Generally here in Oregon, the arrival of Winter means a lot of pounding rain. Not this year. This year we have already had snow, black ice and freezing rains. Misty must have been perturbed at me this morning (plus she has to be feeling better.) she gave me what-for when I went into the shop to feed.
In the winter we try to double up on canned cat food. The shop is currently a safe haven for Bravo, Gadget, Poe.Twist, Misty, Goblin and Crazy Eyes. We spread straw all around for them to make warm beds, but the back wall of the shop has deteriorated over time. The icy winds are finding their way inside. We are trying to figure out how to run electricity located 13 feet away using one electrical cord. The other cats in the enclosures they have heated beds However they don’t have solid walls the enclosures are made of wire. It can get mighty cold in there for them.
it’s frustrating for me because most of these cats are seniors They deserve to be warmer I can’t get the shop cats to relocate to the barn which has electricity. They prefer to stay in the shop. Probably because they can bolt out through the walls if they sense danger These are all the cats that were living under my house for years. That opportunity no longer exists for them. The cats in the enclosures have warm beds Just not solid walls to keep the cold out
A quick trip to the local hardware store yesterday turned up with no good solution Every “outdoor” extension cord that I looked at all said the same thing. Keep out of water. Seems to me, if you can use the cord safely outside it should be fine to put it on the ground and it will handle the elements. But what do I know? I know Mike could solve this problem a lot faster than I can
I also thought about getting a pipe that I could stretch across the distance and elevate it off the ground. But there’s no way that’s going to work because there’s nothing in that space for it to go on it would literally have to go from the barn into the shop in one continuous line. There are no trees or tree limbs available nearby to help keep it off the ground. I can’t do it with the cord alone because when it rains of course the trees get wet. I’m probably rambling I’m just worried about my kitties this winter because it seems like it’s going to be much more of a challenge to keep them warm this year than ever before
So, we are feeding canned food in the morning and at night. But last night I was feeling pretty punky. I received a message that I’ve been exposed to Omacrom i’m three vaccines in but I was still feeling a bit exhausted so I didn’t feed last night. I knew they had plenty of dry food and fresh water. When I put Missy‘s food down this morning in front of her she struck at me with her claws out and shredded my hand. She’s never done that before. I think she was telling me. “I don’t care how you feel, remember those of us out here who are dependent on you to stay warm.” We are feeding 9 cans in the morning and nine cans at night. The supply is being hit pretty hard. But it’s the only way that I can see to keep these cats going through what Winter is throwing at us right now
Tomorrow it’s supposed to be snowing again and Friday it’s supposed to dip down into the 20s. I wish they made battery powered warming beds for cats but I haven’t found one yet. I have several self-warming beds on the straw But not enough for all the seniors. I just think after everything they went to before they arrived here, they deserve to have no stress in their lives from here on in. Right now, I am unable to make that possible
You could get some pvc or grey electrical conduit piping and run the cord thru that to where it needs to be. That would protect it from the weather. Just have to remember not to trip over it.
Should have added that if the pipe is glued together (or all one piece) it will be fine in the rain/snow/cold whatever.
Do you have a microwave? If so, you can use the snuggle safe discs. I have two for my outside kitties. Seven minutes in the microwave will make these hot for up to 10 hours. You can find them on Amazon.
I have several discs. The problem with those is that once the icy wind hits them they lose their heat and ice up. If the cats were in any of my other outbuildings I wouldn’t have this issue but I have to say Michael’s shop (since that tree fell on it years ago) the back wall is barely standing. At the time of that storm he had recently lost his leg and was not doing well. He never returned to the shop after that. That shop was his pride and joy and he kept talking about getting back to it but unfortunately it just didn’t happen. I am looking to tear it down after this winter. Thank you all for your helpful comments I will figure this out.
I think the senior cats in the shop are grateful – except maybe for Misty – for their shelter. They are used to living rough, and anything that alleviates that tough life, such as warm beds, shelter from the wind and plenty of good food and clean water is appreciated. I don’t think they think like humans (“Why isn’t life as good as I want it to be?”) but as animals (“This is better than it was. I like it.”)
Can you find out what construction companies use to lay electrical cords? They must have similar problems to yours but have solutions that are routine. Give a construction company a call and see what they say.
Does being exposed to the omicron variant mean that you have it, or just that you have been near those who do? It may be that you are just feeling run down with all that you have to do. I wouldn’t blame you at all. Contact the support group in the church, if you need some help with routine tasks – or unroutine tasks. take care of yourself first, then you’ll be fit enough to tackle others’ problems.
Here in freezing Wisconsin, we make shelters out of 2 plastic tubs with a door cut out of the sides. Fill the gap between the 2 tubs with styrofoam. Fill the interior tub with straw. If you face the opening away from the bad wall, they will stay nice and warm. Here in Wisconsin, people will make and donate the shelters to TNR or Colony support groups all year long..
My aunt put a huge pile of straw in a section of her garage. The cats would burrow into the pile and sleep. Someone did give her a huge pile of foam rubber to replace the straw. The garage had a cat door so the outside cats could come and go. She, of course, tried to get them to come inside when she could. She was the house where all the cats appeared. When she and her husband built a new house, they managed to trap and move the outdoor kitties to the new home.