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 Midget Lover
     
Location: Kentucky | I acquired a barn cat in the summer. I'm worried with the nasty cold weather we are having if he is warm enough at night. The barn is metal and enclosed, and I shut the doors at night. He made a "home" in the hay and burrows in there every night. He is fat and happy, but I'm worried we have a much longer winter ahead of us with it starting this early.
Is there anything I can do to ensure he is warm at night? I don't feel comfortable leaving a heating pad on at night. Or are cats pretty self sufficient? |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992
Location: Kansas | For my barn kitties, I put them in the garage, with access to get out. Made them a box with lots of warm blankets, and keep a heater on low in front of the box for them. |
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 Not a Long Term Trail Rider
Posts: 3201
Location: Henryetta, OK | Your barn kitty will be good to go. Mine buries into the hay stack too. I change his water a lot because it constantly freezes. Mine will come to the door of the horse and cry. You open the door and he heads to the barn. Prefers the barn am guessing.
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1119
| He should be fine! As long as he's able to get out of the wind, has access to food and water, and can sleep in the hay, I wouldn't worry about him. |
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Midget Lover
Location: Kentucky | Thanks guys. Yes, he does get food but I put it up at night since the raccoons go crazy with it. Same with his water. |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Mine have covered beds and had rather sleep in the hay or in the roll of extra barn insulation in the loft. |
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  The Color Specialist
Posts: 7530
Location: Washington. (The DRY side.) | There are 2 antique barn cats here. (The female is over 15yo.) They make beds in the straw stack, have for years and have always been fine. (And I'm guessing it is colder and nastier here than Kentucky. LOL) I do have a heated water dish for them. It says cold enough here that if it wasn't heated, they would never have water. (As it is, it hasn't been above freezing AT ALL for several days.) |
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"Heck's Coming With Me"
Posts: 10797
Location: Kansas | A snuggly bed is a big help for those barn kitties. Plenty of fresh water and lots of food.
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| My kittens crawl into the pallets under the hay to sleep must be nice and toasty under there and the adults make nests in the hay i've had cats out there the last 5 years like that and never had a problem! |
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 Popped
Posts: 20421
Location: LuluLand~along I64 Indiana | we have a heated pet bowl in the barn along with heated buckets for the horses. the dogs and kitties are really comfy in there. if you want to make barn kitty a special place they do like boxes they can get in and it will also keep any wind from getting to them. i put an old towel in there and in between hay bales. its a kitty condo! :) |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7268
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Bless your heart for being concerned! I have a heated water bowl for my kitties and they sleep in the hay AND on my Great Pyrenees in the winter! |
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Expert
Posts: 2122
Location: The Great Northwest | The barn cats are brothers and share a pet heated pad with a box over it when it is cold. They do like it over snugling in the hay! There fed when I feed all and water is in a heated bowl. Those two cats are so spoiled! They do control the mice population. |
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Expert
Posts: 2122
Location: The Great Northwest | Murphy - 2014-11-15 5:48 AM Thanks guys. Yes, he does get food but I put it up at night since the raccoons go crazy with it. Same with his water.
I have had Racoons come in a raise havic too. I trap them and you need to take them miles away across rivers to keep them from returning. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| oh man, I feel like I should turn myself in for animal abuse now... My barn cats are kind of left to their own devices. We put food out every couple of days but other than that they are on their own. They share water with the horses, dogs, pond, what ever they can find I suppose. They all look healthy so... |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 356
| For the barn cats and shop cats in the winter, we took styrofoam coolers and turned into houses. Used a can of spray foam insulation to seal the lid on and cut a hole big enough for the cats to get in and out of in the side, and put an old blanket in the bottom. Your vet should have a TON of styrofoam coolers from ordering vaccines and whatnot. The cooler will keep the cats' body heat in, and is a nice snuggly house for them! |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7268
| k.maddocks24 - 2014-11-14 11:52 AM For the barn cats and shop cats in the winter, we took styrofoam coolers and turned into houses. Used a can of spray foam insulation to seal the lid on and cut a hole big enough for the cats to get in and out of in the side, and put an old blanket in the bottom. Your vet should have a TON of styrofoam coolers from ordering vaccines and whatnot. The cooler will keep the cats' body heat in, and is a nice snuggly house for them!
Neat idea! |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | FlyingJT - 2014-11-14 11:44 AM oh man, I feel like I should turn myself in for animal abuse now... My barn cats are kind of left to their own devices. We put food out every couple of days but other than that they are on their own. They share water with the horses, dogs, pond, what ever they can find I suppose. They all look healthy so...
LOL, my barn cats pretty take care of themselves too, I keep food and water out for them and they do the rest.  |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 754
Location: Arkansas | FlyingJT - 2014-11-14 11:44 AM oh man, I feel like I should turn myself in for animal abuse now... My barn cats are kind of left to their own devices. We put food out every couple of days but other than that they are on their own. They share water with the horses, dogs, pond, what ever they can find I suppose. They all look healthy so...
You are not alone...ours are the same way. I gave a kitten to a girlfriend of mine at work, and she asked if it had had it shots yet...ummm......NO lol |
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6443
Location: Montana | As long as they have food and water and a place to get in out of the wind (like your barn) they will do just fine. Cats are fairly smart animals and do pretty good when left to their own devices...not my cat, though, she has been a spoiled indoors cat her entire life and barely knows what to do with a mouse! LOL. |
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 I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | We lay out a heated water dish for them and feed them cat food day and night, they still hunt plenty but it insures they stay around for a predicted meal. In the hay stack they have a corner surrounded by hay with a little bed with fleece blankets inside. Wash them once a week and replenish the cat with the back up blankets. I was worried my first winter with outside kitties and was terrified to come home to one frozen. Admittedly I have on occasion let one in the house during the day if its too cold because my heart is to big for anything that will snuggle with me. 
That hay really does keep them warm and the bed and blanket keeps them cozy and from pooping all over a good sleeping spot. I go a little overboard and leave a litter box down to keep them from going on the hay. obviously most don't do that, they don't use it much but they also don't go on the hay at all. |
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