Wednesday, December 08, 2010

It's all for the cats

The same snow has been on the ground for at least 3 days now and this morning the thermometer reading was at 4 degrees f. when we got up.  We still have a few more days before the temperature goes above freezing, and   Jimmy has been working outside between his medical appointments.  He hates the cold so I find it hard to understand why he stays in it so much, but I suspect it's to check that the heat tape and light bulb is still working under the house to protect the water pipes from freezing.

Jimmy has also been busy putting together his usual contraption for two old cats on the front porch.  If you pass by our house it looks like we have had a fire or some kind of disaster because our front porch is covered over with blue tarps to keep the wind and snow from blowing in on the cats.  The cats have two very nice dog houses and two buildings in the backyard which are all snuggly warm with some of my old bed comfortor's and blankets which I keep washed up for them.  Cats don't like to lay or sit on anything they think is dirty or is covered with their own hair, so they keep me busy washing up their bedding.

We have 2 cats and 1 kitten in the house and the rest of the cats live outside in the buildings and dog houses.  Don't ask me how many cats we have because the number changes from day to day depending on roaming cats who use our premises as a rest stop.

Getting back to the two old cats on the front porch....
Last night I finally put the electric heating throw blanket under them for the night and we had two very happy cats last night.  The reason Jimmy puts up tarps on the front porch is because the first time I put the electric throw under the two old cats it snowed a blowing snow, and in the morning the cats were covered in snow, but did not give up their warm spots.    Since the porch is now shielded by tarps and bamboo shades two  more cats have decided to sleep on the front porch as well.  I guess they heard that it's heated.

I feel like we might as well have a broken window with a pillow stuffed in it to keep the cold air out and, an old wringer washer sitting on our front porch...that's how bad it looks.  But it's all for two old cats who are approximately 14+ years old and one of them is Hopalong aka Catzilla from the blog, Catzilla and Friends.

2 comments:

Cheyenne said...

I know what you're going through. I stress over the cats that are outside. There are plenty of them to keep each other warm and we keep the greenhouse (which is well protected from wind etc.) full of comfy bedding and foam pillows. My husband said he's ready to put an electric blanket inside. Our temps are in the 20's currently.

Sandy Hatcher-Wallace said...

Cheyenne, I've always loved your idea of a cat's greenhouse because it gives them some warmth during the day while the sun is out but I'm sure that at night your cats would love to crawl on top of a heated blanket for extra warmth. We place a thin blanket that can be washed easily over the heated throw.
Our younger healthier cats do fine in the winter months but the old cats with thinning fur need that extra warmth that a heating throw can provide.
Thanks for all your wonderful comments,
Sandy