To create wintertime accommodations for a cat colony: (Check out Alley Cat Allies’ shelter gallery for inspiration.) You’ll also find specially-made shelters for outdoor ferals.Īlley Cat Allies notes that, while pre-built cat shelters can be purchased, for a low price cat lovers can keep kitties high and dry all winter long with a sanctuary made from a Styrofoam cooler that can easily be constructed in five minutes.Įven a slightly altered large storage tub can give our purring pals protection from frigid conditions. ( Neighborhood Cats offers easy, inexpensive designs for creating feral cat shelters.) Plastic storage bins, weighted on top, can be lined with Styrofoam for insulation. The smaller dog houses are often the best so the cat can warm the space with body heat but any dog house will help provide shelter from snow and ice. (Check sites like FreeCycle for free to pick up dog houses sites like NextDoor and Craigslist can also be good options.) You can repurpose an old dog house as a warm retreat for feral cats. Here’s a list of ideas for helping ferals weather the winter storms–and prepare for TNR efforts before kitten season arrives (it’s not as far away as it might seem!) Provide shelter for feral cats. Frostbite does not occur at a specific temperature, but rather results from a combination of cold weather, heat loss, and decreased blood flow.Īccording to Rutter, some pets are especially sensitive to cold weather, including older animals, newborn animals, underweight and small animals, and those with shaved fur. She said that hypothermia may cause pets to seem mentally dull or antisocial while frostbite shows up as swollen, red lesions. “In some climates, generalized hypothermia and frostbite of toes, ears, lips, the nose, and the tail can certainly occur.” “The majority of cold weather related illnesses have to do with exposure to the cold itself,” Rutter said.
Christine Rutter, a clinical assistant professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. Pin it to remember how to help feral cats during winter weather!Ĭold weather affects pets the same way it does people, said Dr.Download the free Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook.
Provide Fresh Water Daily and Additional Food.Insulate the Shelter Against Moisture as Well as Cold.
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