Barn cats and cold weather
David Buster
weather gets really cold. Is there a temperature at which you add a
heat source in the barn? what type? Is there a point at which you bring
them inside? What about outdoor dogs? Thanks in advance for your
opinions.
David
Opinions expressed herein are my own and may not represent those of my employer.
bikerbabe in black leather
>I would be interested to hear what you all do with barn cats when the
>weather gets really cold. Is there a temperature at which you add a
>heat source in the barn? what type? Is there a point at which you bring
>them inside? What about outdoor dogs? Thanks in advance for your
>opinions.
Our cats are just fine and we've had temps below zero a few nights.
They eat twice as much tho...
The dogs have a straw bale doghouse in their run and there's four of
them to keep each other warm. I stuck my head in there the other
night and was surprised to see it was pretty warm inside. They're
also eating twice as much...
--
Anmar Mirza # A cheap date, but an expensive pet.
EMT-D TBTW10#
N9ISY (tech)# Have sawmill, will travel.
EOL DoD#1147# http://php.indiana.edu/~amirza/home.html
scooter
garage for the cat. He also has a heated water dish and a blanket.
She's quite the cat lover eh?
LHCB
house stays a bit cooler than the rest of the house, so bunny has her own
ceramic electric heater to make sure she doesn't get cold.
Ken (MI)
"scooter" <sco...@hit.net> wrote in message
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Jerry & Kathleen Crawford
Our barn cats have the insulation of lots of hay, so they stay pretty
warm. I've put a board across the small heated water tank so they can get
water when everything's frozen up (like this morning). Just like others
say, ours also are eating twice as much.
Our dogs, though, are kept indoors always at night. It's been my
experience that dogs do better if they are part of your "pack".
Kathleen
"David Buster" <dbu...@mmm.com> wrote in message
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Elaine Gallant
Good insulation is the key. Hay is best for this, or build a nest for the
kitties out of some straw bales. Ground insulation is the most important. If
you put together a hay or straw bale pet house, put a whole bale thickness
on the floor.
The nest should just have enough room for the animal to turn around. Extra
space or headroom is not recommended as they have to keep the nest area warm
with body heat. If you have hay storage, cats generally dig in all by
themselves.
Hay bales make fine dog houses as well. Try to have at least two dogs so
they can keep each other warm.
"scooter" <sco...@hit.net> wrote in message
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Elaine Gallant
A show rabbit breeder I knew would stuff the outside cages full of hay. The
bunnies seemed to do fine that way.
"LHCB" <olsonfa...@msualum.com> wrote in message
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Barry
You can buy electric pet bed heaters from Dr's Foster and Smith catalogs
(they probably have a website.)
Gayle Thomas
>Good insulation is the key
My barn cats seem to appreciate the insulated food coolers or ice chests that I
put out for them to sleep in. Some are made out of Styrofoam, others are the
sturdier plastic ones that are always on sale at the end of summer. I cut a
small hole in the lid, put them on their side, and then add hay or old blankets
for bedding. The cats also have a heated bowl that keeps their water from
freezing.
The cats seem to do fine during an average winter when the temperatures will
occasionally get down to -10F outside. We've had a couple of really cold
spells (for us) when the temperature will go down to -20 or -30F and then all
cats are brought in, much to their dismay. I've seen barn cats who have lost
their ears to frostbite and don't want that for mine.
Gayle Thomas
Elaine Gallant
I do not believe in electric appliances to be used unsupervised by animals.
For that matter, I don't even use an electric blanket on my own bed.
It's dangerous, and creates artificial dependency. I don't even heat my
house and for the same reasons.
What if the power goes out in the middle of the night? Everyone suffers. If
they know how to function without added heat and are used to it, they are
free of that dependency.
"Barry" <ba...@jasmine.psyber.com> wrote in message
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Elaine Gallant
It doesn't get that cold here. The coldest it's been all year is +30.
"Gayle Thomas" <gthom...@aol.comnospam> wrote in message
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lee
<ANe56.16780$7f3.1...@bgtnsc07-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>:
>I do not believe in electric appliances to be used
>unsupervised by animals. For that matter, I don't even use an
>electric blanket on my own bed.
>
>It's dangerous, and creates artificial dependency. I don't
>even heat my house and for the same reasons.
>What if the power goes out in the middle of the night?
>Everyone suffers. If they know how to function without added
>heat and are used to it, they are free of that dependency.
you obviously don't live in a northern climate. or are you quite
happy living in an unheated house when the windchill is -50F?
my dog has a heated water bowl & an insulated doghouse inside a
shed, but he tends to sleep outside unless it's really windy.
it's his choice. (he doesn't like being in the house at all. too
hot for his winter coat i guess. he's a malamute). if i had
barncats i'd provide them with heated water too, but cats tend
to keep warm hanging out with the larger livestock. if i didn't
have the llamas & goats, i'd make sure outdoor cats were either
in the house or had at least a heated pig blanket in winter.
heck, if the dog was anything but a mal, i'd get him a pig
blanket too. cold & wind can kill animals too.
lee
scooter
>
> I do not believe in electric appliances to be used unsupervised by animals.
> For that matter, I don't even use an electric blanket on my own bed.
>
> It's dangerous, and creates artificial dependency. I don't even heat my
> house and for the same reasons.
>
Yeah everyone suffers!! No water. No toilet (except behind the barn).
Use the refridgerator to keep things warm, like at the hunting cabin.
Untill today, it hasn't been above 20F in weeks.
Anyway, we don't leave the toaster out for the tomcat, just the outdoor
rated heatlamp and outdoor rated water dish. ROFL!
- Scooter -
lee
>
>It doesn't get that cold here. The coldest it's been all year
>is +30.
then it's kind of silly for you to tell people that cats or
dogs don't need supplimental heating, don't you think? obviously
your experience where it's consistantly around/above freezing &
the experience of those of us that live in the sub-zero areas
are going to be quite different.
lee
Jerry & Kathleen Crawford
I had forgotten about those. Our cats found some in the garage and
commandeered them for winter homes, usually two or three cats per cooler.
Between those and the hay in the barn and tractor shed, those cats are WARM.
(As evidenced by the late batch of kittens found under a round bale, and now
living in the house for some reason.)
Kathleen
"Gayle Thomas" <gthom...@aol.comnospam> wrote in message
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Elaine Gallant
"lee" <eni...@empire.net> wrote in message
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> you obviously don't live in a northern climate. or are you quite
> happy living in an unheated house when the windchill is -50F?
Hubby and I picked where we were going to live. Places that got -50F
surprising got left off the short list!
> my dog has a heated water bowl & an insulated doghouse inside a
> shed, but he tends to sleep outside unless it's really windy.
> it's his choice. (he doesn't like being in the house at all. too
> hot for his winter coat i guess. he's a malamute). if i had
> barncats i'd provide them with heated water too, but cats tend
> to keep warm hanging out with the larger livestock. if i didn't
> have the llamas & goats, i'd make sure outdoor cats were either
> in the house or had at least a heated pig blanket in winter.
> heck, if the dog was anything but a mal, i'd get him a pig
> blanket too. cold & wind can kill animals too.
That's why they make barns.
Elaine Gallant
> elaine....@worldnet.att.net (Elaine Gallant) wrote in
> <HOe56.16783$7f3.1...@bgtnsc07-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>:
>
> >
> >It doesn't get that cold here. The coldest it's been all year
> >is +30.
>
> then it's kind of silly for you to tell people that cats or
> dogs don't need supplimental heating, don't you think?
No. I SAID to let the cats snuggle down into the middle of thick hay bales.
In a barn. They'll be perfectly warm with enough hay as insulation.
obviously
> your experience where it's consistantly around/above freezing &
> the experience of those of us that live in the sub-zero areas
> are going to be quite different.
I am against creating artificial dependency in animals, plus feel it's
dangerous to use powered appliances out where they cannot be supervised.
My neighbor's barn recently burned to the ground. They apparently has a
battery charger going in there unsupervised.
lee
>I am against creating artificial dependency in animals, plus
>feel it's dangerous to use powered appliances out where they
>cannot be supervised.
even water warmers? Delby (malamute) & Pima (goat) have buckets
with heaters built in that go on at freezing & off at 40F.
the female llamas have a floating water heater in thier stock
tank. the male llama has to have water hauled out several
times/day &/or the ice broken on his bucket. that's a pain in
the butt... and one of the reasons he'll be neutered (the other
being he's incredibly stupid & jumpy)
>My neighbor's barn recently burned to the ground. They
>apparently has a battery charger going in there unsupervised.
battery charger for an electric fence?
i'm not too worried about the water heaters starting fires. we
inspect the cords when we fill the buckets anyway.
i like this area. i'm willing to take a couple weeks of sub-
zero weather... i just wish we'd get more snow :)
lee
OlManRiver
>weather gets really cold.
Find a cardboard box, maybe twice the size of the cat, close up completely with
duct tape. With utility knife, cut an opening in the boc through which the cat
can enter (not too large an opening). Stuff box with small blanket (not
electric!) and place well off the ground, maybe among/between hay bales. Cats
will find their way in out of curiousity and might enjoy it. Supplement with
lots of food. It has worked for our barn cats.
she...@my-deja.com
> i'm not too worried about the water heaters starting fires. we
> inspect the cords when we fill the buckets anyway.
> i like this area. i'm willing to take a couple weeks of sub-
> zero weather... i just wish we'd get more snow :)
> lee
>
I'm in Iowa, and we had some unbelievable weather in Dec. Record
breaking temps and snow fall. I really don't mind, though, to be
honest. It's much more invigorating mucking out the barn in minus 20
degrees F. (with wind chills dropping to minus 70 at times!!) than
in 100 degree heat and humidity. That's the stuff I can't handle. That
heat. My three horses appear to handle the cold much better than the
heat as well. They really haven't seemed too effected by the cold but
I've seen them VERY stressed from high heat. I DID break down, however,
and bring all our barn cats up to our gargage where I plugged in a
heated pet pad inside a large insulated dog house for them. My dog
already had a heated dog house plugged in in our gargage.
Sherdan http://www.geocities.com/sherdan_52213/jhorses.html
Sent via Deja.com
http://www.deja.com/
lee
>I'm in Iowa, and we had some unbelievable weather in Dec.
>Record breaking temps and snow fall. I really don't mind,
>though, to be honest. It's much more invigorating mucking
>out the barn in minus 20 degrees F. (with wind chills
>dropping to minus 70 at times!!) than in 100 degree heat and
>humidity. That's the stuff I can't handle. That heat. My
>three horses appear to handle the cold much better than the
>heat as well. They really haven't seemed too effected by the
>cold but I've seen them VERY stressed from high heat.
do you have/use fans for your horses when it's really hot? i
have llamas & fan use seems pretty common. i don't have fans
yet, but i will install them when i build a barn.
lee
Elaine Gallant
Yes, I see how your water bucket heaters make sense. At least from a
convenience to you standpoint.
Yes, there are times I have to break ice and haul water.
"lee" <eni...@empire.net> wrote in message
news:90246B752en...@199.125.85.9...
Elaine Gallant
I love winter as well, and function much better in cool weather than hot.
<she...@my-deja.com> wrote in message news:93keh1$1bc$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
Elaine Gallant
Cardboard box is a GREAT idea for a barn kitty bed.
"OlManRiver" <olman...@aol.com> wrote in message
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phx...@home.com
Elaine Gallant wrote:
>
> Cardboard box is a GREAT idea for a barn kitty bed.
I've told this here before, but it's so neat I'll hazard a new telling:
Combine 3-4 cardboard boxes like above, but leave all flaps intact and
taped, then arrange them in a clump, with 6" holes connecting each with
others, both vertically and horizontally. Tape the grouping together,
and stand back! The more cats, the merrier! Oh, and with a felt tip,
mark CATSLE on the arrangement....
.
day. The llamas will stand right over it and cool their feet and undersides.
If you move the sprinkler each day you can keep some of the grass green.
I've also heard tell of misting systems in the southern US for llamas.
lee <eni...@empire.net> wrote in message
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she...@my-deja.com
> do you have/use fans for your horses when it's really hot? i
> have llamas & fan use seems pretty common. i don't have fans
> yet, but i will install them when i build a barn.
> lee
Yes, I have fans available, and our barn is wired. I've only used
the fans once though, for about a three day period - and then only
during the afternoon. I always watch my animals for stress during the
high heat as well as the extreme cold and it is only when I see that
they appear effected that I take any action. In other words, I don't
just assume that because the temperatures will be above 100 I'll have to
run the fans. I'll only resort to them as a last measure if my horses
seem to be struggling. The same is true with the extreme cold. My
horses have free choice hay available at all times anyway, and they
get a serving of grain a day but if I see that they are particularly
stressed from the cold, I'll give them an extra ration of sweet feed
with some corn and corn oil thrown in to get those 'burners going'.
Fortunately, my horses are all healthy with thick burly coats and have
never seemed to be bothered by the cold.
Nick Pine
>...I don't just assume that because the temperatures will be above 100
>I'll have to run the fans. I'll only resort to them as a last measure
>if my horses seem to be struggling.
I see barns with fans on each stall that run all summer, even when the
horses aren't in the stalls. Seems to me people could save energy by
rigging up a $10 outdoor motion detector light to turn on the fan when
the horse stands in front of it or turn on a solenoid valve that controls
a mister.
Nick
phx...@home.com
> I see barns with fans on each stall that run all summer, even when the
> horses aren't in the stalls.
We seem to have lost a lot of one-time common sense. I grew up on a
farm whose huge 2-story barn had a rooftop cupola of probably
12'x12'x12'. All four sides were louvered, so that any passing breeze
would assist heated barn air to escape. Our retired horses were stalled
near an outside door at the lowest stone wall level, so incoming cool
air kept them comfortable in the hottest weather.
Our home stayed comfortable due to application of the same principal of
convection. 10' high rooms had tall double-hung windows that allowed
hot air out at the top, and cooler air in at the bottom.
lee
<t5t3m0j...@corp.supernews.com>:
>PMJI, but we put a lawn sprinkler out in the pasture during
>the heat of the day. The llamas will stand right over it and
>cool their feet and undersides. If you move the sprinkler
>each day you can keep some of the grass green.
mine have a kiddy pool to stand/kush in. it rarely gets above
85F here, so cooling them isn't as big a deal as it would be
where it's warmer.
do yours have a fondness for eating evergreen trees? my
windbreak is getting rather sparse. it's the first thing they
went for when i moved them to the pasture closer to the house.
lee
.
and otherwise folded spindled and mutilated. We watch the early summer Buy
Mart ads and pick up a 6 footer for less than 5 bucks apiece.
Ours have also learned that their tootsies feel good when placed in the
water buckets and tubs, so rather than put a 12 gallon bucket or a bathtub
at ground level we're changing over to 5 gallon buckets hung about 30" off
the ground.
I have also on occasion put a few "windbreaks" here and there, particularly
under trees, by taking a few straw bales and stacking them like bricks (no
higher than two). These are placed where we see them kushing anyway, and it
blocks some of the winter winds. An interior layer of straw bales in an
unheated shed, barn, or loafing shed also helps block any drafts and
insulated pretty darn well to boot ! Could also be external if you cover
with a tarp. You *don't* want a soggy bale of straw sitting against wood
siding, for the sake of the structure. The llamas don't care one way or
t'other.
Our evergreen trees (doug firs, ponderosas, and the like) are all neatly
pruned to show how high the tallest can reach. I'm given to understand that
this is not a toxitity problem except perhaps in really excessive
quantities. By now they've about taken care of everything they'd normally
get their hands on, so they only get it as fast as it grows, which is not
very. As a treat if a branch comes down outside the pasture we'll toss it
over. They don't get too much and they love it so.
They also love their street sweeper brushes, mounted vertically in a post.
Helps them clean out debris from their "wool" (quote so that the sheep folk
won't flame me).
lee <eni...@empire.net> wrote in message
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