As much as the yard cats were after the food this morning, it was the water they were really excited about!

Yes, that’s the bitty baby in there, barely able to reach into the largest bowl!

After it had a chance to drink, I was able to pick it up and cuddle it for a bit – then I tucked it into the entry of the cat house! But that was quite a bit later.

The shallower, metal bowls were frozen solid. It took quite a bit of bashing to get most of the ice out. The big plastic bowl needed more care, as the plastic gets so brittle in the cold and cracks easily. It had been quite full, so it wasn’t frozen solid, but I did have to chop through a thick layer of ice to get to pour off the water inside – which got replaced with warm water. The heated water bowl was bone dry, and every now and then, a cat would sit in it. It makes a good butt warmer when it’s dry!

And this is at only -8C/18F!

I’m so glad we got this shelter built this year. It’ll be so nice not to have to dig the water bowls out of the snow.

I ended up using a long handled garden tool to reach into the cats’ house and grab one of the containers I used for water in there. Not the nice, non-slip metal one I got for in there. I can’t even see that one. I could only see and reach the cheap plastic, repurposed mushroom container. But, it allowed me to put at least a bit of water in the shelter.

My head count this morning was 31. Then Shop Towel showed up, so if we’re counting visiting toms, that makes 32.

I wore my ball cap ear warmer this morning. While I tested it briefly last night, this morning was the first real test. We had some viscous winds from the northeast.

I did wonder how the stitches I chose for the ear warmer would handle wind, and today I have my answer.

Not at all.

Oh, it certainly gave some protection, so it was better than nothing. The next one I make will need to be denser. I can think of a few ways to do that.

By the time I finished my rounds, there was no sign of any cats outside – but as I walked past the larger windows of the cats’ house, they were packed with furry faces, watching me as I went by!

I’ll have to remember to add a top up of warm water when I feed them again this evening. Last night, I saw a large buck going down our driveway on the live feed of our security camera. Last winter, they were eating the cat kibble but, for this time of year, I would not be surprised if deer were going for the water, instead.

The Re-Farmer