Its Cold Out There
Oh Boy! is it cold as I’m writing this article! Have you ever wondered how our Sanctuary cats, who all live outdoors, fare during the cold temperatures? I want to share some of the measures we take to help ensure our resident felines stay healthy, safe and warm during the colder months.
Besides having numerous cat barns and cat houses throughout the property to provide shelter, we massively distribute bales and bales of straw. Straw helps all outdoor animals stay warm during the cold. Unlike hay, straw does not absorb water but rather repels it and serves as wonderful insulation for our cats. We place straw inside the barns, cat houses, inside cat shelters and even outside by trees as some of the stubborn cats stay outside.
Wonderful volunteers show up to help us distribute the straw way before the weather turns cold. Other volunteers and donors buy straw to donate to the sanctuary. It’s a big endeavor but our cats appreciate being warm and cozy as they sleep away most of the days in the winter…almost like bears in hibernation!
Extra Nutrition
Other measures we take to keep cats warm entail their water and food intake. During the winters, we make sure cats receive extra nutrition in the form of wet food. Wet food provides extra calories to help cats put on a little extra weight and encourage warm, healthy coats of fur.
To prevent water from freezing in the bowls, we have electric bowls that we plug into outlets to prevent water from freezing. In areas of the Sanctuary where there is no electricity, we utilize thick rubber bowls that take longer to freeze.
If you’re looking to donate some practical items to the Sanctuary for the winter months, we can always use small space heaters for the enclosures that have electrical outlets, bales of straw, wet cat food and self-warming heating pads. Thank you for caring about our feline residents in all the seasons!
