We're reporting temps right now in the the teens in lower SC. How do the feral cats survive this?

[Skip Intro]

Cats, I'm sure, survive in the cold regions, but this in the Charleston area, we're in the teens tonight.

I've got one, two, three now, cats coming to my door for food. I put out a cat-carrier with a fleece blanket inside and another covering the carrier, but none of them are using it.

And then there are the feral colonies, one of which nearby I know of, and I have to wonder...I'm effin' freezing inside my home with a heater and covers, what are they doing?

[zanana1]

1. They survive freezing temps in NH...

I don't know how they do it, but I personally have two feral cats around my yard and they make it through every winter. I feed them and there is shelter, but only slightly heated mats to lie on in tiny "houses". They must hate to see the snow come, but they won't come inside the house so there's nothing more I can do.

[TorchTheWitch]

2. same way any non-domestic animal does

What, you think animals have to live indoors to survive?

[Skip Intro]

3. I don't know. That' s why I'm asking. My indoor cat has curled up in my bedsheets/comforter.

I love her.

But those poor outside cats. I don't know. They eat the food I put out, ignore the shelter I put out. Guess they have a better plan.

[Crystal Clarity]

4. They find places to go

Word of caution though. Make sure you bang on your car/make alot of racket/maybe even lift the hood before you start it up. Cats sometimes climb into the engine for warmth and well, you can imagine how awful that outcome can be. It's happened to my sister before. :-(

Most feral cats abandon the car for a better spot once the engine no longer provides warmth, which happens pretty quickly in 20 below weather (like up here in our coldest months). But the possibility still remains, especially if you are living in an area where cats are unused to cold weather.

It's awful to see cats out in the elements like that. People who abandon their animals and/or don't have them spayed/neutered make me SO mad. {{grr}}

[seabeyond]

10. laughing.... ohhhh. i have to keep shifting my thought with this myself.

i have some cats i feed. they arent mine. i dont want them. but i bought some food to feed them. and it is cold here. i have to keep telling myself, every winter comes, spring they survive. they are animals. other animals survive.....

[cherish44]

5. Feral cats take up residence in my shed

I have blankets and straw in there for them. The old guy next door feeds them. They are usually a few hardy ones that have survived serveral nasty winters but usually the really young ones don't make it :( Wish I could take them all in.

[stuntcat]

8. least they have the shed!

I have two ferals I'd tnr'ed, but it's so crowded here, the neighbors were starting to think I was a problem. (Which one of us was it who stopped at least eight kittens from being born? When not a single effing one of the rest of them was even going to get the girls put to sleep!?? Oh this really burns me up..) So I trapped them again and brought them inside and now we have two wild animals in here lol At least I know they're safe now though, someday they'll trust me.

[Kali]

6. nevermind - not a loungy subject

animals have fur and live outdoors naturally.

[Arkansas Granny]

7. Feral cats, like other wild animals, are acclimated to the temps and are

quite good at finding places to shelter. My kitty is a former feral cat and she prefers to sleep out at night until the temperature get well below freezing. Even then, it's not a sure thing that she'll come inside. She has a pet door, so I let her decide.

[Brickbat]

9. They have fur, and "the teens" are not that cold. The weak ones die, and the strong ones make it

through somehow.

[NV Whino]

11. Here's one way

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x9571908

[ceile]

12. As long as they are dry and out of the wind

they will be fine.

[racaulk]

13. Cats are incredibly resourceful.

They're very good at finding out-of-the-way places to stay warm and safe. I have no idea how they survive such harsh temperatures, but they do. Amazing creatures!

:hi:

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

14. We used to have a stray cat that stayed in our garage sometimes...

There was slight gap under the door that the cat was able to fit under.

[applegrove]

15. There is a colony of feral cats behind parliament hill in Ottawa. I've never visited

so I don't know how they survive but somehow they do.

[KoKo]

16. Lower SC...Charleston or Beaufort or Hilton Head?

:shrug: We were trying to get there for Christmas......

Not looking comfortable......

[quakerboy]

17. Same way I do

Fur. Summers are a bit uncomfortable, but winters prove my evolutionary superiority.

[hamsterjill]

18. Feral Cat Colony in Texas

I don't know about up north, but I help manage a couple of feral cat colonies in Texas. We build shelters for them, and stuff them with straw.

Animals certainly do acclimate to temperature changes, but here in Texas, it may be 80 in the morning and 20 overnight. Add to that wind and rain, and these animals need something to shelter within.

We've come up with some designs that allow ferals to have an entrance and an exit, as many of them won't go into a typical doghouse, etc.

Kudos to any up-posters, etc. here who are helping the unhomed animals!!

[begin_within]

19. They use up one of their nine lives

[Swede]

20. It reaches -30 at times up here and they survive.

Huddle in abandoned houses,garages etc.

[mikeytherat]

21. They find softies like me to take them in:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x9572524

:)

mikey_the_rat

[geardaddy]

22. Barn cats survive here in MN

in temperatures down to -40. They must find nice warm spots in the barn somewhere.