Keeping Warm

For ten years my little barn cat Zoe has lived outside in the chicken coop and barn.  She has been quite happy and healthy there.  But there's a new dynamic since the white and black tom cat moved in last year.  Between he and Sophie, meek little Zoe has started taking shelter in the garage to escape the conficts. 

Don't judge me for not letting her in the house - if she can't stand up to the 2 cats in her barn, she'd never survive the larger pool of house cats and indoor-outdoor cats.  But with no insulating hay stack to curl up in, she needed protection from the frigid temperatures.  I hooked up a little 125-watt heat lamp, made a bed of loose hay, and put food and water nearby.  She's still shy and skittish with anyone but me, but it takes a lot to make her move out of her new bed.  I think this must be her coziest winter ever.