Food, food and more food

With the temperatures dropping, your cat will notice the change even inside. You should be prepared for changes your cat´s body makes in response to the changing seasons. They gain weight; their coat gets thicker; their activity increases.
One of the first things you should notice, is that your cat is eating more; up to 25% more than in warm months. Be sure to keep the crunchy bowl full or try a dispenser. They are inexpensive, available at any department or pet store, and make it much easier to keep food out at all times.

Warm, dry shelter

If you must keep your cat outside, or you manage a feral colony, now is the time to create suitable shelters for your cats. Although some people think cats won´t use some sort of house, I know that a cat will find, and defend a place that is warm and dry during the cold winter months.
Shelters with small round openings-those just big enough for a cat to fit into, will attract them quicker. This gives them security that nothing larger than themselves can come into the shelter; it will be easier to defend when they are inside, and the small opening will help keep the wind and precipatiation out.
GURU´S NOTE: Be sure to have some means of changing the bedding; such as some sort of trap door, or a removable top.

Honk that Horn!

Even if you keep your cats inside, it is a good idea to honk your horn, or slap the hood of your car each and every time you get ready to leave.
The residual heat that car engines radiate will attract cats trying to keep warm during the winter months. It is very common for cats to climb up in car engines and then are injured or killed when the unsuspecting human starts the car.

Bugs and Indoor Cats

The greatest risk kitties have from eating/playing with the cockroaches/bugs is from ingesting the poison you put out to kill the bugs.
You can accidentally poison your kitty when they eat a bug (or mouse) that has been poisoned.
It´s been my experience that the only side effect cats have from eating a simple bug is they usually will throw up the legs and shell, since that is too hard to digest properly.

Antifreeze Warning

Not all pet owners know that antifreeze is a deadly poison to pets. What is frustrating, is that antifreeze smells and tastes good to most pets.
Take extra precautions when working with Antifreeze: collect it in a bucket to prevent it from running down the gutter. Mop up any spills immediately. Keep your pets contained while working with anitifreeze to prevent any accidental ingestion. Check the Links Section for Antifreeze Warning-by Dr. Allen Schoen for a MUST READ article that details the symptoms of antifreeze poisoning.

String Warning

Cats love string, but they can have severe troubles with it. Never let your cat play with a small fine string or thread unless you can supervise them. The natural bristles on a cat´s tongue can catch a string, or yarn and force the cat to swallow the string. This could be disasterous if a cat plays with sewing thread, or knitting yarn because they could swallow unlimitable yards of thread. At the very best, they will eventually throw up the undigestable portion of string, at very worst, the thread could create lower intestinal blockages.

What to do for Kitty when I am vacationing?

You will find all of my best tips on caring for kitty while you´re on vacation under the Category:
Travel & Moving.

I have tips on kitty sitters, traveling with kitty, and boarding kitty in that section.

Add a litter box to mimic outdoors

During the months you keep Kitty inside more, try adding another litter box to compensate for what he usually does outside. Be sure to add some dirt and leaves to the litter in this box, to give him the satisfaction of going outside to do his business.

Short Trips outside

When the cold winds blow, while snow and ice blanket the ground, it is a good idea to shorten your pet´s trips outside. Inside Kitties won´t be adjusted to the extreme temperature change and that could bring on illness. Also, cats can get frostbite just as easily as humans, another reason to not let kitty outside for as long.

Time to re-introduce the wet food

As your cat´s body prepares for winter, he will begin to eat more, and demand more food-especially those wonderful smelling table scraps.
Try re-introducing his favorite wet food that he stopped eating in the spring. By complimenting his never empty crunchy bowl, with tempting wet food, it will help curb his demands for table scraps.

What Kind of Bedding is best

Cloth and newspaper are not the best answer for bedding in your cat´s outdoor winter shelter: they can absorb moisture and freeze.
Hay or straw are the recommended bedding materials for outdoor shelters. If you don´t have access these bagged wood shavings for hamster cages are good substitutes.
Do not use Cedar chips since this can irritate a cat´s respiratory system.

Caution in the Laundry Room

If you leave the doors to your washer or dryer open periodically, be sure to check inside before you turn the machine on. Kitties love to explore dark hiding places and they might be inside. More than once, I have found one of my cats curled up in one of the machines taking a nap.

Protect Your Black Cat

It is horrendous to think, but Black Cats are at great danger the week before Halloween (October 31.) Too many black cats been mutilated or killed to celebrate Halloween and they were not the ritual killings of some cult; they were the mindless pranks of cruel people.
If you own a black cat, or even a cat that is mostly black, keep it contained in the house or garage over night during the week before Halloween and especially Halloween night. This will protect Kitty´s life during a time when it is most vulnerable from human predators.

Simple Shade

Most cats will find their own shade, but if the trees and bushes are scarce in your area, you should create some sort of shade cover for your cat.
A large board leaning against a tree or the side of your house is a quick and easy means of creating shade for your outdoor cat.

A Shady Corner without Trees

Not everyone can have trees in their yard, but you can choose one section of your yard and allow it to grow wild.
Allow the grass and/or weeds to grow all summer long without cutting them. Once they are 2-3 feet tall, they will provide a fun and shady place for your cats.

Minty Insect Repellants

Poisoning indoor bugs can poison your cats if they eat the bugs, so I use other means of ridding my home of insect pests.

Since most insects have sensitive ´noses,´ they can´t tolerate certain strong herbs and spices.

I purchased little clay scent pots that I fill with Essential Oils to emit smells for an extended amount of time. Pennyroyal and most members of the Mint family are some of the best insect repellents.

I keep several bottles of these Essential oils in the house at all times, and continuously keep the Kitchen Garbage Can area filled with mint oil.

Rat Poison

NEVER USE RAT POISON TO RID YOUR HOME OF RODENTS! Even though you may be able to put the poison out of reach of your children and pets, there are other risks. If a mouse eats poison and your cat catches the mouse, your cat can be poisoned simply by eating or killing the mouse.

Also, when mice begin to feel the effects of the poison, they will retreat to their hole and die. Leaving you the unsavory task of finding that hiding place and removing the decaying corpse.

Water, water, water

If you must keep your cat outside, or you manage a feral cat colony, you must keep plenty of fresh clean water out for your pets. Although animals can live quite some time on little to no food, they can´t survive more than a few days without water.
To maintain your kitties´ health the water should be clean and fresh. Most cats won´t drink stagnant water unless they are desparate, since they can suffer from internal parasites as much as humans.
Folks in humid areas may need to change the water every day to prevent mosquitoes from nesting in your pet´s water dish.
Those in arid and hot regions may need to add water more than once a day due to evaporation.

Winter Warmth to Summer Storm Shelter

For those who must keep their cat outside, you should create some type of outdoor shelter for your pet to protect him from the heat, and summertime storms.
Removing most of the hay from his winter shelter should provide him with protection from storms.