Heating pad will be perfect.
great idea!!
an electric blanket for you, along with a down comforter might be a good thing, too.
hand warmers are a must, if you are working outside.
for backup get a small "mr. buddy junior" heater, a 20 lbs (5 gallon) or larger propane tank & an adapter or adapter hose.
for the electric you'll want a forced air heater (fan) not a radiant heater.
if the trailer has ok insulation, 1500 watts should do you, especially if you can get it running with a timer switch to kick in a couple hours before you get home.
in reality, though, at 1500 watts, all you need to do is find the lowest spot in the trailer, about 12" high and about 12" or more from any wall (corner being best) that you can keep clear while it runs. your cat may try to cuddle it, so maybe a bird cage or chicken wire would help.
i did a *negative* 50 deg F winter a couple of years ago in a shitty trailer with an 8x5 bedroom, and had to use an electric heater to stay alive..
try & find down comforters (!!!!) at a thrift store.
your cat may be fine with a heating pad, but if you come in from work, cold, & have to wait for a heater to bring things up to temp, you run the chance of getting really fucking sick, which may cost you your cat & your job, regardless, so don't be too fucking sentimental..
you can only care for shit when you have the strength to, so don't put the cat's welfare above your own, or you'll both go down.
use your brains, be brave enough to trust yourself, and let the cat learn that a heater is nothing to fuck with.
hell.. throw some black pepper in front of it, or something..
make sure the heater is sturdy.. not all of them are made for 24/4..
when you get comfortable & find a good heat setting, turn it down a bit in the morning to find what reasonable 'cool' setting is..
as far as the welfare of the heater & conservation issues go, it doesn't need to go full blast all the time, but you want to come home to not less than 65 degrees..
you certainly *do* want to be carefull of is the heater running 24/7, because that can be an issue of danger.. so again, def turn down in the morning or before you leave for anything longer than an hour or so..
a good heater, though (&search consumer reports online) will be pretty well built..
PM me if you want a bit more info..
you (&kitty) will be fine...
oh, yeah!!
almost forgot!!
if this trailer has a shitter hooked up to a drain pipe (rouge septic or whatever) so that you crap inside the thing, have a goddamned stick that you can jam down the toilet, because if it gets *really* cold, your turds are going to freeze..
no fucking fun at all, but the last thing you want is your crap piling up until it touches your fucking asshole..
in any case, yeah.. yer gonna be fine..
& oh yeah, too!! if there are windows, tack old blankets (or towels or *whaterver* over them!!!
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