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As a concerned cat owner, you are probably aware that any sub-freezing cold front is harmful to your cat. But do you know what temperature is too cold for your cats that may cause health and wellness issues?Anything to its extreme is harmful, andthe same applies to weather like cold, hot, windy or wet, related to your cats. In general, the following variable circumstances play significant roles:
- Regular access to food and water
- Overall health
- Access to an appropriate shelter
- Familiarity with surroundings
If your cat is healthy, well-fed and lives inthe crawl space of your Coral Gables home, any temperature of 20 or 100 degrees won’t affect her much. But if she lives on your porch and takes shelter in the bushes under your window, she may react uncomfortably even when the temperature drops below fifty.
Thisimplies that no specific mark of mercury touching on the thermometric scale can say what temperature is too cold for your cats. As a rule of thumb, if the temperature goes below 32 degrees, you should be concerned about severe hypothermia or frostbite.
As a responsible cat owner, it becomes your humane responsibility to provide adequate shelter free from harsh weather and temperatures. To know if the weather is too cold for your cat, you need to know the fur thickness and length and the body mass of your cat.
If that’s not possible, you should know that a cat not acclimated to cold weather, should not be exposed to a temperature below 45 degreesF. However, if kept outdoors during winter weather, be sure that she possesses a well-insulated large structure to curl up and to maintain her body temperature by herself.
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Besides a well-insulated structure, you need to make provision for the following:
- Making your cat to drink water sufficiently
- Heated water buckets to keep her hydrated
- Increase her calorie intake throughout the season
- Sweaters which should not be too large to hang loosely and create gaps for the cold wind to creep in
- Sweater should also not be too tight to cause problems of blood circulation
- Keep full attention while your cat is with clothing so that she does not get caught on numerous things and pull it off
You should follow the following guidelines for protecting your cat from ‘harshness’ of this winter.
- Cats may take shelter under the warmth of a dead engine. Therefore, before starting your engine, thump the hood of your car to endure that there is no ‘furring refugee’ there.
- Anti-freeze is deadly if ingested by cats, even in small amount. Clean up the slightest mark of such spill.
- Similarly, compounds used for melting ice can be irritating to the mouth and skin of your cat and can cause drooling and vomiting of your cat.
- It is usual to use pet poisons during winter to stop the invasion of rats and rodents. Make sure; yourcat does not have any access to the poison.
If in spite of all your precautions, your cats ingest any poison and if you are unsure of the use of a particular product, you must consult a vet.
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Tips to Keep Your Furry Friend Safe from the Cold
- Check your thermometer: Although the warm coat of your coat can protect he from downward temperature during winter, you should take special care for her if mercury of your thermometer goes below 323 degrees.
- Be alertif the temperature goes below the freezing point of 0 degreesbecause your cat might get affected by hypothermia or frostbite which may be life-threatening. Normal cat temperature is 100.5 to 102.5 degree F . Frostbite affects the toes, tails, andtips of their ears. It damages the tissue which if untreated will die. It takes few days to notice the effects of frostbite. Your cat’s pregnancy stage is most vulnerable tothis health hazard.
- If your cats live outdoors, you must regularly watch the rise and fall of temperature and take immediate remedial measures once you find it harmful to them.
- Even it adds to your energy bill; youneed to move to move your thermostat up, particularly for an unhealthy or sick cast.
- For an indoor-living cat, you can provide a snuggly fleece bed to keep your cat warm. For the outdoor-living cats, you can provide a building shelter or a warm space in barn or garage. At the same time, keep the food ready for them because a well-nourished cat has few chancesof getting adverselyaffected by cold temperature.
Whether your cats are indoor-living or outdoor, you should take the extra step to make provision for them to ensure that they are protected properly and fed appropriately during the winter season and be assuredthat it is not too cold for your cat.