A dozen times a day I'm taking bowls of warm water out for Burgess The Semi-Permanent Garage Cat, and bringing in the frozen solid bowl.

Burgess is staying warm in his blanket nest we built him on a chair that has a cushy padded seat. That kid knows how to curl in and conserve all his body heat!

But he wants/needs to get out everyday. He owns a large territory and MUST patrol every day or go mad. He's out there right now, it's 16 degrees. Last night it went down to -4 (I know there's worse in other places, but this is us).

I want so badly to bring him in the house, but that would be a super bad idea for many reasons. So we do what we can, but dammit, COME ON SPRING

Maybe a heated bowl, then?

The only ones I've seen have had cords, Corgi. And Burgess is a very curious cat who chews on stuff. We've had to pull bags over some hanging cords on the garage wall.

I'm a fretter by nature and am checking on him, oh, maybe 20 times a day. laughs so I'm fine with changing his water often as long as I'm there. Oh and today we are in the 30s! Heat wave! Back door is cracked, he can come and go as he pleases. Fretter-me can have a vacation.

The colder it gets the more often I check. Today, I should be able to see him from the girlcave window. He likes to hang out on the back deck

[nods thoughtfully] I've seen ones with metal cladding on the power cord, but I've also seen Weimaraner puppies chew through a Danish butter cookie tin and baby Corgis eat a mobile phone....

Cats can do serious damage if they put their mind to it. And a cat that's been closed up in a garage for his own safety can get mighty bored and frustrated!

Today the whole world is his! It's 32 degrees and he is out and about.

Huzzah!