the skirts are up (which they would have to be for him to have access to the greenhouse).

I both insulated it with 1/2 inch styro on 3 walls and went two panels deep on the base under the floor and put a blanket down in there. I'm considering an animal safe heating pad beneath the blanket.

I had actually seen that page before and it is how I decided on a 2x2 platform with an 18 inch(ish) peak. The doorway is a little wider than suggested though.

I didn't realize I was freaking out. I felt as if I was trying to ensure my friend was warm and safe over the winter while keeping up his task of mousing. I get that he can "make due" but why not make my friend comfortable?


Thanks! I have been contemplating how to more effectively close off the front door with a flap of some sort and this would work nicely.

The shop doesn't have a pet door on it yet and I'm not sold on his ability (or desire) to hold in his waste until I can open the door for him in the morning. I guess I could just suck it up and put kitty litter in there.

I also have a greenhouse which I had not considered because with the skirts up it doesn't have much of a temperature difference and with them down he has no access. But... it would at least cut the wind down further for him and he would still have access to the outside with the skirts up.

Sorry wasn't talking about you specifically, but the people who either call the cops or shame people on facebook or something because their dog is outside when it's cold.

When I was watching over a stray (who I now have), I used to fold up a light blanket and put heat packs under it. She loved it.

Cost a bit though.