Gearing up for the bitter cold

One local feral, an orange boy, hasn't been seen in a week now. But I am optimistic... he is young and healthy and smart, and very, very shy. He must have his warm spots somewhere. I haven't been caring for him because he won't come for food--only twice has he touched food and one of those might have been a raccoon. The only reason I see him regularly is that his patrol route takes him right past my window. I think he must have another stready food source, or even another human who's feeding him. Maybe he trusts them enough that he's indoors now. I can only hope. But on the campus there are many places where the warm air comes through vents, and many bushes and little nooks where a cat could hide away from the wind.

ShadowsRescue said:

 
 I am trying to think if there is anything I can add for more protection and warmth.

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ive been leaving food for a feral cat here in upstate NY, a google search shows that the way deers survive the cold has a lot to do with accumulating a layer of fat so ive been mixing a slice of armour or manteca lard to the dry cat food. the definition of lard is melted fat from a pigs belly. i notice the nutritional content of lard is almost exactly the same as butter. if i put the lard on one side of the tray the cat seems to go for the lard first. i hope this makes the difference because the previous cat from the year before didnt make it through the winter, i didnt know to leave food for it. i finally got to see this one up close by setting a wireless webcam by its food.

It has been a most awful and miserable night and I have been up all night.  The wind started blowing around 11pm and the temps plunged 20 degrees in less than an hour.  The cats were very unsettled.  Both kept leaving the shelter and going under the deck.  At this point that was fine as it was still 20 outside and the shelter was 60!  Unfortunately Stellar left and Shadow kept meowing.  At 4 am I went down and called for him to come inside.  He was so scared.  He cried and cried and was a mess.  Stellar showed up around 5 and when I opened the door for him to come inside, Shadow ran out.  I took some food out and put it in the heated shelter.  Both cats went inside.  Yet, neither cat would stay.  Stellar has wandered onto the deck over and over just meowing.  He refuses to come inside and the wind scares him so.  He tries the shelter then freaks and leaves.  At 7am DH and I went out to the tent and put the new shelter up on some boards on the floor.  We then put everything back the way it was before.  Shadow appeared a few minutes later and is back in his rubbermaid with a heat pad.  I just cannot imagine it being enough.  It is 6 degrees with a wind chill of -15.  I just hope they would both choose life over freezing to death.  Unfortunately the weather will not break until Tuesday evening. 

I hope everyone else's cats did better.  It is going to be a long long 48 hours.

My apartment is down to 50 degrees today. My cats and I are all huddled around the space heater. I can't imagine how much worse it is for cats that have to stay outside.

It just sucks that the school won't start a campus cats program. It's not fair.

Callista said:

My apartment is down to 50 degrees today. My cats and I are all huddled around the space heater. I can't imagine how much worse it is for cats that have to stay outside.

It just sucks that the school won't start a campus cats program. It's not fair.

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Yikes!  That is really cold.  Please keep warm.  This weather is just awful.  I certainly hope that this doesn't occur again this winter, yet it is only January and we have lots of winter ahead of us.  The sun has come out here.  At first I thought it was a good thing as it would warm the shelter, bu then realized with the clear skies, the temps will just drop even further tonight.  I am hoping for clouds to roll back in later today.

It's not too bad; I'm wearing a jacket and I've got a comforter to wrap around myself if I want, and we do have the space heater. Tiny is taking advantage of his dark tabby fur to soak up the sunbeams from the windows now; Christy's still huddled with me. I was actually a bit too warm last night because I have the comforter plus three blankets on my bed, and Tiny curled up on my pillow.

It's really the outdoor cats that worry me. I'm just kicking myself for not being more adamant about starting a campus cats program.

Not to mention people... homeless people are smarter than homeless cats, and there are more programs for them, but we're probably going to lose some people, just like we're probably going to lose some cats. Compared to that thought, cold fingers are very minor indeed.

It's funny; people way up north do this all the time. The only reason it's hitting us so hard, is that we're not used to it.

I too worry about the ferals that are outside in this cold. Here in Nebraska we were 15 degrees below zero with a minus 39 degree windchill last night. Our highs have been in the low teens, but it's supposed to warm up to near 50 degrees tomorrow! I have been feeding three ferals across the road, and I HAVE to be there at 7:20 when the sun starts coming up because they are always waiting and I worry they'll freeze waiting for food. I can't just leave food because of stray dogs and raccoons. They sure don't stick around long after they eat! I do wonder where they go, I pray they have somewhere that is at least sheltered.I truly don't know how they survive, but even with -40 degree windchill their little faces are always looking for me to come and feed them. They can't come to my house because MY feral, who I've had for years will chase them off. At least I know HE'S doing well, he has a cat door into our garage, a insulated house and a heat pad! I've never seen him so fat and sassy either, he's eaten well this winter! Everyone, good luck this winter, keep on with the caring and loving you all do so well!

Shadowsrescue, how are the kitties today? How are YOU?

Gary and I keep asking ourselves what more we can do... but at this point, especially given what just happened with Stellar and Shadow, it's probably best we just leave things as they are. The cats will hopefully just hunker down.

Callista - stay warm!

MsAimee, the straw is incredibly insulating, and helps hold their heat. So long as they're protected from the wind, I think they'll be fine!

MadsNYCat, I suspect there are many warm places to hunker down in the city. Cats, IMO, are smart. They'll find it.

And Mike, thank you for the reminder about the high fat diet. I remember now, last year I fed them EVO (a high fat canned food). I'll plop some butter in their dishes this evening.

for all the kitties..... :rub:

LDG said:

Shadowsrescue, how are the kitties today? How are YOU?

Gary and I keep asking ourselves what more we can do... but at this point, especially given what just happened with Stellar and Shadow, it's probably best we just leave things as they are. The cats will hopefully just hunker down.

Callista - stay warm!

MsAimee, the straw is incredibly insulating, and helps hold their heat. So long as they're protected from the wind, I think they'll be fine!

MadsNYCat, I suspect there are many warm places to hunker down in the city. Cats, IMO, are smart. They'll find it.

And Mike, thank you for the reminder about the high fat diet. I remember now, last year I fed them EVO (a high fat canned food). I'll plop some butter in their dishes this evening.

for all the kitties.....

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Shadow has been in his old rubbermaid shelter all day.  He came out for a quick bite to eat around noon and a potty break but has stayed the entire time.  Stellar has not come back.  I know he goes to my neighbors and hides under their screened porch.  I hope he has a nice warm spot.  I am worried worried worried as tonight is going to be just awful.  Aside from forceably grabbing them against their will there is nothing else I can do.  I hope I can get Shadow to eat.  I think I will try the butter and lard trick as I have both on hand.  Shadow is my picky picky eater.  Each winter I try to get him to eat the high protein wet or dry foods.  He won't touch them.  For awhile all he would eat is Meow Mix dry.  Dry food is still is preference.  He won't even eat tuna.  He does love baby food, but has shunned it the past few days.  I should have left well enough alone and known better than to change things up the day before an arctic blast.  Yet I thought it would help.  Once the weather returns to normal on Wednesday I will start preparing them for whenever the next arctic blast will be.  Hopefully feeding them inside the heated shelter will help. 

I hope all the kitties are safe!

I'm such a nervous wreck. All of you have heating pads and heated disks in your pet shelters and I didn't get my act together in time to get these things, and the pad I thought I could use (from the K&H heated cat house) that I had doesn't work. I press hard on it for minutes and it doesn't feel warm at all. I guess I got ripped off with that. I put more straw in Muffin's cedar house and draped my sleeping bag over it and over the towels and throw blankets I already had on it. He went into it around 1:30 and hasn't come out since. The temperature is already zero with the wind blowing at 30 miles an hour, making for a dangerous wind chill. There's snow on the ground. I hope he doesn't go far when he has to eliminate and just goes in the bushes by my house--I'm scared he could get frost bite. I will be worrying all nite tonite, and tomorrow, too.  

You know, I believe in trap and neuter but I don't believe in return.

Maybe for those of us who will in temperate climates this would work.  But not in my neck of the woods (actually no woods as I am in NYC).

Our forefathers domesticated these animals and as such, I feel we have a greater responsibility to care for them.

Reaching record low temperatures in NYC this evening.

Trap, neuter and bring in.

TNB

Get rid of TNR.

Muffin came out of his house a bit ago to eat, and seemed spooked by the wind, and the unfamiliar blankets hung over my porch railings and his house. I opened my door to yet again invite him in, and he got more spooked and ran off. I'm hoping he just needed to stretch his legs a bit. It's -2 with wind chill of -25, so I hope he comes back soon. I've noticed that he gets stressed and a bit disoriented in the bitter cold. My fear is that he'll get disoriented and not return and die from hypothermia. I think I'm worrying too much, but we've never experienced temperatures this severe this long.

BTW, Muffin was trapped once and will not go into a trap again. I've tried several different ways to trap him since, to neuter him and to care for him once when he was very ill, and have not been successful. He is adamantly an outdoor cat.  My neighbor and I successfully trapped, fixed, and adopted his offspring, and two live in my house.

Bring them in.

I wrote a big long follow-up in my original post ("everyone's gone.....") but wanted to weigh in here. Shadow-think you need to share the plans/a little more about you heating lamp plan & your tent!!!!! I'd love to hear more specifics!!!!

So it sounds like we're all worrying---and doing the best we can. Let's pat each other on our backs, say prayers all around, and tell the tales of happiness once they all reappear when it warms up (& I'm holding fast to the idea they ALL WILL COME BACK!!!!!!!!!)

I was able to get Shadow in the house around 4pm yesterday.  He stayed until 7 am today!!  He knew he couldn't take it any longer.  He even slept snuggled up next to me on the floor in the family room.  By 5 am he was itching to get back out.  I held him off as long as possible.  The wind started to die down around 4am and right now the winds are very light.  Yet it's -9 without the windchill.  I checked around 2 am last night as the wind was just fierce.  The wind chill was -39.  I started to cry.  Stellar was out in his rubbermaid shelter with 2 heat pads and he did go into the new heated shelter a few times as well.  I feel much better this morning as tonight the temps will actually rise.  Also we will be in the 40's this weekend!!  Now I have to worry about Patches.  Of course I am completely exhausted today.  I have had only a few hours of sleep the past two nights.  This had better be the end of this bitter bitter cold. 

kittychick said:

I wrote a big long follow-up in my original post ("everyone's gone.....") but wanted to weigh in here. Shadow-think you need to share the plans/a little more about you heating lamp plan & your tent!!!!! I'd love to hear more specifics!!!!

So it sounds like we're all worrying---and doing the best we can. Let's pat each other on our backs, say prayers all around, and tell the tales of happiness once they all reappear when it warms up (& I'm holding fast to the idea they ALL WILL COME BACK!!!!!!!!!)

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I will start a separate thread and show some pics of the new heated shelter. 

kittychick said:

I wrote a big long follow-up in my original post ("everyone's gone.....") but wanted to weigh in here. Shadow-think you need to share the plans/a little more about you heating lamp plan & your tent!!!!! I'd love to hear more specifics!!!!

So it sounds like we're all worrying---and doing the best we can. Let's pat each other on our backs, say prayers all around, and tell the tales of happiness once they all reappear when it warms up (& I'm holding fast to the idea they ALL WILL COME BACK!!!!!!!!!)

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I saw five of the six regulars this morning.

for them all.

And to everyone!

Yes - I'm exhausted.

I had to take a nap today.  I think I slept 4 hours in the past 2 nights combined.  I was falling asleep in my chair working.  I feel much better after an hour nap and hope to get to bed early tonight!  I feel such relief that the worst is over.  I have 2 of 3 accounted for, but may not see the 3rd until tomorrow.  I just took some wet food out and to keep it from freezing I was able to put it in the heated shelter where it is 37 degrees!!  Both cats went right inside and ate.  Shadow actually lingered for 20 minutes.  Maybe the light bulb in his head is going off and he gets how warm it is inside the heated shelter!!

I will keep warm thoughts needed to all kitties.

MsAimee said:

 
I'm such a nervous wreck. All of you have heating pads and heated disks in your pet shelters and I didn't get my act together in time to get these things, and the pad I thought I could use (from the K&H heated cat house) that I had doesn't work. I press hard on it for minutes and it doesn't feel warm at all. I guess I got ripped off with that. I put more straw in Muffin's cedar house and draped my sleeping bag over it and over the towels and throw blankets I already had on it. He went into it around 1:30 and hasn't come out since. The temperature is already zero with the wind blowing at 30 miles an hour, making for a dangerous wind chill. There's snow on the ground. I hope he doesn't go far when he has to eliminate and just goes in the bushes by my house--I'm scared he could get frost bite. I will be worrying all nite tonite, and tomorrow, too.  

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MsAimee,

I wanted to ask you about the K&H heated bad.  I have a number of them and there are two different styles.  There is one that is quite hard that comes with a fleece cover.  You can feel it's warmth pretty quickly.  The other one is a bit smaller and very soft.  It feels like there is air inside.  It too has a fleece cover.  The soft one often doesn't feel warm to my touch at all.  Instead I can usually only feel the heat from underneath.  So you might want to give it a try again.  Put some weight on it and then feel from the bottom.