It becomes hard for stray animals to survive in winters, especially cats and dogs. But if you have a soft corner for cats you must know how to keep cats warm in winter. You can help by giving heated water and food or warm shelters.
If the temperature drops more than normal then cats, get too cold to survive. Perhaps healthy cats remain safe until the temperature drops to freezing temperature but you should take a step before that. It is always better to help sooner than later. If you care about these cats, then go and help them from now.
If you have decided to do something for outdoor cats in winters but not getting the right idea of how to keep cats warm in winter, below are some ways you can help;
Provide Warm and dry Shelters
The very first basic thing you can do for outdoor cats is to provide them warm and dry shelters. These shelters must be in any covered area such as in a carport or on a porch where they remain safe from cold.
You can also buy a water-resistant or heated shelter especially designed for cats. These shelters help in maintaining the cat's body temperature and make sure that they remain warm in extreme cold.
Cats may get scared due to lots of foot traffic; so try to keep that shelter far from such areas. You can keep these shelters on some higher place rather than the ground, which can also help cats to stay away from snow, rain, or insects.
Moreover, if you want to build your shelter for cats, go ahead but make sure you keep them insulated and invested in a good outdoor heated bed or donate to animal charity and help them build animal shelters.
Provide Plenty of Warmed Food and Water
Providing shelter to outdoor cats when it's freezing outside is not enough. You also need to provide warm food and water.
Usually, animals consume more calories in winters to stay warm. So they need some extra care and help in winters. You can help them by putting warm food a couple of times a day. You can also keep some fresh warm water in your area but you need to check that at least a few times a day to make sure it doesn't freeze. Try to keep the warm water and food in a covered area so it will not be ruined by rain or snow.
There are some points to remember while helping the outdoor cats in winters. Try to refresh the water regularly, so it remains clean. Do not place food or water inside their shelters because if it spills inside then it will make the shelter much colder. Do not provide meals in metal bowls as metal gets colder easily than plastic or ceramic. Now you are aware of the idea of how to keep cats warm in winters, so start helping them from now and keep donating to animal rescue charity.