First winter here with adopted 11 year old - was bitterly cold in our house last year and worried she'll be too cold. What do people do when they're out during the day?

Is it overkill to leave the heating on low all day (or come on for an hour, say) or will their fur coat suffice?

Am toying with the idea of getting her an igloo type bed to keep her heat in - if only you could get them human-sized, they look very cosy!!

Having got a 17.5 year old puss i know what you mean.
I think that they will find the warmest place in the house anyway.
You can buy a microwave cat pad to put in their bed. That might work or a igloo bed like you mentioned.
Last year I bought the bed that Chloe is sitting in (pictured below) I bought it for another old cat which was very thin but sadly he died before he got to use it.
Chloe loves it and it has nice deep sides and it comes in 3 sizes.
A few days ago on here somebody put pictures on here of how they put a box on it's side with lots of warm blankets in it and over the top. It looked very warm. Perhaps if you look through the threads you might find it.

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I sincerely hope we don't have another winter like last year! Leaving the heat on at a lower temperature is probably more economical that heating than system up from scratch in very cold weather.

Unless your cat is old or unwell ( in which case additional warmth is necessary ) there's no need to be overly concerned about temperature. Don't forget (unlike us ) they have a layer of fur which insulates them. A few nights ago very late, I realised one of ours hadn't come in ( he loves being outside at night and insists on going out the minute he's fed ) and was quite surprised to find how warm he felt when I found him sleeping on a chair in the summer-house! To me it was absolutely freezing out there!

Thanks both for replies.

ps - in my recent quest to find out the answers to similar questions, I have found that statements similar to the above have led to very long, heated and drawn out arguments/debates on other forums so be careful where you air those controversial views

Oscar is 18 and he has an igloo bed - which so far 3/4s of him has been in

I was advised by a heating engineer that it was better to leave the heating on between 15-17 degrees if you are not in the house for exactly the reasons that Ianthi has stated. It's more cost effective and uses less gas than if you have to heat up from cold.

Any hoo that's what I do with his nibs, and as others have said they will find the warmth or not in Oscar's case he either ends up lying on a sofa, the kitchen floor or in his cat carrier.

This is something ive been wondering.

I have a 15 year old siamese cross, who is pretty much skin and bones and really feels the cold. I wont be having my heating on this winter, and im a bit worried about how she will cope.

She has access to covered beds, and sleeps in the airing cupboard, but still seems really cold. As stupid as this may sound, has anyone ever used a coat or jumper for a cat? My dogs have indoor fleece jumpers, and i was contemplating trying something similar for her.

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Hi,
we have exactly the same problem when I go to work and leave my cats alone in the cold flat. First winter I bought the microwave pads at Pats@Home.They were ok but too small and too hard for cats. My cats liked it not having another choice. The other problem with the pads is that they get cold after some hours.
In the second flat I don't have a microwave oven (and don't want to buy one), so I tried another product: SAFE 12 V Petnap Electric Cat Dog heat pad mat 33cm x 44cm: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home

(You can buy it cheaper on eBay. Have a look around.)
My cats love it. They spent the whole last winter on it, even when I was at home and the heating was turned on. It keeps constant temperature over the day and it's really cheap in maintenance. This winter I will use electric blankets again.

Just got home with an igloo bed for the little princess and she's been in and out twice already giving it a recce. Both times she started purring LOUDLY once in and having a prod and a pad, so reckon she might like it!!

Stop press, make that three times, still purring :-)

Reckon the electric blanket is pretty cool too, and I do like a gadget!! Thanks all.

I can recommend Flectabed....I have two and both are constantly occupied by heat seeking kitties, especially my oldies.

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Nellie Paddy Mitzy Milo Peggy Murphy

Millie and Monty, the White Devils!

I think those igloo fur lined things are a great idea....for older cats or cats with health probs...i wouldst for mine simply because he's young and his coat will do it's job but for the older pet forum furies i think they're great....i wouldn't recommend a hot water bottle though
I leave my heating on low all through the winter anyway as it's economical and my house is that big its the only way to keep the place even slightly warm

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