Hoping you guys can help me muddle this one out. I've taken in a rescue cat (not on a whim, have given this some serious thought) but am now thinking I would rather isolate my birds in a room the cat does not go into. My house is a townhome, but it has a back porch on it that is insulated, like an extra room. Only problem is that it doesn't have a heating vent going to it, since it used to be "outside" and the former owner never added a vent when he made the porch into a sunroom.
I am thinking that this will make an ideal home for my birds so that 1) they can be safe while I am at work, and 2) the cat can be safe inside but have more space to run around than just the small bedroom where he is currently staying.
Only issue is that it does get cold out there, especially during the winter. I used to keep my sodas in that room this winter, and they stayed nice and cold for me. Even in sub-freezing temps, the sodas and water kept out there did not freeze, so that tells me the insulation in it is good enough to keep the temp about 20 degrees above the outside temp when it's cold. Even so, 40 degrees isn't what I'd call a good temp for tropical birds.
There are windows opening onto that room from my dining room. I currently have those open so the heat from the house goes out there and the temps are decent for birds. But I don't think that will be good enough once winter hits again.
So how can I safely heat that room, so my birds can have a tropical oasis and my new cat can have the run of the house?
For those wondering, the door to my reptile/fish/small animal room (i.e. the basement) has a lock on it, and that lock will be engaged at all times when the cat is roaming, to prevent incidents.
I am thinking that this will make an ideal home for my birds so that 1) they can be safe while I am at work, and 2) the cat can be safe inside but have more space to run around than just the small bedroom where he is currently staying.
Only issue is that it does get cold out there, especially during the winter. I used to keep my sodas in that room this winter, and they stayed nice and cold for me. Even in sub-freezing temps, the sodas and water kept out there did not freeze, so that tells me the insulation in it is good enough to keep the temp about 20 degrees above the outside temp when it's cold. Even so, 40 degrees isn't what I'd call a good temp for tropical birds.
There are windows opening onto that room from my dining room. I currently have those open so the heat from the house goes out there and the temps are decent for birds. But I don't think that will be good enough once winter hits again.
So how can I safely heat that room, so my birds can have a tropical oasis and my new cat can have the run of the house?
For those wondering, the door to my reptile/fish/small animal room (i.e. the basement) has a lock on it, and that lock will be engaged at all times when the cat is roaming, to prevent incidents.
