A cat's first winter bring a lot of anxiety...

I am taking care of a cat, approx 1 yr old, for neighbors who are out
of the country for several months. During warmer days, she spent her
days in the connected yards including perhaps her own, came to us at
sunset, had dinner, went to sleep on our couch, woke up around 5AM,
demanded breakfast, and then went out. Her behavior was perfect if a
bit reserved.

As Midwestern winter has set in, perhaps the first one of her conscious
life, her behavior and personality have changed. That plus our
inexperience is giving rise to some anxiety and *many* questions. All
help on what we should do, or leave alone, would be appreciated.

0. With snow storms and icy rains outside, she is now spending much
more time at our home indoors. This is also driving her stir-crazy and
moody.

1. Sometimes she wants to get out at odd hours. Of course, she's back
soon, or not so soon and we are worried. Then she wants to go out
again. (This is at least partly because she hates using the litter box
and wouldn't unless the weather was truly miserable outside, but also
because she has had outdoors all her life and feels cooped in)

2. She wants to eat something every few hours. I think she is bored,
not hungry. We resist, try to entertain her, but success is limited.
She is always sitting in the kitchen or follows us there and expects at
least a few crumbs of something.

3. She has started a new game indoors which is to hide behind something
and mock-attack our legs as we pass by. It is truly harmless and we
even enjoy it, but she tries the same with visitors and they get
startled. How to discourage that?

5. Tonight she wanted to go out and down. Something about icy stairs
spooked her and she came back and (for the first time) climbed &
started walking on the railing of our 3rd floor porch. The railing is
only 3" wide and was icy in patches. If she had fallen, it would be
onto a wooden deck about 2.5 floors below.

When I saw this my heart almost stopped. She wouldn't listen to my
pleadings to come back and I didn't want to startle her. Fortunately I
was only a few feet away from the dry food bag and the sound of shaking
the bag brought her down and in! (Question: Was I right to worry about
her on a 3" railing, or is that safe enough for cats?)

6. She has been an indoor-outdoor almost all her life here and wants to
go out. If she has been out for long, we may get busy and she may have
to wait 20-30 minutes before someone notices her and lets her in.

Question: Up to what kind of wind-chill can she safely wait 30 minutes
outside? (I have put a heat-reflecting pad on the chair and there is a
doormat.) If she did stay there, she may be exposed to the wind but not
precipitation.

Question: Up to what kind of temperatures can she safely stay outdoor
all day? (I am sure she can find places that are dry--though she could
get rain/snow getting to those--and avoid winds, but not sure if she
has any really warm spots.)

7. Inside our home the night temperatures is set at 60 deg. She is
welcome to sleep anywhere and she has her favorite comforter, cushions,
beds, etc. But we don't have any cat-beds, neither heated ones nor
dome/pyramid types that would trap her body heat. Should we? Are those
things essential or gimmicks?

8. Everyone is spreading rock salt and the more expensive kind. Are
those harmful to her?

Lots of questions, and as I said all help appreciated!

On Dec 12, 3:53 am, RPSinha wrote:
1. Sometimes she wants to get out at odd hours. Of course, she's back
soon, or not so soon and we are worried. Then she wants to go out
again.

lol...you're new at being a doorman aren't you?

2. She wants to eat something every few hours. I think she is bored,
not hungry.

Resist temptation to feed her every time.
She is not active and doesn't need it...you are right, she is eating
out of
boredom.

3. She has started a new game indoors which is to hide behind something
and mock-attack our legs as we pass by. It is truly harmless and we
even enjoy it, but she tries the same with visitors and they get
startled. How to discourage that?

Discourage play? Better to warn your visitors, or put her in a
seperate
room until your visitors have had a chance to sit down.

The railing is
only 3" wide and was icy in patches. If she had fallen, it would be
onto a wooden deck about 2.5 floors below.
(Question: Was I right to worry about
her on a 3" railing, or is that safe enough for cats?)

Chances are, she isn't going to fall. But even if she did, those claws
come
out to grab the wood...or even the ice to save them.
Nothing to be overly concerned about.

Question: Up to what kind of wind-chill can she safely wait 30 minutes
outside? (I have put a heat-reflecting pad on the chair and there is a
doormat.)

Depends on her coat. Is she long hair, medium long, short, or
hairless?
Depends on wind speed and temperture.
If it is too cold, she will seek shelter nearby some where to get out
of
the wind and cold.

A better rule of thumb would be what her purpose of going outside is.
If she is just going to the bathroom, give her 5-10-15 minutes
dependent
on wind and temperture, and call her back inside.

0-20F degrees ...5 minutes
20-30F degress ...10-15 minutes

Question: Up to what kind of temperatures can she safely stay outdoor
all day? (I am sure she can find places that are dry--though she could
get rain/snow getting to those--and avoid winds, but not sure if she
has any really warm spots.)

Easy, make her a warm dry spot, so you don't have to guess.
If they have such a spot, even tempretures below freezing can
be tolerated well.

My Big Mama cat has her own house I built her for emergencies.
Her house is fully insulated, but unheated.
You may be able to find a extra small dog house and line the bottom
inside with foam and a piece or two of old blankets...or buy a
specialty
pet bed at Walmart pet section and put it in.
Staple a thick piece of vinyl or felt over the doorway to help keep
the
wind out, and allow easy enter and exit.
If you really want fancy; some people put heating pads in to keep it
nice and toasty.

7. Inside our home the night temperatures is set at 60 deg. She is
welcome to sleep anywhere and she has her favorite comforter, cushions,
beds, etc. But we don't have any cat-beds, neither heated ones nor
dome/pyramid types that would trap her body heat. Should we? Are those
things essential or gimmicks?

Most cats will use them at least part of the time.
Place it in a quiet part of the room...or even inside a cardboard
box...cats
love being a bit secluded.

8. Everyone is spreading rock salt and the more expensive kind. Are
those harmful to her?

Probably not.

On 12 Dec, 08:53, RPSinha wrote:
I am taking care of a cat, approx 1 yr old, for neighbors who are out
of the country for several months. During warmer days, she spent her
days in the connected yards including perhaps her own, came to us at
sunset, had dinner, went to sleep on our couch, woke up around 5AM,
demanded breakfast, and then went out. Her behavior was perfect if a
bit reserved.

As Midwestern winter has set in, perhaps the first one of her conscious
life, her behavior and personality have changed. That plus our
inexperience is giving rise to some anxiety and *many* questions. All
help on what we should do, or leave alone, would be appreciated.

0. With snow storms and icy rains outside, she is now spending much
more time at our home indoors. This is also driving her stir-crazy and
moody.

1. Sometimes she wants to get out at odd hours. Of course, she's back
soon, or not so soon and we are worried. Then she wants to go out
again. (This is at least partly because she hates using the litter box
and wouldn't unless the weather was truly miserable outside, but also
because she has had outdoors all her life and feels cooped in)

2. She wants to eat something every few hours. I think she is bored,
not hungry. We resist, try to entertain her, but success is limited.
She is always sitting in the kitchen or follows us there and expects at
least a few crumbs of something.

3. She has started a new game indoors which is to hide behind something
and mock-attack our legs as we pass by. It is truly harmless and we
even enjoy it, but she tries the same with visitors and they get
startled. How to discourage that?

5. Tonight she wanted to go out and down. Something about icy stairs
spooked her and she came back and (for the first time) climbed &
started walking on the railing of our 3rd floor porch. The railing is
only 3" wide and was icy in patches. If she had fallen, it would be
onto a wooden deck about 2.5 floors below.

When I saw this my heart almost stopped. She wouldn't listen to my
pleadings to come back and I didn't want to startle her. Fortunately I
was only a few feet away from the dry food bag and the sound of shaking
the bag brought her down and in! (Question: Was I right to worry about
her on a 3" railing, or is that safe enough for cats?)

6. She has been an indoor-outdoor almost all her life here and wants to
go out. If she has been out for long, we may get busy and she may have
to wait 20-30 minutes before someone notices her and lets her in.

Question: Up to what kind of wind-chill can she safely wait 30 minutes
outside? (I have put a heat-reflecting pad on the chair and there is a
doormat.) If she did stay there, she may be exposed to the wind but not
precipitation.

Question: Up to what kind of temperatures can she safely stay outdoor
all day? (I am sure she can find places that are dry--though she could
get rain/snow getting to those--and avoid winds, but not sure if she
has any really warm spots.)

7. Inside our home the night temperatures is set at 60 deg. She is
welcome to sleep anywhere and she has her favorite comforter, cushions,
beds, etc. But we don't have any cat-beds, neither heated ones nor
dome/pyramid types that would trap her body heat. Should we? Are those
things essential or gimmicks?

8. Everyone is spreading rock salt and the more expensive kind. Are
those harmful to her?

Lots of questions, and as I said all help appreciated!

nice to hear that you are concerned and askign questions instead of
just slinging her out as some people would do

if you are concerned about her being shut out for any length of time
with no shelter thne just get her a kennel or somethign to hide in
until you come back, i am sure there are some for sale at your local
'petsmart' or 'pets at home' or whatever you have over there, there
were some igloo things i saw last winter for sale at pets at home over
here which are supposed to trap the cats body heat, they were made of
a thick insulating plastic and were a bit raised off the ground to
allow the cat to be off the cold floor, and to stop water flooding in
too i suppose. they are relatively cheap and will do the trick if you
are worried. also you can get these pads or cushions (snugglesafe is
one make we have over here) which you can put inthe microwave and heat
up and they give off heat for a number ofhours, so you could stick one
of those into the kennel too if you are concerned it is not warm
enough in there.

as for your visitors beign startled when the cat pounces ontheir legs
and feet, well sod them! just warn them iot might happen, this cat is
just playing cos she is a bit bored and she means no harm, i woudl not
discourage her. If anything i would discourage any visitor from coming
around if they are going to get uptight about a small cat being
playful, they obviously have issues which make them uptight about one
of the most wonderful things inthe world; watching a pussycat playing
and having fun.

if you want to buy her a nice bed of her own them do so, again they
can be cheap from a pet shop, £20 or less.I got mr mcgregor a lovely
one from a cat show at the weekend for £15, really plush, itis wedged
behind the sofa next to the radiator with him in it now snoring away,
i decided it was best to put it where he likes to sleep anyway so he
definitely sleeps in it. it is not an igloo or dome one, but then he
has alot of his own insulation if you know what i mean :-) terri might
liek an igloo one as she is a bit of a scaredy timid puss, but i have
yet to finds a really nice snug one i think she might like yet.
it seems liek this puss is happy with her cushion which she has chosen
herself, but if you want to give her her own little snuggle spot then
why not? pussycats are there to be pampered and fussed over, that is
why we have them isn't it?

got any photos to share/

bookie

On Dec 12, 6:38 am, studio wrote:
You may be able to find a extra small dog house and line the bottom
inside with foam and a piece or two of old blankets...or buy a
specialty
pet bed at Walmart pet section and put it in.
Staple a thick piece of vinyl or felt over the doorway to help keep
the wind out, and allow easy enter and exit.

Some of the outside houses I found:
http://www.catsplay.com/plastic.php3...y=lowprice&id=

If you're good at building things, and have some left over supplies;
it can be a lot cheaper.
I think I spent a total of $16. on the one I built.
I got all the materials from my old job...they would have been thrown
away anyway.
Took me about half a day to build from start to finish.

1. 1/4" thin plywood I got from discarded pallet containers ($0)
2. styrofoam sheets from packing containers (for wall, floor and roof
insulation -$0)
3. 1x2 rough cut wood studs from pallet braces ($0)
4. 3- 3' roofing shingles (given to me by a friend who had extras -
$0)
5. 2- hinges for roof to open and close for cleaning ($4.)
6. wood molding to outline doorway (I had leftover- $0)
7. small nails ($0)
8. adhesive chaulk ($0)
9. extra foam for floor (got out of packages I recieved- $0)
10. faux-sheep-wool flat bed (bought from Walmart...and that was the
major expense of $12.)
11. stain for wood (Ihad leftover- $0)
12. vinyl felt for doorway (had some $0)

It has a flat, very slightly slanted roof...so she has a bed on top
the roof
she can also lay on, and have an unobstructed view from a higher
vantage point.
The floor is also rasied off the ground 1".

Result: A nice house, that can be cleaned easily;
she has had for 8 years now, and has got a lot of use out of.

If it gets too cold, or just wants a quiet soft place to rest...
I know where to find her.

Response to studio :

You may be able to find a extra small dog house and line the
bottom inside with foam and a piece or two of old blankets...or
buy a specialty
pet bed at Walmart pet section and put it in.
Staple a thick piece of vinyl or felt over the doorway to help
keep the wind out, and allow easy enter and exit.

One idea that I had was to take a large box and staple a small
blanket or a large towel into it on all corners, but allow a little
to drape down in the front.

Another neat thing would be (forgive me, I can only explain it) that
rubbery material that has a slightly furry effect...

....you can staple it to either side of an entryway with a slit down
the middle. It basically seals itself after a cat squeezes through.
Kind of like those old plastic coin purses.

--
-Lost
Remove the extra words to reply by e-mail. Don't e-mail me. I am
kidding. No I am not.

"-Lost" wrote in message
...
Response to studio :

You may be able to find a extra small dog house and line the
bottom inside with foam and a piece or two of old blankets...or
buy a specialty
pet bed at Walmart pet section and put it in.
Staple a thick piece of vinyl or felt over the doorway to help
keep the wind out, and allow easy enter and exit.

One idea that I had was to take a large box and staple a small
blanket or a large towel into it on all corners, but allow a little
to drape down in the front.

Another neat thing would be (forgive me, I can only explain it) that
rubbery material that has a slightly furry effect...

...you can staple it to either side of an entryway with a slit down
the middle. It basically seals itself after a cat squeezes through.
Kind of like those old plastic coin purses.

The only thing to remember about using absorbant material either inside the
house or as a wind break is, if it gets wet it will defeat the whole purpose
of providing a warm, dry spot to shelter. Even if you're using a vinyl
flap, if you have a cat bed inside, check it daily for moisture (from dew or
condensation).

A good insulating material for bedding is plain old hay. The air pockets in
hay keep the bedding warm even in the coldest weather and it is cheap and
easy to just replace it when it gets damp. Cats can snuggle down into it
and be protected from the cold on all sides.

We don't live in a cold climate, but we live in a very, very humid one
(which makes what little cold we do get seem 100 times more miserable).
What we've done in the past is to build a "split-level" house. We make the
door just large and high enough to fit a cat, then towards the back have a
"loft" whose floor is about an inch higher than the top of the door so that
even if the vinyl flap gets dislodged, or blown inward by the wind, the
cat's sleeping place is still out of the wind.

Hugs,

CatNipped


--
-Lost
Remove the extra words to reply by e-mail. Don't e-mail me. I am
kidding. No I am not.

"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
"-Lost" wrote in message
...
Response to studio :

You may be able to find a extra small dog house and line the
bottom inside with foam and a piece or two of old blankets...or
buy a specialty
pet bed at Walmart pet section and put it in.
Staple a thick piece of vinyl or felt over the doorway to help
keep the wind out, and allow easy enter and exit.

One idea that I had was to take a large box and staple a small
blanket or a large towel into it on all corners, but allow a little
to drape down in the front.

Another neat thing would be (forgive me, I can only explain it) that
rubbery material that has a slightly furry effect...

...you can staple it to either side of an entryway with a slit down
the middle. It basically seals itself after a cat squeezes through.
Kind of like those old plastic coin purses.

The only thing to remember about using absorbant material either inside
the house or as a wind break is, if it gets wet it will defeat the whole
purpose of providing a warm, dry spot to shelter. Even if you're using a
vinyl flap, if you have a cat bed inside, check it daily for moisture
(from dew or condensation).

A good insulating material for bedding is plain old hay. The air pockets
in hay keep the bedding warm even in the coldest weather and it is cheap
and easy to just replace it when it gets damp. Cats can snuggle down into
it and be protected from the cold on all sides.

We don't live in a cold climate, but we live in a very, very humid one
(which makes what little cold we do get seem 100 times more miserable).
What we've done in the past is to build a "split-level" house. We make
the door just large and high enough to fit a cat, then towards the back
have a "loft" whose floor is about an inch higher than the top of the door
so that even if the vinyl flap gets dislodged, or blown inward by the
wind, the cat's sleeping place is still out of the wind.

Sorry, that didn't explain it well on reading it back. The loft is actually
built above the door and flush against the inside front of the house, so the
cat walks to the back of the house and then turns around and jumps up
towards and over the door to get in the loft (like a side-ways "U").

Of course, cats being as resourceful as they are they've already discovered
the perfect sleeping spot in our yard - under the deck next to the heated
spa! ;

Hugs,

CatNipped


Hugs,

CatNipped


--
-Lost
Remove the extra words to reply by e-mail. Don't e-mail me. I am
kidding. No I am not.

"studio" wrote in message

Chances are, she isn't going to fall. But even if she did, those claws
come out to grab the wood...or even the ice to save them.
Nothing to be overly concerned about.

Sorry, can't agree with this at all. Many cats are injured or killed each
year by falling off of balconies, railings or whatever. The fall might only
be 2.5 floors down as the OP has said, but that's enough to break some
bones. Go back a few days and you can read how much it cost one person to
get some bones set by a vet.

The OP should find some type of guard to eliminate any chance of that 2.5
floors fall or prevent his cat from going out there.

"Upscale" wrote in message
...

"studio" wrote in message

Chances are, she isn't going to fall. But even if she did, those claws
come out to grab the wood...or even the ice to save them.
Nothing to be overly concerned about.

Sorry, can't agree with this at all. Many cats are injured or killed each
year by falling off of balconies, railings or whatever. The fall might
only
be 2.5 floors down as the OP has said, but that's enough to break some
bones. Go back a few days and you can read how much it cost one person to
get some bones set by a vet.

The OP should find some type of guard to eliminate any chance of that 2.5
floors fall or prevent his cat from going out there.

We spent $400 at the ER, for x-rays, morphine, casting, take-home pain meds
and muscle relaxers to get a broken femur set (Archer panicked when the
garage door started opening and hit his back leg on the doorsill leading
into the house). Then we spent another $100 for a large dog kennel (since
he had to be kept confined for six weeks until the leg healed). Then we
spent $40 for a follow-up visit to his regular vet the next day. Then we
spent $140 for another vet visit after 3 weeks (to take another x-ray and
check how the let was healing) and at that time found that the cast was too
tight so they had to re-cast it. Then another $60 a week later when he
managed to jimmy the cast almost off his leg by sticking it in the bars of
the kennel then turning about and pulling - and at that time they found that
he'd almost flayed the skin on his leg in the process, so needed antibiotics
and more pain meds. Then another visit (no charge) when I say that his toes
and claws were black and rushed him back to the vet thinking the too-tight
cast had cut off circulation and caused gangrene (but the vet "cured" it by
scraping off the dirty tape residue left by the cast. Then another $40
when, after he was let out of the kennel promptly climbed up the tall cat
tree and fell off so needed another x-ray to make sure he didn't re-break
his leg. So it was a total of $780 for vet costs and that wasn't counting
all the PTO days I had to use getting off work for vet visits.

Don't *ever* think cats can't be clumsy - just watch these if you don't
believe it: http://www.possibleplaces.com/ABadCatDay.wmv

Hugs,

CatNipped

On Dec 12, 9:30 am, "CatNipped" wrote:
"Upscale" wrote in message

...





"studio" wrote in message

Chances are, she isn't going to fall. But even if she did, those claws
come out to grab the wood...or even the ice to save them.
Nothing to be overly concerned about.

Sorry, can't agree with this at all. Many cats are injured or killed each
year by falling off of balconies, railings or whatever. The fall might
only
be 2.5 floors down as the OP has said, but that's enough to break some
bones. Go back a few days and you can read how much it cost one person to
get some bones set by a vet.

The OP should find some type of guard to eliminate any chance of that 2.5
floors fall or prevent his cat from going out there.

We spent $400 at the ER, for x-rays, morphine, casting, take-home pain meds
and muscle relaxers to get a broken femur set (Archer panicked when the
garage door started opening and hit his back leg on the doorsill leading
into the house). Then we spent another $100 for a large dog kennel (since
he had to be kept confined for six weeks until the leg healed). Then we
spent $40 for a follow-up visit to his regular vet the next day. Then we
spent $140 for another vet visit after 3 weeks (to take another x-ray and
check how the let was healing) and at that time found that the cast was too
tight so they had to re-cast it. Then another $60 a week later when he
managed to jimmy the cast almost off his leg by sticking it in the bars of
the kennel then turning about and pulling - and at that time they found that
he'd almost flayed the skin on his leg in the process, so needed antibiotics
and more pain meds. Then another visit (no charge) when I say that his toes
and claws were black and rushed him back to the vet thinking the too-tight
cast had cut off circulation and caused gangrene (but the vet "cured" it by
scraping off the dirty tape residue left by the cast. Then another $40
when, after he was let out of the kennel promptly climbed up the tall cat
tree and fell off so needed another x-ray to make sure he didn't re-break
his leg. So it was a total of $780 for vet costs and that wasn't counting
all the PTO days I had to use getting off work for vet visits.

Don't *ever* think cats can't be clumsy - just watch these if you don't
believe it: http://www.possibleplaces.com/ABadCatDay.wmv

Hugs,

CatNipped

You are the most wonderful cat sitter in the entire world. That cat
(what is that cat's name anyway?) reminds me of my own cat who came to
me as a stray last year. He really prefers to do his business outside
and not use his litter box either. He is smart enough not to go out
when there is snow on the ground or when it is raining. I dont think
you should let her go out on your porch. She could fall. But as to
being outside in the cold, hey its her choice. She is wearing a nice
fur coat. If she doesn't like it, then next time she won't go. You
really don't have to worry about her feet sticking to the sidewalk or
getting frozen stiff. As for her antics jumping out at your guests
that is really amusing. Just be as sweet to her as possible and
you'll have her eating out of your hand.