Baby, It's Cold Outside

I was surprised to learn that below 45 degrees Fahrenheit is too cold for cats. I mean, dudes in the Midwest are still wearing shorts til it hits below freezing, so I just assumed that cats would be at least as tolerant as the average midwestern male. In reality, cold tolerance can vary greatly among cats. Some of the factors that influence cold tolerance include age, health, coat type, and environmental factors like dampness and wind.

There's a pretty extensive blog about this on PetMD if you're into that sort of thing.

And if you're more of a TL;DR person...welcome.

Here are the quick and dirty basics to keep in mind for your indoor/outdoor and outdoor cats:

• Have an indoor spot for them to sleep, or make an appropriate outdoor shelter for them.

• If you've let them out, be around to let them in- or have a kitty door.

• Watch for signs of hypothermia and frostbite.

Tips variety pack:

• Spayed/neutered cats generally have better overall health.

• Feral and community cats will look for warm places, so check your car before you roll out for the day.

• Help keep all cats safe by making sure they can't get into antifreeze and that you avoid salt and chemical snow melts (plenty of pet friendly alternatives are out there, check your local home improvement store or shop online).

Stay toasty, but not too toasty...