got up at 5 am and it felt nice and warm, and not only in my bedroom. I was very surprised it was working becuz the temp was 27 degrees outside and my central heating system usually doesn't turn on when the temp is below 35.

Normal temps are coming back on Wednesday, when this huge Artic front finally moves out from over the South. I just hope we don't get another one, tho.





ALL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY ME ARE MY PROPERTY, ARE COPYRIGHTED UNDER FEDERAL LAW, AND CANNOT BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE WITHOUT MY WRITTEN PERMISSION. ANY INCOME MADE OFF OF MY PHOTOS AT ANY TIME MUST BE IMMEDIATELY REMITTED TO ME.






And click here for puppy photos of Boo & Clovis:

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what kind of system do you have? Besides one in need or replacing that is... not turning on below 35 would pi.. um..anger me terribly

Cathy
when she first came home

It's already 12º and not even noon. This is about 20º warmer than all last week. So, you are colder than we are right now.

Layer your clothes. At night, put a very hot water bottle down by your feet before you go to bed and it will war up everything under the blankets.

Keep your head and hands covered when you go outside.

Hope for spring.

9 degrees in Indy at 10 am. The stray cats all go into what ever cathole they can find. I think gathering in groups of like minded cats. I watch them across the street entering an old garage, more than one cat, and very fluffy. The dogs I don't know about, but the have lived thousands, or millions of years and survived the winters somehow.

I've had enough of this BS! If I wanted to freeze, I would move north of the Mason-Dixon line! BRRRRRRR!

Cathy Miller

My life is full of bull.

http://www.marshillbulldogs.com
http://www.bulldogclubofmetropolitanatlanta.com

I think we may be a degree warmer than you today! heat wave up here. I keep a crate in my vehicle incase I come across a dog or cat. I would think if they arent used to the cold they wouldnt make it, alot of them get frostbite on their ears. Some wild cats probly survive as they get aclimated to the cold like deer and other wildlife. I do know alot of people with sled dogs that are out all the time, but they have doghouses, usually insulated, I believe it may even be a law up here if its an outdoor dog to have the house insulated. Glad you stayed warm, layers of blankets work good. But being i dont heat my bedroom I like my electric blanket to warm up the bed, plus several sleeping bags, once im warm I shut it off. Sometimes I have to put a hat on my head till I get used to the cold! Bruno love the electric blanket and sleeping bags. Stay warm!

Wish it was a little cooler here and a little (lot) warmer there !!!

Sorry you're suffering Mate

Warm Hugs to all

Sandy

Chilly!

I have 2 indoor/outdoor cats. They are usually inside overnight and outside all day. They do just fine.

Sue

some use it as an admixture to 'lighten' soil or as a mulch for strawberries, etc. Or if there is a place with horses or cattle nearby, used in stalls as bedding.

I'm glad that old barn is there to help out some of the animals. And that brush pile sounds pretty impressive. I did bring some hay to one area where there are some feral cats. I saw about three cats take to it right away. From what I read, straw is better than hay for keeping them warm, but the local feed stores only have hay and pine needles, no straw.





ALL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY ME ARE MY PROPERTY, ARE COPYRIGHTED UNDER FEDERAL LAW, AND CANNOT BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE WITHOUT MY WRITTEN PERMISSION. ANY INCOME MADE OFF OF MY PHOTOS AT ANY TIME MUST BE IMMEDIATELY REMITTED TO ME.






And click here for puppy photos of Boo & Clovis:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/glandry113

georgous property
luck you Robin
very nice

It was in the teens when I left at 8am this morning, but by noon had warmed to the low 20's with light snow flurries in southwestern Ohio. Our winters are a month of sub freezing temps, then a month of 0 degrees +/- 10, followed by another month of sub freezing temps.

So the wild critters, including feral cats, usually hunker down in a barn, shed, crawl space, hollow tree or wherever they can to get out of the weather. They don't venture out more than necessary when the wind blows, the snow flies and the temps plummet. Here they have a few months of falling temps to put on a heavy coat or layer of fat before winter.
With the wild critters in your area not being acclimated to the low temps you currently have, I doubt they will tolerate it as well those up north will. If you can get a few bales of straw and cover it with a tarp, that will provide some shelter for the stray cats/dogs, if they are wise enough to go in.
I have made many brush piles throughout the yard and woods for the critters to find shelter in, and in the fall I dump leaves onto the brush piles to give some added insulation. The snow and ice also help give insulation to these spots. The brush pile in the middle of our meadow is about 25 feet across and maybe 15 feet high, big enough for deer to get into. You can see tons of critter tracks around it after a snow. There were multiple deer tracks in the back yard this morning, inside the fence - both large and small - likely mom, dad and a yearling.

Photos from this morning's walk in our woods -
Polar digging out a stick to play with


An old 2 stall horse shed that has been falling down for decades, there are always critters in it


Walking trail cut through the woods


The trees were beautiful with a coating of hoar frost

even though the temperatures are very unusual for your area, cats seem to have excelllent instincts for survival.I would worry more about a stray dog in very unusual weather, but even they have very good survival instincst.

Cathy
when she first came home

he is very wild and nobody gets close to him..
been in the area for years
and he makes it every winter to the next year
and that is well below -20F on some nights
not sure how he does it..
likely hides out under the decks or something..
he does though..every year..