Sub freezing temperature

[ck2d]

My cat got out just before a snowstorm and stayed outside in sub freezing temperatures for 3.5 days. I was thinking the worst, but he came home tonight.

He's visibly thinner. I called the emergency vet and they didn't seemed too chuffed about it. He's eating and drinking? Then it's fine.

Does that sound right? He doesn't look distressed. I'm so afraid he has frostbite, but other than being thinner, he looks the same.

What should I look out for in the coming days?

 

[Norachan]

Cats are actually pretty good at surviving in the cold as long as they can find somewhere to hunker down out of the wind and rain. Frostbite looks similar to a burn. Skin appears white at first, then forms blisters which blacken over time. The most likely places for him to get frost bitten are his paws and ears. If he found something dry to stand on, even a bit of wood, he would probably be OK.

The most worrying thing is that he might not have had anything to eat or drink while he was outside. Make sure he has plenty of food and water now and he'll soon recover.

As long as he doesn't have any injuries the only other thing to worry about is fleas or worms but that's not serious. If he picked up any parasites you can treat him with Revolution or Profender.

I'm glad to hear he found his way back home again, it must have been stressful for you.

 

[ck2d]

That boggles me that he could come through this ordeal just fine. We got 22 inches of snow, my mind kept cycling through all the horrible things that could have happened to him. Such a bad time of year for it too. But it looks like all is well now. Thank you for your response!

 

[fionasmom]

Evidently this does not apply to me, but a very close friend in rural PA has maintained various outdoor ferals who are completely wild and has seen them come through all sorts of terrible snow storms. These are the ones who won't even come to the shelter but only for food and then leave to wherever it is that they hunker down during that kind of weather.