Mary Allen
Most cats are not particularly enthusiastic about the cold winter. Many outdoor cats then often prefer the warm house instead of defying ice and snow. Whether inside or outside, read here how you can make the cold season more pleasant for your free-roaming cat in just a few simple steps.
Cats like it warm in winter, after all the ancestors of the domestic cat, the wildcats, come from warmer latitudes. Accordingly, not only do indoor cats reject the cold, but many outdoor cats also prefer the more comfortable indoor spaces when it is snowy and cold. What then is there to consider?
Outdoor Cat Needs Activity at Home
Outdoor cats who are no longer outside in winter but only stay indoors can suffer from boredom in this environment. Accordingly, these velvet paws should be offered variety.
This can happen, for example, with new toys such as fummel boards, catfishing rods, or balls. The cats continue to be mentally and physically stimulated by being kept busy by their owners.
Comfort in the Cold Season
If your cat prefers to spend the winter in a cozy, warm house, you can make it even more comfortable by attaching cozy cat beds to the heater, for example.
Alternatively, you can also clear the window sills above the heater. This way your velvet paw has a place at the window. From there you can watch what is happening outside without freezing.
Keeping Outdoor Cats Outside in Winter – Is That Possible?
Kittens are better off staying indoors in the winter, as at four months they still have their downy baby fur and no undercoat. They’re just not ready for the cold yet.
Otherwise, nothing speaks against letting healthy cats run free in winter. Day releasers usually have little desire to be locked in the house all day. They are also often drawn outside to defend their territory.
Weather Protection in Winter
In order to make it more pleasant for these free roamers to fulfill their territorial obligations, a cat flap, for example, is suitable at this point. This gives the person leaving the house the opportunity to enter and leave the house as they wish – even in winter.
If your cat also likes to go outside in winter, you can also set up a small warming hut in the garden or yard. This not only gives your velvet paw a warm, cuddly retreat but also shelter from the cold.
Such a heat hut is available in specialist shops. However, old kennels or rabbit hutches are also suitable, provided they are clean and well padded. It is then important to have good insulation against the cold, both on the walls and on the floor. This is particularly important at night when the temperatures drop even lower.
Styrofoam and cork sheets, for example, insulate well against the cold. Fleece blankets keep you nice and warm and are soft and cuddly. Additional heat cushions provide even more comfort.
Outdoor Cats in Winter: What Else Needs To Be Considered?
Once the winter palace has been set up for your cat, eating and drinking should not be missing. But be careful: it is best not to use metal bowls and ideally get a heatable bowl pad. In this way, the drinking water for your darling cannot freeze.
Many outdoor cats also find it difficult to do their business outside in winter. Snow, frozen ground, or uncomfortable mud prevent them from burying their legacies as usual.
You should therefore also offer cats that usually do their business in the garden a large, easily accessible litter box in winter.
Cat Nutrition in Winter
Outdoor cats can certainly use an extra portion of high-quality feed in winter. A layer of winter fat keeps your cat warm and also protects it from the cold. In addition, free-roaming cats have an increased energy requirement in winter due to the low temperatures.
Nevertheless, make sure that it is not too much and that your cuddly tiger does not become too lazy. At the latest when spring arrives again and the winter fat is no longer needed, you should keep an eye on your cat’s weight and see whether it sheds its warm protective layer again.