Stable cats in winter

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Sarah2207

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OK so this is not strictly horse related, but we have recently adopted a rescue cat who lives in our stables, to control the mice/rats that like to set up camp in the hay, and to stop the many rabbits burrowing too much in the fields!

He's great, really friendly and seems to be keeping on top of the rodents, but our worry is how he will cope in the winter? Recently when we've been feeding the horses in the evening, he has sneaked into the garage, and been waiting by the house door, suggesting that he's getting a bit cold outside? Letting him in the house is not an option as we have two terriers, who like to bark at him whenever they see him! (Dogs are not allowed into the fields or stables, so they can live quite separately.)

Does anyone have any advice about how we can help him cope over the winter? He has access to ad lib food and water. Obviously I know that cats do cope fine in the winter outside - am I just worrying too much?!
 
Hi

We have 3 girlies at our yard. Daisy, Tabitha and Bodey. They live outside all year round albeit get fed every day twice a day with Whiskas as we feel sorry for them having to hunt. Too soft I know :) :)

They have lived on the same livery yard for 6 years. Bodey sleeps on a cushion on a shelf in our tea room. Daisy sleeps on the rugs on the rug racks and Tabitha well she likes it on top of the straw bales. They also like to run along the tops of the stables

They are fine, just have to make sure they get fresh water or kitty milk when water has frozen over in the depths of winter. I am certain they are happier being outside.
 
My friend has put a little cat bed up in the inside of the overhang of her stable. The cat is absolutely fine. He was hunting in the frosty grass this morning as happy as can be.
 
We have a possy of yard cats who all sleep in the hay barn. One has found a way to jump in and out of the trailer and beds down in there.

I'm soft too so they get fed morning and evening but in return we have a yard free of rodents so good deal by my standards.

They winter out just fine and as long as yours has a draft free, warmish place to curl up in he will be OK. Maybe leave a permanent pile of clean straw or hay in one of the barns for him to have as a bed, or an old rug that you don't use any more.
 
What 'inside' area does the cat have to access warmth, food and dry??

We had wonderful yard cats - who mainly slept in the tack room, but would be allowed in the house when it was particularly cold and they wanted 'in'.
 
She'll be fine :) Make sure she has access to water even when it's frozen, and she's already having food.

Do you have a hay barn or empty stable where she can go to get out of the wet/windy/cold weather? I would probably find her some loose hay or straw, and maybe an old fleece rug - she'll make her own bed if she has the right sort of materials. The cats at my old yard were experts at making beds in the strangest of places - one would sleep in a stable with a horse, one would make a nest in the hay, one slept on my old fleece rug on top of my storage box. As long as they have somewhere to go (ie, away from horses, out of the weather), they'll be fine. She might need a bit of extra food, but if she's having ad lib anyway, she should be ok :)
 
Thanks for your replies, sounds like I'm worrying for nothing!

He has access to 3 stables, one which is "his" with some shavings in one corner to make a bed for himself, which he seems to like (well he appears covered in shavings every now and then!!) His food and water are in this stable, along with spare rugs, buckets and a few bales. Will just keep an eye on his weight and temp as it gets colder, having never had a yard cat before he just seems so little compared to the horses to keep himself warm enough!!
 
Put a nice deep box in the stable, with a good padded bed, and washabe fleece. That way he can always get out of the draft, and have something comfortable and warm to lie on.
 
Ok I am really soft, cat get an old duvet in the hay trailer with a snuggle pad under the duvet for very cold nights. you just heat it in the microwave & hey presto almost 12 hours of warmth for pussy cat. He is also fed morning & night.

I have one snuggled at home by the fire, so why shouldn't stable cat have the same comforts & kill the rodents. :D
 
Our rescue feral cats favourite place at the mo is my round hay bale - high enough up to keep an eye on things and a real cosy nest. The other morning it was minus two at 6.30am and I felt how warm his hay nest was when he got ot of it - really toasty. He is well fed (breakfast and tea and sometimes lunch then cat biscuits whenever he nabs someone and convinces them he is starving!)
Our previous yard cat used to curl up on the bins where we were steaming our hay...she could curl up on the lids whereas this chaps too big for that!
Sure your chap will be fine!
 
Our stable cat had a cat flap going into the tack room, with a basket in front of a heater which was left on continually. She was always toastie :)
 
Mine sleep all over the place, in the hay barns, in boxes, in the workshop, on blankets. A lot of them are long haired and I frequently find them curled up in a ball like this:

DSCF4649.jpg


They get fed in the workshop and in winter have a heated waterbowl so no ice problems.
 
We rescued 2 ferral cats, boots and snudge. They have various beds in stables around the yard and random rugs here and there. They always have water, and are fed 4 times a day!! I feed them twice and so does a guy at the stables as he thinks I don't feed them enough!! They were out on the yard all last winter and came out of the harsh winter looking extremely fat!! Your cat will be fine!!
 
Our neighbours cat lives on my hay bales for most of the winter and seems to manage fine. I know my other neighbours cats live outside all year and they purposely keep a bank of hay in a spare stable as it is the cats bed and they do not want them to be cold by removing it!
 
My Babies "stable cats" are SO spoilt - I put a cat flap in the tackroom door... The heater is on all night for them and I put their beds beside the heater!! Baby Cat does prefer to sleep on his straw in his stable but can't resist a snuggle by the heater to warm up! If there's a shed or empty stable they can get into they will be fine. They are hardy, I just pander to their every whim!!!
 
I have three ferral cats, they sleep in the hay barn high up with an old fleece rug :) I feed them twice a day and they drink out of the horses water buckets! I've had them about 5 years now and they all look very well!
 
I have a yard cat who is now in his 20's and a couple of years ago we decided he couldn't possibly stay out all winter...... He had other ideas though and spent the night trying to escape until we let him back out! He has several spots with blankets etc and his favourite place to sleep is in a litter box (Not used) He is also fed though as his rat catching days are over, some of the rats are bigger than him! Also he now only eats gourmet pearls! I guess there has to be some advantages to being that old!
 
When you homed him, had he previously been an total outdoor cat?
He may have been a house cat, and wanting his comforts back - I feel a bit sorry for him if that's the case (not a critisism, I'm just inbelievably soft).

Maybe you could get him a cat kennel type bed so he has somewhere to go and cosy up.
A Card Board box would probably do it.
Maybe you could get him a friend too as he might be a bit lonely, especially as he appears willing to run the gauntlet with your dogs.

Ultimately i'm sure he will be fine.....
 
One of my cats gets cold really easily, and we have a very cold house, so she now has a pet igloo (or 'catgloo' if you will) with a miniature electric blanket in it for when we are out and there is no heating. She thinks it's wonderful. It might be a cheap way of providing a warm spot for your outdoor cat.
 
He was found as a stray, the rescue centre did try to rehome him into a house with a family, but he apparently got very stressed about being kept indoors, and couldn't cope with constant people/children around him.

I feel less worried about him having heard your set ups! He has lots of hay/straw/shavings to make into nests, might look into one of the microwave warmer pads if he seems cold, can't really go down the electric heater route as don't have any plug sockets around the yard area!

Thanks again for all replies!
 
I got 2 from the local cat rescue center when I bought my yard 14 years ago. A brother and sister, the boy wondered onto the A30 and got killed, but I still have the female,a little black one called Whiskers, her brother was called Felix, the children named them.

She is fed as many times as she shouts. My friend lives next to the yard and she often feeds her too and when her husband comes in from work she will get fed again (A very pampered cat)

She is still quite feral but over the years she has become slightly more friendly.

She lives in the barn or the stables. Sometimes she will go into the house (Looking for food I expect)

She looks well healthy with a lovely shinny coat.

I do leave dried food in the barn so if she wants she has food all the time.
 
The cat at the yard I keep my mare likes snuggling in hay, straw etc. SInce my mare has come in they seem to have bonded. The other day she was sat on the stable door. This morning when I went to turn out there was a very defianate cat shaped nest in the stable!
 
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