Do cats get cold? How to keep your kitty cozy in winter

Updated 11/09/2023

Do cats get cold easily? Well our feline friends are pretty good at knowing when it’s time to wander home and get toasty, but it’s important for pet parents (and sitters, ahead of your nexthouse sit) to know how to maintain a normal cat temperature. So here, we explore ways to keep your kitty cozy in the cooler months, how cold is too cold for cats, along with the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of hypothermia in cats.

Do cats get cold easily?

Like any warm-blooded creature, our feline friends can get cold when the temperatures start dropping. But our furry friends have intelligent little minds and the instinct to know how cold is too cold. If you’ve got a furry friend at home whose favorite hobby is fence hopping and roaming your local roads, know they’re likely to head home when it starts getting too chilly outside. 

Despite your outdoor cat’s streetwise nature and love for the outdoors, they’ll appreciate a cozy corner to curl up in when the winter winds get too blustery and cold for them. So, even though your kitty might be cool as can be, make sure your home is easily accessible at all times if they love nothing more than coming and going at their own pace.

On the flipside, if you’ve got a house cat, maintaining a normal cat temperature is important inside your home, as they’ll have less control over where they can be to keep warm (or cool down).

How cold is too cold for cats?

To maintain a normal cat temperature that’s not going to lead to any nasty illnesses, the general rule of thumb is for your kitty to endure no less than 45 degrees Fahrenheit (7 degrees Celsius). 

So, if your outdoor feline friend is prone to stay out for hours on end and doesn’t seem to wander back home when the temperature drops, consider whether you want to let them outside at all on colder days. While it might seem a little harsh to keep your free-roaming feline indoors, it could prevent them from developing hypothermia.

And of course, context is key here. If your fluffy sidekick is coated in a thick layer of luscious feline fur, you won’t need to be quite so strict about letting them outside on cooler days (although still stick to the rule of never letting them outside for long periods of time if it’s below 45 degrees Fahrenheit out). 

If your kitty’s fluff has been trimmed back for any reason or you’ve got a hairless cat at home, it’s worth considering whether you want to take the risk and let them outside at all (we’d always advise playing it safe!). And if your kitty has a health condition (such as hyperthyroidism, renal disease, heart disease, or cancer), you should be extra cautious about their time outdoors. For further advice on your kitty’s condition and activity that’s safe for them, contact your vet.

How to know if your cat is too cold

If the temperature dips and you’re worried your furry friend is cold, there are a few behaviors you can look out for. When trying to maintain a normal cat temperature, you might notice your cat shivering (although this can be a sign of anxiety, pain or another illness, so monitor any other symptoms and contact your vet if you’re worried). Other signs you might see when your kitty tries to warm up include puffed fur, a hunched position, cold extremities (ears, nose, and tail), seeking warmer places or curling up tight in a ball to keep warm.

Hypothermia in cats

Do cats get cold even if they’ve been inside for long periods of time? Yup, despite having tried to warm your poor kitty up, there is a chance that your cat’s body temperature has dropped lower than normal, and they’re developing hypothermia. Here, we’ll take a whistle-stop tour on cat hypothermia so that you can avoid it at all costs.

Symptoms

Before we get into the symptoms of hypothermia in cats, just know that if your kitty is experiencing any of these, you’ll need to contact your vet immediately. Symptoms include:

• Difficulty breathing
• Dilated pupils
• Mental stupor (get clued-up on lethargy in cats)
• Confusion
• Collapse
• Tremors
• Feeling cold to the touch 
• Coma

Diagnosis

If your vet suspects hypothermia, they’ll measure your cat’s body temperature with a thermometer. They’ll also check for healthy breathing and heartbeat (as cats with hypothermia may have difficulty breathing and experience a slower heart rate than normal). Your vet may also test your kitty’s blood and urine to make sure that the symptoms they’re experiencing aren’t being caused by another health problem.

Treatment

If your feline friend is diagnosed with mild hypothermia, your vet may provide them with thermal insulation and blankets - this will prevent heat loss and warm your kitty up until they reach a healthy body temperature. Moderate hypothermia will be treated using external heat sources (like heating pads), while severe hypothermia can be treated with warm intravenous fluids and active warming, as mentioned before.

How to keep cats warm in winter

So now that we know of course cats do get cold, let’s take a look at how you can keep your kitty toasty-warm before they’ve even got the chance of shivering. It works a little differently for indoor (house) cats and outdoor cats (kitties free to come and go from home as they please). Keeping house cats cozy and warm is a whole lot easier for the simple reason that they won’t be exposed to winter’s elements. Depending on your home though, you’ll still need to make an effort to keep your kitty cozy to see out the colder temperatures. And do cats get cold, even if they’re outdoor cats? Absolutely - for outdoor cats, it’s even more important pet parents make sure they maintain a normal cat temperature in the chillier months. And without any further ado, get in the know below on all things keeping kitties warm.

• Invest in a warm pet bed. While your kitty might have all manner of wacky spots they love to climb and cling from in your home, when the temperatures drop, they’ll love nothing more than huddling up in a cozy cat bed steeped in blankets.
• Switch that heating on. You might be saving energy throughout your house, but keep the radiators on for a while in the room your cat spends most of their time.
• Exercise. Even though you might pet parent an indoor cat, they can still get heaps of movement time inside the house. Be sure to keep your kitty on the move with play time to get that blood pumping.
• Diet. Feed your kitty all the good stuff - match their health needs with a commercially-available cat food that’s right for their age, breed and any medical conditions they have.
• Cat apparel. If you’ve got a short-haired or hairless cat, invest in a cat vest or cat jumper that’s comfortable and warm for the chillier times of year. If your feline friend is long-haired, this may not be necessary, especially if they stay indoors.
• Avoid the risks. If it’s below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s safer to keep your cat indoors. No matter how much they’re itching to fence hop and catch up with their equally streetwise feline pals, the risk of hypothermia just isn’t worth it.
• Towel dry your cat. If it's wet or snowing outdoors, drying your cat (especially their feet) when they come indoors with a towel can help them to warm up faster. 
• Remember to close windows and curtains to add extra insultation to a room, and use door stoppers to keep chilly draughts out.

Meet our veterinary expert, Corinne

This article has been checked by veterinarian Corinne Wigfall BVMBVS(Hons) BVMedSci(Hons). Corinne is originally from Wales and moved to New Zealand after graduating university. She started her career with a university based equine internship and moved onto mixed and small animal practice. Currently she splits her time between online tele triage and working in an after hours vet clinic.

Want to treat your kitty?

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