As temperatures drop, for our four-legged friends who live on the streets, survival becomes much more difficult. Therefore, it is the responsibility of each of us, with the opportunities we have, to contribute so these loving creatures overcome this frost as easily as possible. Some of the ways you can help:
- Provide food (not harmful to dogs and cats: https://www.aspca.org/…/people-foods-avoid-feeding-your-pets) and water: Stray animals spend a lot of time and energy in the search for food, so it is very important to have these available in order to conserve their energy.
- Offer shelter: If you desire, and most importantly, if conditions allow, provide temporary shelter for any street animal, especially at night. If you can’t take them inside, at least open the garage or building entrance doors so that these animals have a shelter from the winter cold. Be careful not to keep the animal for more than 1-3 weeks (during heavy winter only) if you do not plan on keeping it permanently, since releasing it again on the road after a long period of time is seen as an abandonment from the animal’s perspective.
- Build a shelter: If you can’t afford to shelter an animal inside your home, you can at least create a temporary shelter that you can build from wood, cardboard, shoe boxes, etc.
- Use old clothes or blankets: If you have old clothes or blankets that you do not use anymore, you can use them to cover animals.
- Check the car before leaving: Many street cats, due to the extreme cold, find shelter inside the car’s engine as it is warmer. Bang the hood of the car several times before leaving to give a cat enough time to change location.