“Cats live and thrive outdoors in all kinds of climates,” said Becky Robinson, president and founder of Alley Cat Allies. “But a little extra help during the winter months can go a long way for protecting community cats.”
Alley Cat Allies offers ten easy ways people can make life outdoors even more comfortable, healthier and warmer for cats:
Protection from the Cold
- Provide shelters to keep cats warm. These can be easy and inexpensive to build yourself, or can be purchased pre-made online. Check out our new do-it-yourself shelter video at http://www.alleycat.org/resources/how-to-build-an-outdoor-shelter/.
- Insulate shelters with straw. Not only is straw less expensive and easy to come by (just check your local pet supply store or garden center), but straw repels moisture.
- Remove snow from all shelter entrances and exits. It’s important to keep cats from getting snowed in.
Extra Food and Water
- Increase food portions to help cats conserve energy and stay warm. Canned or wet food, which takes less energy to digest, should be in insulated containers. Dry food, which will not freeze, also works.
- Keep water from freezing to prevent dehydration. To keep water drinkable, use bowls that are deep rather than wide and place them in a sunny spot. Or use heated electric bowls.
A Little Precaution Could Save a Cat’s Life
- Do not use antifreeze, which is deadly, in an area accessible to cats. Keep antifreeze out of reach and clean up spills. Most antifreeze brands use ethylene glycol as the main ingredient, so be sure to switch to a brand made with propylene glycol because it is less toxic.
- Refrain from using salt and chemicals to melt snow. These can be lethal when licked off paws or ingested from melting puddles and can hurt a cat’s paw pads.
- Check your car before you drive. Look between your tires and give the hood of your car a few taps before starting it to make sure that a cat has not hidden underneath or inside the engine for warmth.
Spay and Neuter Before Kitten Season
Winter is the prime breeding season for community cats and the ideal time to spay and neuter. If you’re conducting Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)—the only humane and effective approach to stabilize community cat populations—in the winter, follow these safety tips:
- Check the traps frequently and provide a warm holding area, pre-and-post surgery. If it’s too cold for you, then it’s probably too cold for cats to be in traps, exposed to the elements, for extended periods of time. Keep traps covered and secured in a temperature-controlled vehicle or building.
- Ask your veterinarian to shave only a small area for spay/neuter surgery. This will help the cats stay warm by maintaining maximum fur coverage.
More winter weather tips for outdoor cats are available at www.alleycat.org/WinterWeather.
Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein is a television talk show host, speaker, writer and unabashed animal advocate. She hosts the show, ” A Close-Up Look at Animal Welfare Issues.” Have a story, please email Tina at tevangelistaepp@yahoo. Like my tv page at https://www.facebook.com/ACloseUpLookAtAnimalWelfareIssues and check out AnimalWelfareIssues.com for all the tv shows you may have missed!
Don’t put your cats outdoors!!
I tell cat owners this all the time. If you want a cat be responsible!
That’s what I explain to cat owners all the time. Don’t put out food either if you don’t want them in your yard.
I make small houses for the cats around my house so they can at least be warmer. They’re my responsibility since I do this but they were someone’s cats at one time. They should be fined for letting or forcing the cats to be outside and fend for themselves. Indoor cats aren’t ready for the outdoor elements. If it wasn’t for good people who help them, more would die. It isn’t their fault. Blame the owners and make them pay for what they’ve done. People do the same to dogs. They ditch them and they’re on their own. Pets deserve so much better than these pathetic excuses for “pet owners”. “My” cats can stay warmer and are fed. #TNRrocks!
Why do so many people wish feral cats dead?
There are those who genuinely dislike feral cats because they do their “business” in their backyards, kill birds and find them to be a nuisance. TNR groups suggest talking to the neighbors who are taking care of a feral colony to keep them off of their property. Trying to work out the issues through talking can save a lot of grief. The neighbors aren’t trying to create problems for others when it comes to feral cats. They’re trying to help cats who’ve been forced to live outside. But, you will never please everyone and you must take that into account and accept it. Always try to work with someone and together you can come up with solutions. Very good question, Abigail. Thank you.
Very good ideas!
Bring them indoors! It gets too cold outside. Why do you want a cat if you’re going to leave him outside or throw him away. You don’t deserve a cat.
Alley Cat does a good job helping outside cats. I’m glad they exist.
Thanks for sharing the info.