Our two-year old cat, Isabel, is an indoor/outdoor cat. She usually stays in during the day and we put her out overnight. Now that cold weather is settling in, at what temperature should we keep her in the house overnight?
She has a small (dog)house outside on the porch with blankets and a cloth door so she's not totally out in the weather. I usually like to bring her in overnight when the temperature dips to below 20 degrees but my husband thinks I'm being overprotective.

What do you think? What temperature can a healthy cat, protected from the weather, withstand outside?

Thank you.

I would say that 20 degrees is too cold - it's BELOW freezing. I would tend to think that if it's too cold for you outside (wearing a coat and gloves), then it's too cold for your cat. While she may be wearing a "fur coat", she is not used to being out in that temperature all night long plus she doesn't have any warmth of the sun at this point. In addition, towels do nothing to keep her warm, in fact, they retain the cold - if you're insistent on keeping her outside, provide straw or hay for her bedding.

Personally, unless there is a compelling reason to make a cat sleep outside (and it should be a GOOD one!!), she should be allowed to stay inside where it is safe and warm. FYI - cats often decide to sleep up under a car for warmth - and many die this way! :-(

Not only is Lydia right about cats sleeping under cars for the warmth, but many will actually crawl up and sleep in the engine compartment. Starting the car can mean death for a cat. With more and more people having the option of starting their car with a remote, the cats don't even get the warning of a door slamming.

They are actually blankets, Lydia, but I see your point. Thank you for your advice.

Hi Rainmaker, I have 2 indoor/outdoors and 2 indoors exclusively--I say this to let you know that I know it is a hard thing to do to restrict their 'freedom'.
But the average lifespan for and indoor/outdoor cat is 4 years....they need to stay in!
good luck!
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