How cold can cats withstand? And looking for creative options for an old kitty

[retrofit]

I’m a boarder but it’s fallen to me to take care of 3 barn cats (long story). 2 of them are long-haired cats, 9 years old, lived there since they were kittens, have self-warming beds and also wedge themselves between hay bales up in the loft. The 3rd is a recent dump. She’s a short-haired cat, 17 years old and has never lived outside. She has made the adjustment fairly well and her weight is good, but she lives down low (probably has trouble jumping at her age) and refuses to use any bed or kitty house other than a folded up old saddle pad. Her “spot” is in a cut-out under the feed bin, so that saddle pad is on a wood shelf and up against an outside wall … in other words, it’s not keeping her warm.

Sunday night is supposed to be a low of 8. I’m really worried about her. I can’t bring her home (tiny apartment & no way to separate her from my own cats) and while we have a heated tack room, it’s TINY, full of expensive tack & fancy knick-knacks, and guarded like a hawk by the resident trainer. (And I get it, nobody wants to be told that a client’s $5000 saddle got scratched.) I’ve also considered getting an electric heated pad but the cord will have to run across the doorway of the feed room and that’s an obvious safety hazard. Again, I’m a boarder and all the cats are not welcome so bringing up any issues related to them gets me nowhere.

After writing this all out, I think I’m going to hit up Amazon for that heated pad and use an orange extension cord and hot pink duct tape and hope that nobody trips & hurts themself. And also hope that the night-check guy who is notoriously cheap doesn’t unplug it. Gah.

COTH always amazes me with your collective creativity. What do you guys think??

[danacat]

Maybe stuff a flake of straw or hay in the cut out? Or insulate back wall with a piece of styrofoam?

[rockonxox]

Would she use something like this if you put it in her spot? Lay the saddlepad on the bottom if that is what she really wants to lay on, it might entice her to use it. I’ve also seen these made with a layer of insulated foil surrounding the styrofoam (you can get a cheap car sunshield and cut it to size or perhaps a roll of it at a hardware store).

https://alleycatadvocates.org/commun…nter-shelters/

[bdj]

Would something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Snugglesafe-Microwave-Wireless-Heatpad-Fleece/dp/B0014LJKUA be an option (if you were going to order from Amazon anyhow)? No extension cords to worry about, at least.

[AnastasiaBeaverhousen]

Where is the water heater located?
we leave The feed room door slightly ajar so the barn kitty can curl up near it when it is cold.
He also manages to find a warm space in the area above the office in the barn.

[Brown_Derby]

Maybe she would use the self-warming pad if it was placed under “her” saddle pad? I have a fussy old lady cat with very specific Feng Shui requirements.

Thank you for being her advocate!

[Alex_and_Bodie_s_Mom]

My barn cats sleep in crates at night, large enough for beds and litter boxes. I think the size is for an 85lb. dog. You could do that for her in the heated tack room, or take her home and set it up there? At 17, she shouldn’t be out in weather like that. Mine are short/medium haired cats, but have lived out their entire lives and have had time to acclimate and grow winter coats.

If you can’t do either of those, could she board at a vet for the weekend?

[betsyk]

I’d be networking with other boarders to find her a retirement home - indoors. I have a 17-year-old kitty who’s been an indoor cat her entire life. If your barn cat was dropped off, it’s probably because she was peeing on things and needs a visit to the vet. I can’t imagine our old lady cat becoming a barn cat at that age

If you can’t arrange a change of venue in time, I’d shut her in a big dog crate with litter box and water source (she probably also has kidney disease at that age) and an old down jacket at night until the weather warms up.

[BravAddict]

@Alex and Bodie's Mom

My barn cats sleep in crates at night, large enough for beds and litter boxes. I think the size is for an 85lb. dog. You could do that for her in the heated tack room, or take her home and set it up there? At 17, she shouldn’t be out in weather like that. Mine are short/medium haired cats, but have lived out their entire lives and have had time to acclimate and grow winter coats.

If you can’t do either of those, could she board at a vet for the weekend?

I love this. Can you elaborate? All in one crate? Each in his/her own? Closed?

[rockonxox]

Yeah, best option would be to find someone to give her a home home… but if no one is willing you’ve got to work with what you’ve got. Crappy that she got dropped off.

[Alex_and_Bodie_s_Mom]

@BravAddict

I love this. Can you elaborate? All in one crate? Each in his/her own? Closed?

Sort of! I have 7 barn cats that sleep in the crates at night. Three have their own crates (one is too big to be with anyone else, the other two are FIV-positive and I have to monitor one’s food intake every day, so they get their own crates). The other four have no problems sleeping in the same crate. The larger crates are plenty big enough for a warm bed, food/water bowls, and a small litter box. In the summer, I bring the crates into the aisle to catch breezes; in the winter, they go into one of the stalls. I cover them in the winter with old turnout blankets, and in the summer with just lightweight sheets.

This is similar to mine: https://www.amazon.com/Paws-Pals-Crate-Double-Door-Folding/dp/B00IGEP52K/ref=sr_1_3?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1547670912&sr=1-3&keywords=crate&refinements=p_n_feature_three_browse-bin%3A12033808011 - I got the largest one our local Walmart carries!

But I really think she needs a good indoor home for whatever’s left of her life. One of my old barn kitties just moved into the house one day at about 17 - just walked inside like she’d done it all her life. Taught herself to use the litter box, ate with everyone else, slept in a crate at night, and was happy and content until she died about three months later in her sleep. She was just done being a barn cat!

[retrofit]

Wow … let me see if I can address all the questions.

She has chosen a spot that is odd dimensions. It’s kind of a cut-out under the built-in wooden feed bin. It works well in that the other 2 cats are rafter-dwellers so there’s no squabbling for space and she’s fairly protected from the cat-aggressive, free-roaming farm dogs. BUT there’s no room for a shelter of any kind and I think that’s why she has rejected self-heating beds - the sides make them uninviting in those confines.

I know why she was dumped and it’s a crappy story that doesn’t bear repeating, but it’s not for veterinary issues. And unfortunately, none of the other boarders care at all.

Hot water heater is in the forbidden tack room.

I thought about that microwaveable Snuggle Safe thingie but 1. it won’t last all night and 2. that requires me to be at the barn to nuke it every night and I sometimes work late (which is why I’m one of those weird early morning people instead).

Sorry it sounds like I’m being a negative nellie but I’m in a corner between barn restrictions and kitty having “specific Feng Shui requirements” (love that, Brown Derby!)

I went ahead & ordered that electric heated bed. I’m going to duct tape the cord down with my hot pink duct tape and hope for the best. It should get me through this up-coming weekend anyway.

[retrofit]

PS Thank you all for commenting. If nothing else, you’ve made me feel validated in my concern and given me more resolve to help the old gal. As you can tell I face resistance at the barn and sometimes it’s just nice to have a sympathetic ear.

[Feliz]

hey thanks for looking after this old lady - you’re doing a good thing

I only have one suggestion - duct tape the extension cord up and OVER the door frame - that way it won’t be a trip hazard. Good luck, I hope she uses it

[EquineJunky]

I use the Snugglesafe linked above for one of my barn kitties (assuming you have access to a microwave to heat it up). She LOVES her heated disc.

[BravAddict]

Are you sure you can’t pop her in a crate and take her home at night? She needs an upgrade.

[rockonxox]

Is the reason she was dumped a reason that is going to make her super difficult to find someone to help her out and in a warm home? You don’t have to explain… but if it isn’t behavioral or medical then I bet you can find someone willing to help out, at least over the colder months. Even if it is behavioral or medical there could be someone willing! There are a ton of active pet rescue groups (not necessarily specific rescues being ran - just like minded people who help find the owners for lost/found pets or find foster homes) that I’m a part of on Facebook and I know in a heart beat if there was an older animal just needing safe keeping short term that at least one would step up and provide shelter. I’d try those avenues (those on COTH near your area might be able to recommend options) while also setting up a warmer shelter for the now.

[SusanO]

Well I hope the mice get hold of the other boarder’s tack. Then maybe they will appreciate the barn kitties. Kudos for trying to help her. My barn ( front porch) kitties love their heated cat houses.

[Rackonteur]

If she could board at your vet’s for the coldest night(s) she might find a home there, either as the clinic’s hostess cat or with a client. Could you afford to board her for a night or two?

How on earth can horse people like barns and not like cats? Do they like mice and rats? Snakes?

[4horses]

This is what I would make:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lpW69fNzcjc

She might not use it, so i would plan on something else for a back up. The problem with only one bed is that the other cats may realize how nice it is and steal it from her. Multiple beds is a better option. Especially if you are adding heated beds- might as well buy an extra one.

you could probably add a heated bed to the house in the YouTube video.