Feral Tips - Freezing Water and what to do about it
From Bryan Kortis of Neighborhood Cats:
Given the coldness of this winter and the constant sub-freezing
temperatures, the problem of water freezing has become a pressing one
for feral cat caretakers. The cats need water, especially when dry
food is being used more due to wet food also freezing. Here's a few
tips on how to fight the cold:
1. The ideal solution, though only plausible in secure circumstances,
is an electrically heated water bowl. A 5 quart dish with 6 foot
protected cord is available for from KV Vet Supply (item #86041) -
www.kvvet.com, or call 1-800-423-8211. Ask about their other heated
bowls.
If you can't go the electric route:
2. Place the water bowl inside a styrofoam cooler - one of the cheap
white ones used for soda and the like. Cut a hole for the cats to
enter on one end of the cooler and put the bowl at the other end. The
styrofoam's insulation will slow down the freezing process.
3. Use a thick plastic, thermal-type of water dish. It's amazing how
long it takes for water to freeze in one of these. I use the bottom
of a tupperware container - it's shaped like a large cup and very
thick plastic.
4. Wider and deeper is better for the water dish than narrow and
shallow. This keeps the surface water from freezing longer.
5. If the cats come to eat right away while you're there, put a
little extra water in their wet food.
6. One untested idea is to use a product called "Snuggle Safe." AND
SEE ADDENDUM BELOW. It's a disk about the size of a frisbee called
Snuggle Safe. You put it in the microwave for 5 min. and it stays
hot for 12 hours in normal room temperatures. It's designed for
placing under cats' bedding. I think it will probably slow down
water freezing if placed under a water dish. It's also great
(wrapped in cloth the cats can't open) for providing warmth inside
their shelters. Available for from Foster & Smith (item #9B-
9599). The link is:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?
siteid=1&pCatId=3487
or call 1-800-826-7206.
For wet food only, one trick is to place the bowl inside the cats'
insulated shelter, assuming you're using one. Their body heat will
often keep the food from freezing or defrost it enough for them to
eat. BUT NEVER PUT WATER IN THE CATS' SHELTER!!! - cats can get
sick in winter from getting wet and then not having any warm, dry
place to go.
If you have any other good tips, we'll pass them along.
Bryan Kortis
Neighborhood Cats
ADDENDUM
On Wed, 22 Jan 2003 00:22:05 EST Brykort@cs.com writes:
This from Mike Phillips of New York Cat Haven on the "Snuggle Safe"
discs and electric heated bowls:
The pink discs can be safely heated up to 8 minutes in my 1,000 watt
microwave to last as long as possible outdoors. The 5 minutes is what
is recommended for safely warming kitten's bedding and not burning
them.
Depending on the microwave, the discs can conceivably melt so you have
to do a little trial and error to see how hot you can go. They are
very warm to the touch so I stopped at 8 minutes without any signs of
melting.
The discs are just the right size to fit inside the under rim of some
large dinner plates and water bowls that I found at Fishs Eddy on
B'way. In the frigid outdoors they only last 2-3 hours but I usually
find the plates empty the next day.
The electric blue bowls work well but evaporate the water quickly so
they need to be filled up with at least a gallon to last 24hrs. Wet
food doesn't do as well in them (it dries up quickly) but works too
as an only solution. Also, if affordable it's convenient to have
two sets of discs since you obviously can't use them daily without
two trips to the colony. One to pick-up and heat the discs and
another to drop them off with the water and food.
Posted on SHARE Yahoo group Jan 23, 2003