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Cat Temperature

02:25 / 05.11.05

We were just given this gadget that allows us to set the thermostat to adjust automatically. A little cooler at night, cold or off while we're at work, turn back on before we get home, that sort of thing. This makes great financial sense, as we live in a region that can see it drop to -30 celcius during the winter months (of course having it completely off when its that cold will just burst the pipes). The thing is we have a cat. Knowing that cats tend to like it a little warmer than humans, we're wondering how cool we can make it with out causing the cat any discomfort, or if we should just forget it altogether. I did some googling but came up short. Anyone have any thoughts?

02:31 / 05.11.05

Well, we put the temp down to 62f/16c and our cat doesnt seem to mind.

*

02:33 / 05.11.05

Are we talking more the Himalayan end of the scale, or the Hairless Sphinx?

02:43 / 05.11.05

Sorta like this guy here.

Lilly Nowhere Late

05:37 / 05.11.05

Not sure how I know this but I recall that domestic cats and dogs are most comfortable with an inside temperature of around 50F. They don't get very cold ever unless wet because of their high metabolic rates. They do get too warm but cats like that too. If your thermostat is set low it's probably healthier for them. Just make sure they have somewhere snuggly to curl up because of course cats love to snuggle in strange dark soft places.

05:38 / 05.11.05

Cats wear fur coats.

All the time.

Come on, now.

08:42 / 05.11.05

I'd say it depends on the individual - does your cat tend to seek out warmth, lie right next to radiators etc? The reason I ask is that we have two cats, one of whom seems quite happy to hang out on the sofa whatever the temperature, while the other was evidently a heat seeking missile in a former life, and follows the hot spots though the day (radiators coming on and off, patches of sunshine etc.). If your cat is more the former, then I'd say he/she should tolerate quite cool temps as long as there are a few places to snuggle/nest. On the other hand, if we're talking the latter scenario, then I'd say its worth buying a seperate heater that you can leave on for the cat....

subcultureofone

11:36 / 05.11.05

i have a sixteen year old cat who is diabetic, hypertensive, and arthritic, so she needs heat to be comfortable. i also have a programmable thermostat and was worried about her getting too cold. a friend who works with our local pet rescue suggested a few options: the simplest is a kitty hideout , cat cup, or slumber ball. i have a plain 'cat igloo' shaped like the 'alice's mushroom' design. it squishes up for storage when the weather gets warm.

i also have a heated pet bed that my cat loves. initially, i didn't want to use something that had to be plugged in while i'm away, but it stays 10 degrees above ambient temp until the cat sits on it. then it heats up to 102f, a cat's normal body temp. there's a non-electric heating option, too; the snuggle safe microdisc that you can heat up in the microwave.

i haven't tried the thermo-reflective bed or the super thermo sill cup

14:09 / 05.11.05

Actually we did consider having something heated so she has the option if feeling cold, but were wary of leaving something plugged in while nobody is around, as subcultureofone was saying. We got one of these on a whim, but she wasnt into it at all. Repelled by it. We think it's more to do with the weird texture than a reluctance to snuggle. There is a pillow she likes to spend time on, so I've been thinking of getting a basket or something to house it and put it by a radiator, but you've given us lots of other options to explore.

Bard: One-Man Humaton Hoedown

16:19 / 05.11.05

The cat houses work. And if the cat isn't too energetic, and the house is in the right place, they WILL go into it when they're cold.

When we gave it to Kit-Kat as her first christmas present (I feel like such a loser, we give presents to our cat) she IMMEDIATLY ran into it and refused to come out for the next half hour.

Then again, Kit-Kat is obsessed with boxes. And being inside them. But yeah...she went into the house and we couldn't get her out of it.

So I'm pretty sure that the things work.

16:29 / 05.11.05

After seeing those beds I want to be a cat in my next life.

Snuuugggggg.

17:06 / 05.11.05

Probably worth bringing up the barn cat phenomenon. Cats on farms aren't usually allowed indoors, they sleep in the barn (my gradparents were farmers and they had about a dozen cats on the farm to keep the rodents under control - none of them came into the house after a rather unfortunate incident involving a sick kitty and a bed when my dad was a kid). None of them ever froze - when a cat gets cold, he just finds something to curl up in. Barn cats like hay, house cats seem to prefer old sweatshirts or blankets in my experience. It doesn't have to be an expensive cat bed/house/palace. Unless your home leaks heat like crazy, or you're leaving the windows open, it's not likely to drop to much less than 15C while you're at work, even in these chilly northern climes. My furnace died last winter and it was about 12C in here for a day or two - I shivered like crazy, however Doom the cat seemed not to mind at all. So you should be able to program your thermostat down to a low temp during the day with no worries.