- Joined
- Aug 22, 2012
- Messages
- 91
- Purraise
- 17
I've had this feral cat for several months, and had to keep her confined much of that time because she was pregnant right before I caught her, which I discovered only well into her pregnancy when i brought her in for a spay. I kept her second kitten with her for weeks afterwards (my brother has that friendly kitten, along with his tamed older brother who was trapped along with mama. She seems to have been a single kitten mama). I've tamed her up a bit. I can usually pet her on the head without a swat. that's after months of work, though.
I finally could get her spayed, and let her out of her cage. Since it's so close to winter, I created a room for her in my unheated granary rather than risk her running away. I have been covering her former cage (it's open now) with many blankets and sleeping bags and have a couple of lightbulbs in there for heat, but this morning she was shivering and the temp was like 30F in there according to my remote thermometer. She has a heated pet pad and a cushion in there.
My husband and I made her a heavy duty foam cooler cubby and put straw in, about 3 weeks ago, but she has no interest in going in there. I put catnip in there, which I know she likes because I also put some on her scratch pad. I know she's been inside before, but she doesn't like it.
I am going to duct tape rigid foam insulation all over her cage cubby if I can't think of anything else, but I dunno if that will be good enough, because the cage is pretty big (around 4 feet by 2 feet by 3 feet).
Maybe she never got cold tolerance due to my having to confine her in a cage until around Halloween, with her kitten? It was cold and I didn't want her kitten to be cold.
I don't know what to do now. It was +12 F last night, and we will get some 35 below nights eventually. Should I build her a wood cubby and dog house heater (porcelain fixture with coffee can cover over a lightbulb)? The granary room is really nice, with big windows, but a bit drafty since it's uninsulated right now. There looks to be a warm up for now, so I have a little time. TX!!!
I finally could get her spayed, and let her out of her cage. Since it's so close to winter, I created a room for her in my unheated granary rather than risk her running away. I have been covering her former cage (it's open now) with many blankets and sleeping bags and have a couple of lightbulbs in there for heat, but this morning she was shivering and the temp was like 30F in there according to my remote thermometer. She has a heated pet pad and a cushion in there.
My husband and I made her a heavy duty foam cooler cubby and put straw in, about 3 weeks ago, but she has no interest in going in there. I put catnip in there, which I know she likes because I also put some on her scratch pad. I know she's been inside before, but she doesn't like it.
I am going to duct tape rigid foam insulation all over her cage cubby if I can't think of anything else, but I dunno if that will be good enough, because the cage is pretty big (around 4 feet by 2 feet by 3 feet).
Maybe she never got cold tolerance due to my having to confine her in a cage until around Halloween, with her kitten? It was cold and I didn't want her kitten to be cold.
I don't know what to do now. It was +12 F last night, and we will get some 35 below nights eventually. Should I build her a wood cubby and dog house heater (porcelain fixture with coffee can cover over a lightbulb)? The granary room is really nice, with big windows, but a bit drafty since it's uninsulated right now. There looks to be a warm up for now, so I have a little time. TX!!!
Last edited: