Would a cat freeze to Death?

[jan]

Hi all,

talking to a friend tonight she mentioned that her neighbour who had two beautiful cats, aged about 2, had found one of them, the smaller timid one, lying dead next to their house on Christmas Day. This woman is pregnant again and has lost interest in the cats since she had her first pregnancy and apparently lets them in for a few hours in the day and puts them out at night. Even in the very cold weather we have had here, minus ten to fifteen at that point I believe. I feel so disgusted at this woman - okay, it could be natural causes but what does everyone think? My friend had warned her that it was too cold for the cats to be out for any length of time. Words fail me. Jan x

[pamela81]

Aww that is such a shame. The poor wee cat. I hope the owner realises whats happened and either takes an interest in her remaining cat or finds someone who will give her/him a loving warm home to call their own.

Run free wee cat xx

[Shelley123]

Poor little Cat, i fear for the other one.
I'm sure cats can get hypothermia and therby freeze to death.
We have a similar situation where a neighbour has lost interest in her cats and neglects them including providing no shelter at all, even in the conditions we have just had.
For the last couple of years we have let the cats in when the weather has been realy bad and i believe they would have died if we hadn't intervened.
We finaly have her agreement for us to approach a shelter.
Like you it sickens me that people can treat their animals like this.

[angieh]

Poor little cat - I am quite sure that any animal can die of hypothermia and of course if the owner hasn't been interested enough to feed the cats sufficiently, it would have been even easier.

[Velvet]

Agree with Angie, any warm blooded animal if not fed enough and left out in sub zero temperatures with no shelter could die.

I am sure a lot of animals will have suffered the same fate as this poor little cat. It annoys me that just because cats have fur people expect them to be able to withstand any weather.

We didnt even allow ours to stay out in the conservatory for very long when it was so cold - much to their indignation:-D

Run wild, run free little cat...........

[dandysmom]

That's heartbreaking. :( Yes, I'm sure with no shelter and probably not enough food the little one could have succumbed to hypothermia ......It boggles belief how someone could allow that....

[Shelley123]

I wish people could be prosecuted and banned from having pets if they don't provide shelter. It seems as if as long as the cats are fed then nothing can be done ?

[PoshPuss]

Ugh! this woman has no feelings :( You say since her pregnancy she has become disinterested in her cats, well, I only hope her attitude changes when her child is born:shock: how soon with the baby novelty wear off! As for the remaining cat I hope she has the good sense to rehome it, now before any more neglect ensues.

Rather than blame her pregnancy, she could consider that she should be feeling more protective and maternal to small creatures- mm?

[Kim]

I agree with Angie. Absolutely bloody disgusting that people keep their cats and dogs out in the freezing temperatures of late. Poor little thing RIP :(

[farthing]

What a sad story, I can't believe this would be left to happen. A cat is probably more likely to die of hypothermia than lifestock or a dog, if it can find no shelter because it has a large surface area to volume so will suffer from heat loss more quickly than a larger animal. She should be reported, even if nothing happens hopefully a warning will hopefully give her a fright and make her care for/ rehome the other one. There is no way a 2 year old cat should be dying outside in this weather- its disgraceful.

[Velvet]

What a sad story, I can't believe this would be left to happen. A cat is probably more likely to die of hypothermia than lifestock or a dog, if it can find no shelter because it has a large surface area to volume so will suffer from heat loss more quickly than a larger animal. She should be reported, even if nothing happens hopefully a warning will hopefully give her a fright and make her care for/ rehome the other one. There is no way a 2 year old cat should be dying outside in this weather- its disgraceful.

Totally agree.

[jan]

Yes I was speechless when I heard this - my friend was not even sure what they did with the cats body as they asked her what they could do and if the vets would be expensive to dispose of the body - but the ground was frozen solid so burying seemed out of the question. She had the 2 kittens, then fell pregnant and then lost all interest in the cats. She s now pregnant again due shortly and just does the necessary. I hope this has bought her to her senses (my friend has the other one in as he is the outgoing one but I think the other one was too timid) - I cant believe people s ignorance either as I also don t let my cats into my conservatory when its cold!! Poor little thing, he was on my mind all day. Jan x