Too Stupid To Be Allowed Outside?

ArtNJ

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Its currently 10 farrenheit here. My one cat goes out to pee voluntarily, cries at the door 10 minutes later. My other cat, it could be hours. In fact, when its going to be super cold at night, I don't let that cat out after 4pm, because he may not come back till the next morning. We did have a thread about temperatures years ago, and a poster from Minnesota or somewhere like that was saying its perfectly safe for a cat to go out when its this cold if they can come back in when they want too. Do you all think that is true, or maybe my cat is just too stupid to be allowed outside in this weather? This is an 8 pound domestic shorthair, not a Norwegian Forest Cat. I do suspect that he has somewhere to hang out where he has access to some sort of warmth...he has spent the night outside when its 20 degrees (accidentally, he just sometimes doesnt come back if let out in the afternoon) and come back seeming totally fine and also warmer than he should be the next morning.

By way of aside, it is now illegal to have your pets be outside in NJ if its below 32 degrees which is lol nutty. But 10 degrees is another matter?
 

Furballsmom

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Well, maybe not stupid, just needing a little human guidance LOL although it does sound like he's got another hangout :)

I don't know, I think it depends on what the wind chill is?
 

neely

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Since my cats have always been indoors I don't have any personal experience. I'm sure other members will weigh in with their advice. I tried doing a search for the thread you mentioned above but unfortunately could not locate it. However, I found this article which may or may not be helpful:
How Cold is Too Cold for Your Cat to Stay Outside?
 

Wile

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I think you are right that a lot of indoor/outdoor cats might prefer to be inside during cold weather, but always have a somewhat warm hideaway that they take shelter in if something happens. I would never risk it though, especially not where I live as it regularly dips to -20C or lower at night. When I had an indoor/outdoor dsh he certainly preferred to stay inside during winter and used his litter box.
 
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ArtNJ

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Thanks all. I think I have to view this particular cat like a child; he may not always know when enough is enough. Still, if he wants to go out for a bit when its 25 farenheit and stay out for a bit, I know from experience he'll be totally fine, regardless of what that article says. Below that, however, I agree not to take chances.
 

amethyst

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Most of my cats are indoor/outdoor cats and my personal cut off when I tell them no, is about -10C/14F. However one my Maine Coon mixes goes out in down to about -25C/-13F, as in she bolts out the door when I let the dogs out sometimes before I can stop her. Regardless of the temp I don't let them out past 5pm (or sunset whichever comes first) in the winter. If they are out or get out past sunset in the winter I hunt them down and bring them inside.
 

susanm9006

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If it is below freezing then you and not the cat should be the judge of when it is too cold to be outside. When it is cold enough for frostbite in minutes I wouldn’t let a cat out.
 
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ArtNJ

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We had stress tonight when we couldn't find him. With 4 people letting 2 cats in and out, sometimes you lose track. No one is supposed to let this cat out after 4 especially when its this cold, but mistakes happen. Thankfully he was in, chilling in a hiding spot, warm and safe.
 
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ArtNJ

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Most of my cats are indoor/outdoor cats and my personal cut off when I tell them no, is about -10C/14F. However one my Maine Coon mixes goes out in down to about -25C/-13F, as in she bolts out the door when I let the dogs out sometimes before I can stop her. Regardless of the temp I don't let them out past 5pm (or sunset whichever comes first) in the winter. If they are out or get out past sunset in the winter I hunt them down and bring them inside.
Thank you for this reassurance. My troublesome cat that doesn't always come back is an 8 pound domestic shorthair, so I probably need to be a good bit more conservative, but its still nice to have your experience to counter some of the sillyness, like the article linked above that says 45 degrees farenheit, lol.
 

vyger

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We have a lot of stray, feral and barn cats here in Montana that have frosted ears. The ears tips get frostbit and die and then when it heals the dead tissue falls off so they look like they have been trimmed. It is the prolonged below zero temps that do the damage. I have several cats that love to go outside to run around and smell the air. They often go out with me when I go to split firewood. Before I am finished they are usually waiting at the door to get back in. But they could survive outside for a while with no bad side effects as long as it is above zero F. Below zero is when their insulation has trouble handling the cold. An easy way to judge the temp is if the snow squeaks when you walk on it. Squeaky snow means single digit temps.
Scotti my feral with frosted ears.

 
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danteshuman

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I once had a family cat that was being fed by 4 different homes thinking she was pregant...... she was spayed!!!!! So yes cats sometimes get multiple owners. Our semi-feral has a enemy cat across the street he fights sometimes (instead of every time he sees ?her? Now that he is neutered.) He also has a teenage buddy cat that he hangs out with all the time (the kitten/teen belongs to a neighbor.) Some cats live to hunt or worse dumpster dive

Your cat may be out exploring, visisting a second home or having a stare down with a enemy cat. I would keep both cats in after it gets dark .... and/or give them a insulated cat home in your yard (one for each cat.)

People may have a hard time seeing cats at night while they are driving. My kitten is learning to wear a harness because of my concern about cars/dogs/coyotes.
 

molly92

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Honestly, if a friendly cat came to my door in weather like that I would assume they were being neglected and not be overly concerned about returning them if I couldn't find the owner. So that is another way to lose your cat if you leave them outside in below freezing temperatures.
 
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