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| I have 3 cats at my, 3 brothers.. Just trying to decide what all I should be doing for them in the colder weather. They have free choice cat food & drink out of the horses heated water tank that I keep filled. At night they get locked in the barn with the horses. They have a few cat beds & a box with blankets, but they won't sleep in it & I always find them in the hay. I was thinking of getting them a heat lamp, but I'm afraid of the fire hazard.. but I'd like to give them somewhere to get themselves warmed up |
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 Namesless in BHW
Posts: 10368
Location: At the race track with Ah Dee Ohs | Ours stay in the tack room with a heater. |
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 Go Canada!
Posts: 2954
 
| Mine are locked in my barn at night, I open the door just enough for them to be able to get out if they want for the day. They have a heat lamp and don't seem to leave it much... they watch me open the door in the morning from their bed and are in their bed under the heat lamp when I get home from work. |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| I bought some $5 plastic storage bins with lids, cut a hole in the side and put hay in it. My barn cats use them in the winter. 2 or 3 will be in there at one time, they seem toasty warm :). |
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Expert
Posts: 1343
Location: East Texas | I bought one of those heaters on a pole, took out one of the extensions to make it lower and put it in front of a doggie bed so all 4 of my barn cats can get in it. I put it on my front porch and they seem to be staying toasty! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1079
| One of my smarty-pants mare cats sleeps up on my old gelding every single night! She flattens down and he carries on business as usual, hay, grain, water, around and around his stall and there she lays on his back. SO CUTE. And I guarantee she's super warm and toasty. |
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Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| star1218 - 2016-12-15 4:31 PM One of my smarty-pants mare cats sleeps up on my old gelding every single night! She flattens down and he carries on business as usual, hay, grain, water, around and around his stall and there she lays on his back. SO CUTE. And I guarantee she's super warm and toasty.
We need pictures! |
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 Stinky Cat Owner
Posts: 4097
Location: Oregon | I have a section in my hay area and took some bales and made a fort for them with the 'walls' being one bale high and then spread out some old horse blankets over the top so they can go underneath and lay in the hay underneath the blankets. They seem to be just fine. :) |
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 It's not my fault I'm perfect
Posts: 13739
Location: Where the long tails flow, ND | star1218 - 2016-12-15 4:31 PM One of my smarty-pants mare cats sleeps up on my old gelding every single night! She flattens down and he carries on business as usual, hay, grain, water, around and around his stall and there she lays on his back. SO CUTE. And I guarantee she's super warm and toasty.
My barn cats do this also! So funny.
If mine aren't begging to come inside, they go in our fairly warm tack room in the barn. Otherwise hide in the hay. They do just fine! |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 415
| We use plastic dog kennels with a little hole cut in the top for a cord and hang a heat lamp from the "ceiling" of the cage. We also drap blankets and old saddle pads over it to keep them warm and the cats all snuggle up and don't like to leave them very much! |
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 Life Saver
Posts: 10477
Location: MT | rodeomom3 - 2016-12-15 2:40 PM I bought some $5 plastic storage bins with lids, cut a hole in the side and put hay in it. My barn cats use them in the winter. 2 or 3 will be in there at one time, they seem toasty warm :). We have the same. I took a rubbermaid tub and cut holes the size of a coffee can lid in one end and one side. I read online that they are more likely to use them if there are 2 entrance/exits. I then put it inside a bigger rubbermaid tub and cut matching holes in it. Then I put straw inside the bottom of the inner tub for them to lay in and then stuffed straw between the inner and outer tubs for insulation.
I cut up a feed sack and used gorilla tape to make flaps over the holes on the outside. Just today, I went and got a cheap canvas dropcloth from the hardware store and made a cover for it with flaps over the holes, figured the canvas wouldn't be so stiff in the cold weather as the feed sack.
We were 10 below this morning and I have 2 feral barn cats who chose it over the barn with the stack of straw in it. Works really well!
Edited to add: cut the holes up towards the top of the rubbermaid tub, that way the cats can just step through. Also, google for "feral cat shelter" - that's where I got the idea and they have tons of pictures.
Edited by ruggedchica 2016-12-15 8:14 PM
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| For those that use heat lamps- Doesn't a risk of a fire scare you?? My father is a fireman, so I suppose he's extra cautious & passes that on to me... I would bring them inside but I actually rent a barn about 15 minutes from my house, so that's not really an option either- and of course the feed/tack room isn't enclosed so I can't really heat that successfully either |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 518
| Ours sleep in a horse shelter that has a gate in front, it's used to hold the hay. The shelter protects them from the elements and in the shelter they have a barrel filled with straw. There's 2 so they cuddle up together and they seem just fine. They have 24/7 access to heated water and feed. Honestly some mornings I'm jealous of their cozy bed while I'm out in the wind and snow  |
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Life Saver
Posts: 10477
Location: MT | My rubbermaid box is outside. They started using it when I started feeding them right by it. If you go that route, it would probably help not to put the flaps over the holes until they got used to going in there. That's what we did. I have 2 tame cats that are inside/outside and they love to use it too.
I do make sure to pull the cat food before I go to bed at night, don't want to attract any predators to their little house!
Edited by ruggedchica 2016-12-15 8:29 PM
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 Expert
Posts: 1384
Location: Kansas | AmazingStretch - 2016-12-15 3:31 PM I have 3 cats at my, 3 brothers.. Just trying to decide what all I should be doing for them in the colder weather. They have free choice cat food & drink out of the horses heated water tank that I keep filled. At night they get locked in the barn with the horses. They have a few cat beds & a box with blankets, but they won't sleep in it & I always find them in the hay. I was thinking of getting them a heat lamp, but I'm afraid of the fire hazard.. but I'd like to give them somewhere to get themselves warmed up
We have used the heat lamps for baby chicks on them for years, never any problems |
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boon
Posts: 2
| We got our barn cats a heated dog pad about 8 years ago and it is still
Working great. We put the heated pad in an igloo dog house and set it in our hay loft. The cats are in there almost all the time. It's very safe and it only heats up when there is cats laying on it and uses very little electric. If it ever stops working I will most definitely buy another one for the cats. |
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 Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
| I feel guilty reading this because I don't do anything for my outside cats except feed them and make sure they have water. I have no idea where they go at night or when it gets really cold. I only see them during the day time when I'm doing chores.  |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7268
| want2chase3 - 2016-12-16 3:40 AM
I feel guilty reading this because I don't do anything for my outside cats except feed them and make sure they have water. I have no idea where they go at night or when it gets really cold. I only see them during the day time when I'm doing chores.
I'm the same way! Mine can sleep in the hay. I've never done anything as far as a heater for them and they all seem fine. Now I feel guilty! |
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 Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| Griz - 2016-12-16 5:33 AM
want2chase3 - 2016-12-16 3:40 AM
I feel guilty reading this because I don't do anything for my outside cats except feed them and make sure they have water. I have no idea where they go at night or when it gets really cold. I only see them during the day time when I'm doing chores.
I'm the same way! Mine can sleep in the hay. I've never done anything as far as a heater for them and they all seem fine. Now I feel guilty!
I'm the same way, our cats sleep in the hay. They are fed twice daily, drink from the horse waterers, and seem pretty happy.
As far as heat lamps go, I'll never have another one in my barn. About 10 years ago we set one up for some bucket calves on a really cold night. It got knocked off into some hay and started a fire. Thankfully someone headed to work at the feed yard saw it and woke us up. All of the animals were okay, but we decided it wasn't worth the risk. Bed the animals down deep in hay, provide them with a shelter from the weather, and they do fine. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 595
Location: North Dakota | Our 3 barn cats handle our winters just fine. They have a few boxes with a hole cut in them and straw inside to cuddle in but ours are pretty darn active during winter. They put on their 'winter weight' and handle the cold better than I do haha. They have free choice food, heated water bowl and cat doors so they can get anywhere and everywhere they want.
ETA: Our barn is insulated but not heated.
Edited by MidWest1452 2016-12-16 8:34 AM
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Go Canada!
Posts: 2954
| AmazingStretch - 2016-12-15 8:15 PM For those that use heat lamps- Doesn't a risk of a fire scare you?? My father is a fireman, so I suppose he's extra cautious & passes that on to me... I would bring them inside but I actually rent a barn about 15 minutes from my house, so that's not really an option either- and of course the feed/tack room isn't enclosed so I can't really heat that successfully either
Mine is hanging (can't be knocked over) /'d I check on it / the barn at least 4x a day. If I'm going away overnight or for a weekend I'll unplug it and turn the heat on slightly in the barn instead. Otherwise I just keep an close eye on it. |
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It's not my fault I'm perfect
Posts: 13739
Location: Where the long tails flow, ND | MidWest1452 - 2016-12-16 8:30 AM Our 3 barn cats handle our winters just fine. They have a few boxes with a hole cut in them and straw inside to cuddle in but ours are pretty darn active during winter. They put on their 'winter weight' and handle the cold better than I do haha. They have free choice food, heated water bowl and cat doors so they can get anywhere and everywhere they want. ETA: Our barn is insulated but not heated.
My barn cats doubled in size like a month ago, they know when winter is going to be cold just like the horses! lol |
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Go Canada!
Posts: 2954
| SmokinGirlie - 2016-12-16 9:18 AM
MidWest1452 - 2016-12-16 8:30 AM Our 3 barn cats handle our winters just fine. They have a few boxes with a hole cut in them and straw inside to cuddle in but ours are pretty darn active during winter. They put on their 'winter weight' and handle the cold better than I do haha. They have free choice food, heated water bowl and cat doors so they can get anywhere and everywhere they want. ETA: Our barn is insulated but not heated.
My barn cats doubled in size like a month ago, they know when winter is going to be cold just like the horses! lol
Mine do the same thing  |
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 Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | I don't do anything for my two either. They have food, water, and access to the hay shed. They sleep in the hay and haven't seemed cold. Fat and happy cats.
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 Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | If they have hay to crawl into, they are usually fine; especially if they have other cats to cuddle with.
Some of our cats go in the barn (barn is not heated). Some stay outside and go cuddle with the calves in their hay. Or in one of the polebarns in the hay.
They get fed a little extra when it's cold out. They do quite well. Farm cats are tough!
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Life Saver
Posts: 10477
Location: MT | I know of a house that almost burned down because of one of those heated pet beds, those aren't totally foolproof either. |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7268
| Mine do have a heated water bowl and they drink a LOT of water in the winter - I'd say more so than in the summer. |
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"Heck's Coming With Me"
Posts: 10797
Location: Kansas | Couple of years ago a house was burned to the ground in the Wichita area because of a heat lamp in a garage........put there to keep two dogs warm. Sadly they died in the fire. You have to be careful with heat lamps. |
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Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
| Griz - 2016-12-16 11:02 AM
Mine do have a heated water bowl and they drink a LOT of water in the winter - I'd say more so than in the summer.
I noticed their water bowl has been going down faster the last few weeks. I thought maybe the hens were stealing drinks from it too but they have their own water next to it. My 3 outside cats have been putting the food away for sure lol! |
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Regular
Posts: 79
| I have had one barn cat for about 5 years now...still very ferel but we see her everyday. We do nothing special in terms of heating...we do plug in a water dish and she has food 24/7...in the Winter we do bring her a warmed up can of cat good...otherwise, she's got dry food down 24/7. We put a cat bed out there one year but she rather may her bed in the hay...our barn is not really insulated and not heated...she is fat and happy |
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Regular
Posts: 95
| So it's okay that I have doubled in size for winter just as well?!?!?!  I've found that most barn cats seem to do just well if they can end up in the hay barn and have access to heated water & food. |
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"Heck's Coming With Me"
Posts: 10797
Location: Kansas | P68 - 2016-12-17 2:13 PM So it's okay that I have doubled in size for winter just as well?!?!?! I've found that most barn cats seem to do just well if they can end up in the hay barn and have access to heated water & food.
    
Edited by Frodo 2016-12-17 2:47 PM
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 No Tune in a Bucket
Posts: 2935
Location: Texas | rodeomom3 - 2016-12-15 3:40 PM I bought some $5 plastic storage bins with lids, cut a hole in the side and put hay in it. My barn cats use them in the winter. 2 or 3 will be in there at one time, they seem toasty warm :).
I saw one like that on Facebook (I think) and they put a pet bed inside the storage bin. Looked pretty snug. I have two cats who hate each other. What I wouldn't give for them to be able to snuggle up. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas |
Nailed it.... |
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Barn cats & Cold Weather