How to Protect Cats During Winter
Provide shelter outside., Add insulation to your cat's shelter., Raise the shelter off the ground.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Provide shelter outside.
Outdoor cats will need shelter to protect them during winter months.
Providing somewhere for your cat, or feral cats, can mean the difference between surviving and not surviving.
Yet, even if you only let your cat outside once in awhile during the cold winter months, you should still give it somewhere outside where it can take refuge from the cold.
This can be an area attached to your house or a stand-alone structure that gives the cat a break from cold temperatures and precipitation.Possible shelters that you already have that can keep an outdoor cat safe and warm include a garage, a barn, or a porch or carport that blocks out the elements.
Make sure that rain or snow cannot get inside the shelter.
Any moisture inside the shelter can be transferred to your cat's coat, which in turn will make it colder when it leaves the shelter.
Make sure that the entrance to whatever shelter you provide is small, so that warm air is trapped inside, and out of the path of wind and precipitation. -
Step 2: Add insulation to your cat's shelter.
Keeping a cat warm while it is outside may require that you add insulation to the shelter you provide.
Add straw, foam insulation, or mylar blankets, all of which will keep the cat warm but will not absorb and transfer moisture onto the cat.Consider transforming a foam cooler into a cat shelter.
Simply cut a small circle hole on the side of it that your cat can fit through.
Place the cooler in a location that your cat frequents.
This will create an insulated cat shelter that instantly gives your cat some protection from the cold. , If you have a stand-alone shelter for your cat and you live in an area that freezes, consider lifting it up off the ground.
Place it at least a few inches off the ground and then insulate below it.
This will stop the frozen ground from sucking the heat out of your cat's shelter.
It will also make the shelter accessible even if a bit of snow piles up on the ground.Once you raise your cat's shelter off the ground, you need to be sure to insulate the bottom of it.
Cold winds blowing beneath it can really make the shelter cold. -
Step 3: Raise the shelter off the ground.
Detailed Guide
Outdoor cats will need shelter to protect them during winter months.
Providing somewhere for your cat, or feral cats, can mean the difference between surviving and not surviving.
Yet, even if you only let your cat outside once in awhile during the cold winter months, you should still give it somewhere outside where it can take refuge from the cold.
This can be an area attached to your house or a stand-alone structure that gives the cat a break from cold temperatures and precipitation.Possible shelters that you already have that can keep an outdoor cat safe and warm include a garage, a barn, or a porch or carport that blocks out the elements.
Make sure that rain or snow cannot get inside the shelter.
Any moisture inside the shelter can be transferred to your cat's coat, which in turn will make it colder when it leaves the shelter.
Make sure that the entrance to whatever shelter you provide is small, so that warm air is trapped inside, and out of the path of wind and precipitation.
Keeping a cat warm while it is outside may require that you add insulation to the shelter you provide.
Add straw, foam insulation, or mylar blankets, all of which will keep the cat warm but will not absorb and transfer moisture onto the cat.Consider transforming a foam cooler into a cat shelter.
Simply cut a small circle hole on the side of it that your cat can fit through.
Place the cooler in a location that your cat frequents.
This will create an insulated cat shelter that instantly gives your cat some protection from the cold. , If you have a stand-alone shelter for your cat and you live in an area that freezes, consider lifting it up off the ground.
Place it at least a few inches off the ground and then insulate below it.
This will stop the frozen ground from sucking the heat out of your cat's shelter.
It will also make the shelter accessible even if a bit of snow piles up on the ground.Once you raise your cat's shelter off the ground, you need to be sure to insulate the bottom of it.
Cold winds blowing beneath it can really make the shelter cold.
About the Author
Brian Parker
Specializes in breaking down complex crafts topics into simple steps.
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