At Pet Haven, more cats come into shelters with extreme frostbite. Most of the felines are NOT feral. Most are stray, abandoned cats who once had a life indoors and a family.

We are doing our best to help these cats like Patty above, who came into our care on January 20th, 2025. Patty was found stray and not handling outdoor life well. She looks ancient, but her teeth tell us she's middle-aged, not old. She has frostbitten ears, feet, and nose.

Patty was very sweet on intake, was very underweight, and knew what to do when she discovered wet food in her cage. We are happy we could help her and bring her into warmth and safety. 

Frostbite is damage to the skin caused by prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures. When skin is exposed to freezing temperatures, it constricts the blood vessels that supply blood to the skin. When this happens, the warmth, oxygen, and nutrients the blood delivers to the skin are diverted to maintain the body's core temperature. As a result,the skin freezes, forming ice crystals inside skin cells that cause the cells to rupture and die.

While this mechanism preserves the cat's life, cat frostbite can result in irreversible damage to the skin. The skin covering the extremities — including the tail, paws, nose, and ears — is at the highest risk for frostbite.

The severity of frostbite is graded by degrees. First-degree frostbite is the mildest form that only affects the top layer of skin and usually doesn't cause permanent injury. Third- and fourth-degree frostbite occurs when the whole foot, leg, nose or ear freezes, resulting in permanent damage and disfiguration.

The truth is, Cats CAN NOT survive temperatures below freezing for extended amounts of time. Cats MUST have warm shelter, food, and water available in the winter. Fresh, accessible water is key to hydration, and dehydration increases the risk of frostbite and death due to freezing. 

What Are the Clinical Signs of Cat Frostbite?

Clinical signs of cat frostbite are easy to identify. They include:

• Discolored skin (white, gray, blue, red, deep purple or black)
• Skin that becomes red, swollen and painful as it thaws out
• Blisters that can be filled with blood
• Skin or extremities that feel hard and cold
• Fragile, cold skin that breaks when you touch it
• Ulcers on the skin
• Dead skin that sloughs off

The signs of frostbite can take several days to weeks to develop, especially on the tips of the ears, and if the frostbite kills the skin, the skin will gradually become blacker and dead-looking until it finally falls off.

Any cat living outdoors where the temperature gets below 32 degrees Fahrenheit (zero degrees Celsius) is at risk for frostbite. Kittens and senior cats are also at a higher risk for frostbite, and any cats that have medical conditions that reduce blood flow to the extremities, such as diabetes mellitus, heart disease, kidney disease, or hyperthyroidism, are also at an increased risk for frostbite.

 

If you see a cat or dog out in extreme weather, please help them and bring them in or to a shelter to get help. HERE are some tips to help frostbitten pets and keep them safe in the cold!