How to Care for Outdoor Cats in Winter

Shelter, food and water are especially important to feral and stray cats in cold weather

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Who are those cats you see outside on cold days? They may be pets whose owners let (or put) them outside.

Or they could be community cats, a group that includes ferals (who are afraid of people) and strays (who've been lost or abandoned). No matter how resourceful these outdoor cats are, they need help surviving winter.

Follow our tips for making sure your local outdoor cats have shelter, food and water during the cold months.

Shelter for outdoor cats »
Food and water for outdoor cats »
Trap-neuter-return in winter »

Give outdoor cats shelter from the cold

Yes, their thickened winter coats help feral and stray cats weather winter's chill, but they still need warm, dry, well-insulated and appropriate-sized shelters.

It's cheapest to build your own shelters, and there are many plans and instructions that can help you get started.

How to get help building your outdoor-cat shelter

A shelter-building party can be a fun weekend project! Ask your friends, neighbors and coworkers to join in. Try contacting local youth groups to find out if they will help build shelters as a service project.

Where to find materials for your outdoor-cat shelter

You may find inexpensive or free materials by asking building-supply stores or contractors if they have scrap lumber. Ask friends, neighbors and coworkers for used dog houses, which can be modified to make good shelters. You can even use a storage bin from the local hardware store.

Creating a life-saving shelter for outdoor cats can be easy and inexpensive.

Why size matters with cat shelters

A shelter must trap the cats' body heat to warm its interior. If the shelter is too large, it will be difficult for the cats' body heat to keep the space warm.

What to put in your outdoor cat shelter

Straw is the best material to put in a shelter because it allows cats to burrow. Pillowcases loosely stuffed with packing peanuts and shredded newspaper also work.

Keep things clean: Replace straw and newspaper if moist or dirty, and wash and re-stuff pillowcases as needed.

However, if it's really cold where you live and you can't check on the shelters regularly, don’t use the above insulations. Instead, "wallpaper" the shelter's inner walls and floor with Mylar. It reflects back body heat, and it's okay for cats to lie on it.

What NOT to put in your outdoor-cat shelter

Don't use blankets, towels or folded newspaper; they absorb body heat and chill cats who are lying on them. Forego hay, too, which may irritate noses and cause allergic reactions.

Give outdoor cats food and water

Where to place food and water

Protect outdoor cats from hunger and thirst this winter by keeping their food and water from freezing.

If you can do so without compromising the privacy and security of the shelter, place food and water near the shelter so the cats won't have to travel far.

A way to protect food and water is to place two shelters—doorways facing each other—two feet apart. Then create a canopy between them by securing a wide board from one roof to the other. Then put the food and water under the canopy.

How to keep outdoor cats' food and water from freezing

What you put food and water in can make a difference. A thick plastic water container that's deep and wide is better-insulated than a thin plastic or ceramic container. A solar-heated water bowl can prevent or delay water and canned food from freezing.

If shelters are well-insulated, you can put bowls of dry or moist food inside them, far from the doorway. Even if the moist food freezes, the cats' body heat will defrost it when they hunker down in their shelter.

Don't put water bowls inside the shelter. Water is easily spilled, and a wet shelter will feel more like a refrigerator than a warm haven. You’ll find suggestions for keeping water from freezing at the Neighborhood Cats website.

To TNR or not to TNR community cats in winter?

Don't attempt TNR activities in the winter unless you can return the cats to a warm shelter.

People may be concerned about performing trap-neuter-return during winter because they worry about releasing females who have had their stomachs shaved for surgery. But winter trapping has its advantages. There are far fewer pregnant cats, which makes for a less complicated surgery, and you'll prevent the births of many kittens come spring, when the majority are born.

Before you start winter trapping, however, you must ensure that the cats will have adequate shelter when you return them to their territory. If you've followed the directions above, they'll be in good shape.

Learn more about caring for outdoor cats

Outdoor cat FAQ »
A caretaker's tale of providing shelter
How to build the ultimate shelter
How to build a simple shelter
Neighborhood Cats’ website

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You're doing that drive your dog crazy

By Cesar Millan

Do you ever wonder what your dog would say if he could talk? Do you ever wonder what’s on his mind when he looks up at you with those big, warm, brown eyes?

You might be surprised to learn that what you’re doing to your dog is confusing him—maybe even driving him crazy. Here are five bad habits you need to stop before they wreck your relationship.

1. You’re trying to communicate with your dogs through words.

You adopt a dog from the shelter, and you know it is not the first time he has been adopted, but you are confident you will be successful. One of your worries is that the previous owner had given the dog a name you don’t like, so you have renamed him Riley. But will that confuse him? Guess what? Dogs don’t care much whether you speak to them in Spanish, or English, or Chinese, because they don’t hear words as words, just as sounds. It’s like the way that people spell out “w-a-l-k” and “l-e-a-s-h”; they may be fooling themselves but they certainly aren’t fooling the dog. That’s one of the reasons I love being with dogs so much—because they sense something much deeper than the words you use; they also read your body language. Which is why you can’t lie to a dog. When you speak to a dog you must speak from the inside, from your mind, your heart, and your body. Otherwise he will be scratching his head with his paw, trying to figure why he can see your lips moving with strange noises coming out.

2. You treat your dog like a child.

We all know those houses, right? The ones with the framed pictures of Twinkles all over the walls. Her name is embroidered on all of her pillows and emblazoned on toys of every kind, scattered from kitchen to bedroom to bath. And Twinkles’s owner never stops fawning over her as though she were a one-year-old. You can see how the human starts to get confused sometimes and starts thinking that Twinkles is a child—but of course Twinkles is under no illusions at all. She is a dog, and she wants to behave like a dog—that is in her DNA. And like all dogs, she wants to run, she loves to chase things, and she wants to use her nose to track. Your “baby” is also a pack animal and needs the structure and discipline in her life to feel fulfilled and not become frustrated. There is nothing wrong with showing your dog love, but remember: first exercise, then discipline, and finally affection.

3. Your dog doesn’t have a job and he’s bored.

So many times people have come to me, worried because their dog has picked up an aggravating habit. Maybe he’s chewing the carpet, or racing in circles around the house, or showing surprising aggression. And so often the answer is the same: Your dog is getting bored—he wants something to do. Dogs aren’t born expecting to be waited on hand and foot, with meals produced whenever they are hungry; no creature in the animal world is. In the wild—from the time they are babies—dogs have to work for their food. They have to hunt it down or go hungry. I like to tell people that in Mexico, where I am from, the dogs are thin but they don’t have psychological problems. Dogs have been bred over the centuries for different jobs—from rounding up cattle to hunting to hauling. When their natural instinct is denied, they become frustrated, and that is when they start to show signs of aggressive behavior. So do what your dog asks and give him a job. Put a pack on his back when you go for walks or create obstacle courses so he can put his scent-tracking abilities to good use. You’ll see right away how happy it makes him.

4. You’re acting like your dog’s playmate, not pack leader.

You’ve watched my TV shows and read my books, so you know how important it is for you to claim the role of pack leader from the time your puppy first joins the family. But then you come home, and it’s a beautiful summer evening, and your pup is telling you that she is ready to play. The next thing you know, you and your dog are racing around the back yard with a ball and all the rules have changed. At least the rules have changed in your mind—until you are ready to call it quits and go inside for dinner. How is your dog supposed to understand what has happened? You gave up on being pack leader to race into playing with her instead of making it clear that play begins only when she is calm and responsive. So now she is all turned around about who’s the boss. Remember: Being a pack leader is not a part-time occupation; it’s all the time. Your dog is always looking for consistency and structure, and without it she is going to become confused about when she is supposed to follow your directions and when you two are just buddies.

5. You’re tense and nervous around your dog

Your sister-in-law is one of your least favorite people. You hate it when she comes to visit—you know she is checking out your home, and you can see the critical disdain in her face. To make matters worse, whenever she’s near Mikey, your otherwise well-behaved mixed-breed dog, he goes crazy, as if to demonstrate your poor dog-handling skills. But he doesn’t know there are problems with you and your sister-in-law; he just knows that his pack leader is tense and nervous, so he may become tense and nervous too. Our dogs are incredibly finely attuned to us—we’ve been living together almost from the beginning of time! That is why they need calm, assertive energy to relax. Remember: Dogs are predators in the wild, so if they become nervous, their fight-or-flight response is almost always more likely to be fight. Nervousness in dogs will soon come out as aggression. It is how they deal with a problem.

Listen to your dogs. Listen to them carefully, for they are trying to tell you what they want. Their needs are really very simple, and if you satisfy those, you will have a happy and harmonious relationship. That is the kind of bond I have with Junior, as you can see from the photos on these pages. And I hope it will be the relationship you have with your dog.

source: cesarsway.com

Recent Gas Chamber Closures

Back to Fact Sheets

Since 2013, the following agencies have invested the time and resources to eliminate their gas chambers and use a euthanasia method that is kinder to their animals and better for their staff. We congratulate them on this decision, and hope that other agencies will follow their lead. Please let them know that you appreciate their commitment to the animals in their care by thanking them, supporting them financially, and adopting their available pets! 

Illinois

•       McLean County Animal Control Center

Kansas

•       Eureka Animal Control

Kentucky            

•       Greenup County Animal Shelter                

Mississippi         

•       Lucedale Animal Shelter              

Missouri

•       West Plains Animal Control

North Carolina

•       Alamance County Animal Control

•       Alexander County Animal Shelter

•       Ashe County Animal Control

•       Carrabus County Animal Control

•       Gaston County Animal Control

•       Cleveland County Animal Control            

•       Iredell County Animal Services

•       Johnston County Animal Services

•       Martin County Animal Services

•       Person County Animal Services

•       Rowan County Animal Control

•       Sampson County Animal Shelter

•       Wilson County Animal Enforcement

Ohio     

•       Carroll County Dog Pound

•       Medina County Animal Shelter

Oklahoma

•       Cushing Animal Shelter

South Carolina   

•       Bennettsville City Shelter

Utah

•       Heber City Animal Shelter

West Virginia   

•       Humane Society of Raleigh County

CANADA

•       Red Deer Animal Control

In addition to these agency-specific closures, since 2013, state or jurisdictional bans have been passed in Texas, the Commonwealth of Saipan, Delaware, and North Carolina (the NC ban will go into effect February 15, 2015).

  

Source : humanesociety[dot]org

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Solving Litter Box Problems

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If you're having a hard time persuading your cat to use the litter box, it may be time to draw a line in the sand.

Most cats are happy to use a litter box because their instinct is to bury their urine and feces. But when their burying preferences include the laundry basket, the bed or the Persian rug, you've got a problem.

There's always a reason they stop using their box and it's not to make you mad or get revenge  Take a close look at what's going on in your cat's world. You should be able to uncover the source (or sources) of the trouble, and make the changes that will put his world to rights again.

Find a step-by-step guide to solving (and preventing) litter problems in our Cat Answer Tool

The case of multiple cats: A whodunnit

If you only have one cat, it's obvious who's misbehaving. But what if you have more? You need to do some detective work.

It's a process of elimination, which means you will need to isolate one cat at a time to see if the inappropriate behavior stops while he's in isolation. This method isn’t foolproof, however, because if the culprit's behavior is stress-induced (see below), it may not occur if keeping him away from the other cats also keeps him away from the stress!

For more puzzling cases, a veterinarian can advise you on adding a safe fluorescent dye to the cats' food (one cat at a time). The dye will glow in the cat's urine when a black light is held over it, and you'll have your culprit.

Now that you know who it is, what do you do about it?

Medical issues

If your male cat stops using the litter box, spends a lot of time trying to go or licking his genitals, get him to the vet immediately. This may be a sign that he has a urinary tract infection or much worse, a blockage. These cause pain when urinating, which he may associate with using the box, causing him to avoid it. Some cats will even urinate and cry right in front of you or go in the bathtub or sink to let you know something's wrong.

Urinary tract problems can be very serious, especially in male cats because their urethra (the tube that empties urine from their bladder) is narrow and is more easily plugged than a female’s wider urethra. A cat whose urinary tract is blocked can die within hours or suffer irreversible organ damage from the buildup of toxins in his system. Don’t wait around thinking it will clear up by itself. And don’t be fooled into thinking that your cat is constipated. It could happen, but it’s more likely to be a urinary problem.

If your kitty gets a clean bill of health from the vet, his problem is all in his head.

Why, why, why?

Many cats are perfectly happy with everything about their litter boxes and don't care what how many there are, where they are, or what's in them. Then there are those who are more picky. These cats may have any number of reasons (known only to them) for deciding the litter box is an unpleasant place to eliminate.

• The box isn't clean enough.
• She doesn't like the box: It's too big, too small, too high, too low, has a hood, doesn't have a hood, is too hard to get into and so on.
• She doesn't like the litter: It's clay, it's clumping, scented, unscented, too hard, too soft, she doesn't like litter at all, there's too much, not enough, etc.
• She doesn't like the location: It's out in the open, too hard to get to, next to a noisy appliance, in the basement when she wants it in the living room, etc.
• She's too young, too old or too unwell to make it to the basement to use the box.
• She was startled by something or someone or "ambushed" by another pet while she was in it.
• There aren't enough boxes for the number of cats you have.
• Something in her environment or routine has changed. She's anxious and is marking her territory to reassure or assert herself.
• She associates the box with punishment. (For example, someone punished her for eliminating outside the box, and then placed her in it.)

Sometimes, the original reason for the problem may not be the reason it's continuing.

For example, your cat may have stopped using the litter box because of a urinary tract infection; the infection is gone, but she now prefers the carpet or the bedroom closet. If that's the case, you'll need to address all of these factors to resolve the problem.

Here are some important tips on preventing litter box problems in the first place »

The road to recovery

You think you've figured out what's put kitty's tail in a twist; now let's fix it.

Move it

If your cat was just fine with her litter box situation, but is now unhappy because you've changed something about it, by all means, change it back! 

If your cat always eliminates in quiet, protected places, such as under a desk, beneath a staircase, in a corner, or in a closet; she eliminates in an area where the litter box was previously kept or where there are urine odors; or she eliminates on a different level of the home, here are some solutions.

• Put a litter box in the location where your cat’s been eliminating. When she has consistently used this box for at least one month, you may gradually move it to a more convenient location at a rate of an inch—seriously!—per day.
• Put at least one litter box on every level of your home. (Remember, a properly cleaned litter box does not smell.)  This is especially important if you have kittens, elderly, or ill cats who don't have the strength to go all the way to the basement each time they need to use the box.
• To make the spots where she's been eliminating less appealing to your cat, cover them with upside-down carpet runner or aluminum foil, place citrus-scented cotton balls over the areas, or place water bowls there (because cats often don't like to eliminate near where they eat or drink).

Clean house

Clean the soiled areas well. Animals are highly motivated to continue soiling an area that smells like urine or feces. A cat's sense of smell is much stronger than a human’s, so it's important to clean the soiled areas thoroughly and properly.

Find urine stains with a fluorescent black light, available at hardware and pet supply stores. The stains will glow under the black light. Once you locate a stain, clean it with an enzymatic cleaner made especially for pet odors, available at pet supply stores. Don't use ammonia or other strong-smelling household cleaners. These will encourage your cat to re-mark in that area.

You may have to clean the area several times to remove the odor completely, even treating the carpet padding and subflooring underneath. Clean the area thoroughly before steam cleaning to avoid "locking in" the odor.

Surfaces

All animals develop preferences for a particular surface on which they like to eliminate. These preferences may be established early in life, but they may also change overnight for reasons that we don't always understand. Your cat may have a surface preference if she consistently eliminates on a particular texture—for example, soft things like carpeting, bedding, or clothing, or smooth surfaces such as tile, cement, bathtubs, or sinks. Or maybe she frequently scratches on this same texture after elimination, even if she eliminates in the litter box. Sometimes a previously outdoor-only cat prefers to eliminate on grass or soil.

If your cat's eliminating on soft surfaces, try using a soft litter made of pine shavings. You could also try shredded newspaper, or even a piece of carpet in the box (you'll have to change it often, of course). Try to convert her to litter by sprinkling it over the carpet, gradually adding more if she doesn't object.

If your cat's eliminating on slick, smooth surfaces, try giving her an empty box or putting a very thin layer of litter at one end of the box. Leave the other end bare, and put the box on a hard floor.

If your cat has a history of being outdoors, use dirt.

Source : humanesociety[dot]org

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Sun’s Effect on Baby Skin

A baby skin is very thin and sensitive to sun. Within, ten – fifteen minute, exposure direct sunlight, causes sunburn. When a baby is placed, inside baby car seat, unaware seat and buckles, been exposed direct sunlight, will burn baby’s skin. Sunburns can be very painful and serious health problems, including dehydration and fever. Estimates, one in every 100 children, may eventually develop melanoma, most deadly type, of skin cancer.

Treating mild or less severe, baby sunburns, applying onto the area, a washcloth been soaked, in cool water. Applying wash cloth, onto skin for fifteen minutes, a few times a day or more, but cautiously, observing for any chills. Alternatively, bath baby in cool water and baking soda, cools the skin, and reduces redness. Applying, moisturizer containing aloe vera, vitamin ‘E’ oil or Noxema, cools down skin temperature, reduce redness, and discomfort. Provide, plenty of fluids, preventing dehydration. Severe sunburns or blistering of the skin, associated second degree burns, needs attentions of a physician or pediatrician, immediately. Prescribed treatment includes, applying ointments, creams, dressing of blisters, and relieving pain, taking infant non-aspirin.

Certainly, prevention is best method, from sunburn, any age. According, Dr. Paul J. Honing, chief of Dermatology, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, severe sunburn or continued exposure to the sun early in life, may be correlated, with skin cancer, later in life. Furthermore, a child has two severe sunburns, before the age of 18, generally, greater risk of skin cancer. Dr. Honig warns, protecting the skin with baby oil, enhances damaging effect, of the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Importantly, Children have greater risk of skin cancer: Fair to light skin complexion, family history of skin cancer, history of sunburn early in life, typical moles or larger number of moles, freckles, and long duration sunlight exposure. Living, closer to the equator, during peak summer months or between 10 AM – 4 PM, sun provides, strongest rays. Living in high altitudes, greater exposure to the sun. Every 1,000 feet of altitude, increases sun’s rays by five percent, especially, living in Denver, exposure is 25 percent stronger. Baby should wear, long-sleeved shirt, tight woven clothing (prevents sunlight), light colored clothing, and loosely woven fabrics. Fabric labeled, Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) value, provides a level of protection, from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. Ultraviolet Protection rating of twenty, allows 1/20 of the sun’s UV radiation, pass through or reduces, skin’s UV radiation exposure, by twenty times. Higher Ultraviolet Protection Factor, provide greater UV protection. Preferable, a baby should wear, sunglasses with UV-protection, and have big lenses, exposure to the sun. A child vision can worsen, after years of exposure to the sun, without any protection. Outside, attach an umbrella or canopy, when using a stroller. Otherwise, sun-protective tent, provides sun-protection, baby is playing or resting. Directly exposure to the sun, apply sunscreen or lotion, exposed areas. Contact your pediatrician, recommended sunscreens or lotions. Babies over six months old, applying waterproof sunscreen, designed for children, and labeled ‘broad spectrum,’ protecting against, both ultraviolet B (UVB), and ultraviolet A (UVA) rays. Additional protection, by apply zinc oxide, upon areas of the skin, more perceptible to sunburn, such as nose and lips. Same for adult skin protection.

Sunscreen protects the skin, by absorbing or blocking, and scattering UV radiation. Degree of protection rated by Sun Protection Factor (SPF) system. The higher SPF rating, adult or baby exposure sun longer, before getting sunburn. Applying, an SPF ’15,’ exposure to the sun, for 150 minutes, prevents sunburn. Recommend, applying new sunscreen, onto a small area of a baby skin, and observing, for allergic reaction, of rash or redness. Applying, sunscreen 20 minutes, before exposure to sun, enough time for skin absorption. Reapplying sunscreen, recommended, after a baby or adult, played in water or has been sweating. Otherwise, reapplying every thirty minutes, during sun exposure. If eyes are exposed to sunscreen, cause irritation, apply plenty of water to the eye, reduces discomfort, and contacting a physician, if irritation continues. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends sunscreen, protective sun hats, sunglasses, and clothing.

Sun light absorbs and provides Vitamin ‘D’ or ‘sunshine vitamin,’ essential for developing strong bones, and calcium absorption. Sufficient, amount of time, baby exposed to sunlight per day is five to thirty minutes, depending how sensitive, a baby skin reacts. Avoid, strongest sun light, between hours 10 AM, and 2 PM. During winter months, absorption of vitamin ‘D,’ is limited, because sunlight contains, a limited amount of ultraviolet rays, produce vitamin ‘D.’