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Cat Forum / General Topics / December 2004Cat Sleeping quarters
My cat has been an outside cat for 17 year. In winter he has been sleeping in the greenhouse in a wooden box with a thick catbed with a hood over it. There is a cover over the door of the cathouse ( excuse my language) to help shut out the cold. There is no heat in the greenhouse except on sunny days the sunshine hits 4 black barrels full of water which release heat at night. Because of his age, I decided to let him sleep inside. He has been spraying everywhere. And this I can't tolerate. I have read that this is probably due to other cats in the area. These I can do nothing about since they are not my cats. They come around and steal my cats food as my cat is fed outside. I was wondering if there is a safe way to put a little heat in the cathouse in the greenhouse. I don't want the cat to be cold but neither can I stand that smell. My mother was a cat lover and had up to 40 cats in her house. This rather turned me against cats. We acquired our cat when he was a tiny kitten that had been abandoned on the side of a country road and was starving. After passing it for several days we brought it home. It was so weak I had to feed it with an eyedropper. In any case I would like for the cat to be back sleeping in the greenhouse. Has anyone any suggestions? Thank you. Pixi PS. We also have a housedog, smaller than the cat, who hates the cat and attacks it whenever possible. The cat does nothing to protect itself. Just howls for help. Could this be the reason for the spraying? I can't keep the dog outside. It's too tiny. > I was wondering if there is a safe way to put a little heat in the cathouse > in the greenhouse. I don't want the cat to be cold but neither can I stand > that smell. I don't have any personal experience with this, but people who keep pet lizards have a way to heat their lizards. It's either a hot rock or hot lamp. You could ask at the pet store. If the cat is smart enough, any type of heater should work. >My cat has been an outside cat for 17 year. In winter he has been sleeping >in the greenhouse in a wooden box with a thick catbed with a hood over it. >There is a cover over the door of the cathouse ( excuse my language) to help >shut out the cold. <snip> >I was wondering if there is a safe way to put a little heat in the cathouse >in the greenhouse. I don't want the cat to be cold but neither can I stand >that smell. <snip> There are electric heaters for cat and dog beds: they are rectangular metal plates with armored (chew proof) power cords.  SignatureT.E.D. (tdavis@gearbox.maem.umr.edu) >There are electric heaters for cat and dog beds: they are rectangular >metal plates with armored (chew proof) power cords. I have one of those. It's very safe, and only reaches 102 degrees. The case is hard plastic, and they come in different sizes. They are available at Petsmart, they're a bit expensive, around $80 but they'd make a big difference, IMO. They are marketed as "dog house heaters" but I bought mine because at the time I had a rescue living in the garage. Sherry >>There are electric heaters for cat and dog beds: they are rectangular >>metal plates with armored (chew proof) power cords. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >They are marketed as "dog house heaters" but I bought mine because at the time >I had a rescue living in the garage. Mine is still in the original package, and has a $26.something price tag. I got it at a store that caters to farmers and ranchers (people who have lots of outside animals). T.E.D. (tdavis@gearbox.maem.umr.edu) SPAM filter: Messages to this address *must* contain "T.E.D." somewhere in the body or they will be automatically rejected. > In any case I would like for the cat to be back sleeping in the greenhouse. > Has anyone any suggestions? In tropical climates, we used to put a 25 watt bulb in the clothes lockers to keep the humidity down. How about putting a lamp in the hood over the box and that would give off a little heat without cooking him. Leanne >In tropical climates, we used to put a 25 watt bulb in the clothes lockers >to keep the humidity down. >How about putting a lamp in the hood over the box and that would give off a >little heat without cooking him. > >Leanne If you do use a heat lamp, be very careful. Pets tend to knock things around sometimes and you want to make sure its secured very well. A family of four here died in a house fire because they had a heat lamp on some puppies. Sherry Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I think I will try one of those pads that you stick in the microwave. These are for people but I figure if I put it behind the catbed, the cat won't be able to claw it. I saw an ad on the internet of what looks like a flat metal sheet with an armored cord that is meant for pets. Don't know where to find one. Don't buy on the internet, ever. The softer bed warmers worry me a bit. Can the cat get its claws in the wiring? I do not want to use anything that will hurt the cat. Although I am not fond of cats in general, this is "my" cat and has been around a good while. And he is an excellent mouser and other than the spraying has never messed in the house when allowed in for brief intervals. Keep a cat box in the basement and although the cat has never been "housebroken" he uses that for everything but spraying. > >In tropical climates, we used to put a 25 watt bulb in the clothes lockers > >to keep the humidity down. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Sherry > Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I think I will try one of those > pads that you stick in the microwave. These are for people but I figure > if > I put it behind the catbed, the cat won't be able to claw it. You could also try buying a sheepskin for his bed - it doesn't create heat, but it will help keep his heat in and he'll be very warm and cosy snuggling into it. Of course, you will have to wash it regularly to ensure it doesn't become infested with fleas. > My cat has been an outside cat for 17 year. In winter he has been sleeping > in the greenhouse in a wooden box with a thick catbed with a hood over it. [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > Just howls for help. Could this be the reason for the spraying? I can't > keep the dog outside. It's too tiny. I use one of those sheepskin like mats that have a durable rubber mat with heating element inside. I doubt your cat could chew or claw thru it. The heating element runs off a transformer, the most he would recieve would be a DC current mild shock. You'd have to of course keep the transformer part protected. The wire cord is about 7' long or so to the mat. The cotton sheepskin part is washable. I throw it in the washer every 10-14 days. I think this is a good solution provided the area where the mat will be doesn't get wet. You could run an extension cord, and if need be, protect the transformer part. The transformer does heat up (normal),so don't just tightly wrap it in plastic. Microwaving a pad each and every nite seems quite a chore. Here's a url of the pad where I purchased it online. Reasonable price. The small size is suffiently large. (lower picture). Kreature Komfort Heated Bed - Small. http://store.yahoo.com/petmarket/kitkomheatpa.html |
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