Keep Water from FREEZING for Feral & Outdoor Cats | DIY & Paid Options

The temperature is dropping, make sure the outdoor kitties in your water have something not frozen to drink!
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With winter approaching, it's important that outdoor and feral kitties have access both to warm shelter and to water that isn't frozen. There are several cool paid products that work well, as long as some good DIY options so you can help the cats in your area!
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[@roden70]

I like your videos and subscribed. I take care of 1 feral cat. I check his water when it's freezing outside. You keep referring to sun to heat upp the water a bit but truth is that we mostly do not have sun in wintertime were I live. It's usually clouded.

[@mariebarker4499]

Thank you! This was so helpful! 🙏

[@babswratten1921]

I use the small vaccine coolers and stack styrofoam/insulation sheets in them all the way up to fill the container. Then cut a hole to fit your water bowl, pretty snugly. You do want to be able to remove the bowl if necessary. You can paint the cooler black with craft/floral paint.

[@bbygrl2812]

Can you look put a pic of it on the comments on here?)

[@nitaf71]

I love the bathing kitty in the background lol

[@CatsandPats]

Haha MooMoo definitely stole the show in this one

[@gailresources8120]

Always put shelters and bowls up off the ground a little bit. A used pallet works well. It really helps, even a few pieces of wood.of wood. Helps with keep them dry and the ground is very cold.

[@KeeplookingUP777]

I believe it's Wal mart that has the black rubbery material bowls, I have one. 👍😎🐱💖 Update: Lowe's and Big R, country type stores have these black tires material bowls.

[@KeeplookingUP777]

~UPDATE 11/2020 Below~ I have a few feral cats. Looking into getting them nuetered and spayed. Have a soon to be mama. Concerning since she is outside. So, looking into that also. I may be able to be a foster home for her. Found you by searching for an outside kitty shelter. Thank You!!!!🐱🐈🐱🐈🐱🐈🐱🐈🐱 UPDATE: 11/2020 All my Ferals are fixed as of 12/2019. Through our Humane Society they will do the surgeries for free plus shots. However, the people taking care of the cats need to do the trapping, not the H.S.. I learned about trapping from yt. The H.S. provided traps, two at a time. Feels good to know I should not be seeing any new homeless kittens.💖

[@triciaaw4539]

Excellent advice. Always great videos. Another place you might get really nice styrofoam coolers is at a hospital. We have a kind cat lover who saves the nice big coolers for us. It costs me just a bottle of wine now and then. From the Sleepy Cat Urban Winery, of course!

[@orlendatube]

I used to work on horsefarms in my teens, and the number one thing, is to start with water thats at least lukewarm. This obv takes longer to drop to freezing. We used to carry hot water to add to buckets in clean plastic gas cans (that were never used for gas). This may work well for anyone taking water to feral kitties. Being able to dump out the ice and replace with warm water as often as possible can also help.

[@JamesUnna-zk5lb]

I was planning on buying a heated mat for a barn cat who, though friendly and welcome to stay in the main house, prefers to stay in the barn that the previous house owners left it in. Couple of questions: 1. Is a heated mat (there is power) going to encourage fleas? Obviously it's so cold that kitty hasn't had to worry about fleas but was concerned that living outside in a rural location it would be prone to catch them if it has a warm bed. 2. Is there any cheap (under £30/ $40) efficient heated blanket type or a specific brand you can recommend? 3. Would an igloo style cat bed be safe with a thermostatically controlled heat mat? 4. I would have thought a cosy igloo style bed would be warmer but might I be better getting a larger one - as in will the confinement be off-putting to a semi-ferral cat? 5. If I buy all this what is the chance that the cat will continue to use the old blankets in the roof storage loft in the barn that it currently uses (which, incidentally, requires an acrobatic feat I cannot imagine as I, at 5ft 9" and capable of pull ups, can not match without resorting to a ladder.)?

[@triciaaw4539]

I just remembered a thing called a Rival Crock-ette, from my grandmother. I had to do some digging in boxes and found it. It uses only 47 watts of power. So right now it's on the porch and it IS keeping the water from freezing - it's 18 F :( I put it outside 6 hours ago, and the water is staying tepid. Of course you do need that power source, but if you have one of these items give it a try. We've already had the three neighborhood kitties drinking :) Rival still makes their Little Dipper, too. Might work as well.

[@MegaDrummerboy16]

Careful when the temps rise just a bit bc the water can get extremely hot & burn an animal

[@triciaaw4539]

I monitor the water level and temp every hour or so. When it gets a bit warmer out, I'll stick to the old ways of keeping water available. And the little crock doesn't get very hot. So far, it's been a success.

[@CatsandPats]

Thanks for the info Tricia! :)

[@bbygrl2812]

Oh I have one of those that we used to melt cheese in for fondue! Gonna dig it out 😊

[@Shasha8674]

A heated birdbath...plug in works well for cats.

[@CatsandPats]

Good idea Shasha! I never thought of that :)

[@suej9329]

I love how you help feral cats and all the great tips you share for caring for them. I hope this concept of ‘feral cat care’ will take off in other countries, it would solve a lot of problems. ❤️😻🐾🐈

[@jenniferjacob1024]

I keep the water bowl and outdoor waterproof housing on my back deck and I just dump and refill anytime it starts to freeze..I do use a lil warmer water in the winter just for a nice warm drink on a cold day,I'd say I change it about 3-5 times a day or I just add warm water on top if it's not full

[@diannerutland9566]

If you are going to care for feral cats, I hope you are also, seeing that they are spayed and neutered.

[@CatsandPats]

Currently I'm not, but I would try.

[@jenniferjacob1024]

Luckly the one I dare for has heen spayed already,Win! Lol but my neighbor threw her make unfixed cat outside,doesnt feed or anything :( I used to take care of him but my other neighbor has took him in to care for him,out during the day and inside at night or prob keep inside when really cold..not sure this is its first winter outside

[@jenniferjacob1024]

I also took in a ferral kitten that was under weight and being terrorized by kids and bigger cats :( She came with fleas and tape worms uhg,so dealing with treating those now..I treat mist the ferral myself at home,I've saved them from soo many illnesses from natural stuff in my home I use for myself and kids

[@sceneAMERIKA]

Cats and Pats I'm not sure where you live, but check in with your vet and they might be able to give you some information but there are programs out there that will do free spaying and neutering for people and also they have trap and release programs which are phenomenal. They set traps for feral cats fix them and then release them where they found them so they can stay in there community and familiar places.

[@cavsomecadence6117]

People who care for several feral cats do not spay and neuter them. In fact, they end up with an out of control amount of kittens. They feel guilty, don't ask for help and it becomes a hoarding situation.

[@beckys8240]

Great ideas! You pretty much bottled all the advice on KZbin regarding water not freezing. What me and the other lady that look after a colony of 8 cats is take hot water (in winter) at normal feeding times and put in large plastic bowl and station it inside that small cutout cooler. To extend the hours of non-freezing water, I use Hot Hands hand warmers tucked inside some old socks and then hand tie tight so kitties can't pull hand warmers out. I then tuck those socks (clean of course!) underneath that bowl of hot water and/or around that overhanging rim that most bowls have. We then duck taped The cutout portion from the styro cooler over the top to create a little porch. The whole cooler gets duck taped with clear thick plastic with the words "WATER" marked on it. Cold air comes from above, then hits the ground, we also learned to keep the water off the ground by a couple of inches to again delay freezing. Keep up the great work, you ROCK!

[@barbibutton9619]

EXCELLENT IDEAS. TY

[@snugbug5067]

That's clever AND dedicated !

[@suelester6826]

U are so.cool Appreciate you!!!

[@CatsandPats]

Haha thank you!

[@christinetaylor3501]

The last couple of nights it's been down to like 17 degrees I put some salt in the bottle 2 liter bottle and water and then I took small bottles and put it at the bottom like a little bottle of water that you get I put salt in them halfway and then filled it a little over half well when I went to go check my water the next morning it was kind of Frozen on top probably about 2 in but it was easy to break with a hammer of course then I broke the ice 2 in below the ice that was frozen at the top the bucket was just plain water it had not frozen there at all so I'm figuring on putting three or four of small bottles of salt water fill them all the way up to the top so it can sink to the bottom then put some salt and water in small bottles fill those halfway and then have them float at the top along with my large 2 liter big later we're going to see if that works and I'm hoping and praying that it will it was easy to break the ice of course with the hammer but I had it last year you could not even budge the ice and was Frozen all the way down to the bottom I haven't been home the last several nights because I stayed with my mom I needed to stay with her so I wasn't able to get up in the middle of the night like I usually would taking a bathroom break and checking the water I think if I would have been able to do that and move the bottles around they probably wouldn't have been frozen maybe or slushy but we'll see when I get back to the house and start staying good luck to everyone and take care of your pets oh yeah at the bottom of the water bucket I had cut out a circle from a foam ice cooler I had and put it underneath the bucket to help insulated it on the bottom

[@tanyawieczorek7943]

World's longest unpunctuated paragraph 😂😂😂

[@heatherp9359]

Very helpful. I am sharing on FB group to help care for feral cats.

[@venturasunflower1014]

Handwarmers are expensive but help

[@grandhighexaltedlunadome2367]

you should show the links of products you speak about.

[@weeirishfriend]

Do you ever blink, no offense. This video is great. ?

[@sceneAMERIKA]

What do you recommend for cats in populated neighborhoods? A neighbor of ours was renting a house across the street and they just moved out and left about 6 cats behind outside and I already have for myself so I can't take them in. The owner has not rented the house out to a new family yet so I've been feeding and watering the abandoned cats but it's getting colder and colder outside and I'm sure time is running out before a new family Moves In. I don't want to call the Humane Society because chances of them being euthanized is high due to overpopulation so I'm not a hundred percent sure of what to do here. I'm a huge animal lover and I feel so heartbroken over these poor cats. They even used to have colors and the owners took them all off before they left. They took I think one or two of the cats with them and left the rest behind. Another issue, is the Summer's here. I live in Arizona and it gets really hot. No matter where I go I always run into cats and I want to help them and I understand that I can't help them all, but I try to. Outside of water and food, I don't know what else to do. One of the women that works at my local grocery store actually goes on the same route every night and feeds a whole bunch of different cat communities all around the city and I commend her for that. We need more people like her.

[@barbibutton9619]

going thru same thing where I live. I have 4 on my property. Worried about getting them spayed or neutered since they won't let me near them. It's a lot of work

[@lorraineliebler9479]

There’s a lot of videos on here on how to make feral shelter out of a storage tub they are easy and inexpensive anything to keep them warm just a place to lay their head .Shame on the person for leaving those cats some people have no heart. Funny dogs have to be in a leash I think cats should be kept in house then you wouldn’t have all these kittens. No way would I let my cats out

[@CYMotorsport]

What can't cat's drink? they'll drink cold water just fine. i don't understand the thumbnail. also the tyre thing - as someone round a lot of tyres often, i can confirm this doesn't work for a number of reasons. mostly you keep mention sun based solutions which of course won't work. most people won't have their feeding stations in direct exposure areas to protect the animal. though the concept of insulation is indeed sound. just run with that. instead of a tyre, get a much much smaller container and work off the same principles mentioned. It's similar to how you protect feral cat from insulation. the more degrees of separation, the better. but how ants can't defeat water barriers like a mini moat, cold struggle to penetrate air gap insluations. deep dishes with metals bowls protected double shield the water temp.

[@teiyab.7051]

I may or may not have had to rewind the video over and over again because I kept getting distracted by the big adorable floof on your couch! Anyways, I'm definitely going to go watch your video on how to make a shelter. My neighborhood doesn't have any strays(that I know of, that is), although one time we did see a cat in our yard, looking like it was pregnant. But it turned out it was just our neighbor's overweight cat. :)

[@domingue4god]

Why don’t you ever blink your eyes???

[@CatsandPats]

Hahaha I ask myself that a lot when I'm editing. I think it's because I'm recording a short bit at a time and thinking about what I'm saying

[@SaraSkyblue]

I always enjoy your videos!

[@CatsandPats]

Thanks! I try to make them fun :)

[@user-jw6fp1pd9e]

Wonder if there is a way you could dig and keep it below the frost line ?

[@lallerooo1]

So all the time is out speaking? OMG

[@mariedriskell8752]

You got me at the mention of the Starks....yay

[@ovalwingnut]

Love is a four legged word...

[@YellowScar2014]

THAT KITTY IS SOOOOOOO CUUUUUUUUUUTEEEEEEE

[@12_20Forevermoore]

Thank you 💜💜💜

[@mariahmcelhinney4664]

FRIRST COMMENT!!!!

[@dragonwolfkckstudios1294]

Hi

[@gracew.01]

ok so i know this doesnt have to do with this video BUT, when i am building an outdoor cat shelter,would shredded paper work as an insulation instead of straw??

[@CatsandPats]

Grace W nope! Shredded paper is bad because it collects moisture from the air, gets damp, and pulls heat away from your kitty's body ☹️

[@lilastormsend4537]

i built a cat shelter today, and if you can line it with fur, and then put stuffed animal stuffing inside, but not too thick (for a bigger box, the more stuffing the better i guess)...anyway, lining with a trash bag on the outside (with the hole for the cat...guess thats an obvious thing though) its pretty draft sealed and water tight. i placed mine on a really short plastic container to also elevate it and it feels pretty warm, time will tell how it holds up over winter.

[@lilastormsend4537]

quilt batting could also work maybe

[@christinetaylor3501]

Shredded paper will fall down or collapse when the cat gets on it and if the cat is wet from the snow or if it sleet and he's wet from that when he gets inside the paper will get wet and freeze straw is your best bet

[@lilastormsend4537]

wait dont listen to my comment, i did some reasearch and i found out its a horrible idea to use cloth based objects as if they gather moisture and freeze its like sleeping on ice. i intend to fix the shelter i build ASAP

[@everly-shadystudios9900]

Your caption said "cats can't drink this" and thenshowed what appeared to be a bowl with ice in it... which you never showed or mentioned in your video... cats can't drink what? so that was very confusing...ummmm and you did not mention rubber bowls??

[@kristinebailey2804]

Ya know........................... you can always make your own video and up load it any time you think it can be done better. And ya know............. it's far more productive than ridiculing someone elses video.

[@diannawilliams6494]

Cats can't drink ICE. 🤦‍♀️That IS what he's talking about throughout the whole video, you know. 🙄

[@rogerc.roberts4705]

Write a script, cut the excess yak, THEN film. You go on and on and say very little... Fell asleep w/ your video running.