[catnapt]

hi
i am caring for 2 elderly cats and need to know how warm i have to keep my apt for their comfort
for my comfort, 58 to 62 degrees is fine but i imagine this is not warm enough for them

anyone know how to tell if your cat is cold and would appreciate a bit higher temperature?

thanks for any ideas

oh, i won't use an electric bed for a cat and the reflective ones they don't like!!

 

[Jeanie]

Cats absolutely love heat. I keep the house at about 74 degrees and they still stand in front of the registers, on top of the computer and VCR-anything that throws heat. In the winter, they stand in front of the fireplace while I build a fire, and meow loudly-for faster service! I have glass doors and a heat exchanger, so there are no open flames. I honestly think they'd love 85 degrees!

There is a kitty heating pad. Don't use a heating pad designed for human beings, however. If kitty is a wire chewer, spray the cord with bitter apple. My cats love sleeping on top of my electric blanket. I know you don't like to use electric blankets however, so how about a polyester fleece blanket, or sleeping with you?

 

[kitkat]

Hehe, its funny one time it was really hot outside but it was cold inside my apt since I left the AC on all nite really cold so when I took a shower i Turned off the AC and left the apt all day and I forgot to turn the AC back on. I came back and boy was it hot, probably like 85-90 degrees maybe, but Twinkie and Sugar were layed out on the kitchen tiles looking like they are cooling off! I think that 70 something is a good temperature for the house and for the cats

 

[Jeanie]

You found their limit! I saw an article about a blacksmith's cat who sat so close to the fire his owner was afraid he'd suffer heatstroke, but it never hurt him, and he sought out that spot every day. They have a great tolerance for heat.

 

[kitkat]

Tell me about it, cats love heat or certain cats do. Twinkie love cold spots and Sugar can sit right in front of a fireplace and nap and she can also sit right under my lamp light which is next to my computer and I am telling you the light is soooo hot that it actually melted my keys on my computer when Sugar accidentally pushed the lamp around! At least it was cheap to replace the keyboard tho! :roll:

 

[kittygirl04]

My cats like to be warm, too. I can tell that it is getting cold when Kittygirl starts moving closer, and closer, and closer.....then practically right on top of me in bed at night. Sometimes I come home from work and find lumps under the comforter. I pat the blanket and find a snuggly, warm kitty under there. Sometimes I don't know how they breathe under there!

How do stray/outdoor cats keep warm? People always say that they have fur, so they'll be fine. I don't believe that at all when it's snowing and freezing outside. I feel so bad for them.

 

[Jeanie]

It's so sad to think of a heat-loving animal like a cat being out in sub-freezing weather. If people know there's a feral colony nearby, it would be great if they could provide some sort of shelter.