Remember to Tap Your Hood Before Getting In Your Vehicle!!!

The Polar Vortex is making it's way across the nation.   During this time, the neighborhood cats seek a warm place.  Meaning under the hood of parked vehicles.

So Please remember to TAP the hood of your vehicle before getting in.  

DO NOT BLOW YOUR HORNS!

Cats have very sensitive ears.  So PLEASE do not blow your horns.  

Just TAP real hard on the hood of your car once or twice.  That will be enough to wake the kitty up and send him/her on their furry way.  

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Please pass this information on to everyone you know!  

TAP That Thang!

Extreme Cold Weather Regions...

PLEASE REMEMBER 

TO TAP THE HOOD OF YOUR VEHICLES BEFORE GETTING IN!

Cats often take shelter under the hoods of cars where it's warm.  So PLEASE...Remember to Tap the hood of your vehicle before getting in.  Or at the very least make enough noise where it will scare the cat out. 

DO NOT BLOW YOUR HORNS!

Blowing your horns can cause damage to the cat's hearing and/or cause it to harm itself while trying to hurry out.  

Remember To  Leave Food and Water.  And to check on the water supply.  In these freezing temps the water will freeze up rather quickly.  So check often throughout the day.

Use Straw to line shelters or to put where strays and ferals take shelter like under your house or porch.  

Learn more about what you can to do by visiting The Humane Society's website.  

Just click HERE

Winter Care and Safety for Feral Cats *PLEASE SHARE ON ALL YOUR SOCIAL NETWORKS*

With much of the East Coast now buried in snow, you may be wondering how outdoor cats are surviving. In fact, even though stray and feral cats are at home outside, they can always use some extra help in cold or severe weather. Here’s what you can do to help them stay safe, warm and healthy during the winter months.

Car Safety: Before starting your car, give the hood a tap and check between the tires — cats will sometimes crawl into the engine or hide underneath the car for warmth. This is also the time of year for antifreeze, which often tastes irresistible to cats and other animals, but is toxic and deadly. Keep it out of reach and clean up any spills!

Shelter: Keep your feral cat colonies comfortable this winter by providing them with a shelter.  Dog houses can also do the trick with a few modifications.

• Whether you’re buying or building, make sure the door is no bigger than 6-8″ wide to keep out other animals. If you’re modifying a dog house, you’ll need to block off part of the door to make it cat-sized. A flap on the door will also keep snow, rain, and wind out.
• Insulate the shelter with straw to repel moisture and keep cats warm and dry (note: Make sure it’s straw, but not hay, because hay absorbs moisture). Blankets may seem like a good idea, but since they are also extremely absorbent, they make bad bedding.
• Cats will huddle together inside for warmth, so provide colonies with multiple shelters that can fit three to five cats each. If you are caring for fewer cats, use a smaller shelter so it takes less body heat to warm up.
• Elevate shelters off the ground and place them in quiet areas away from foot traffic.
• Remember to shovel out the cats when you’re shoveling your own driveway. Cats in shelters can get snowed in, so keep entrances clear and shovel an exit for cats who may be taking refuge under bushes, porches, or other hiding spots.
• Stay away from salt and chemical melting products. These products can be toxic to animals and harmful to their natural snowshoes — paws!

Food and water: When temperatures drop, provide extra food and water, and try to keep it from freezing.

 Other feeding tips:

• Feed the cats on a regular schedule. That way, the cats will know when to come around, and both the food and the cats will spend less time out in the cold.
• Feed wet food — it’s easier to digest, so cats save more energy for keeping warm. Since wet food is also quicker to freeze, make sure you put out dry food too. And feed larger portions than you would in warm weather.
• Spray insulation foam into the underside of plastic feeding dishes to keep wet food from becoming fishcicles! (Or chickencicles, turkeycicles, etc. …)
• Change water bowls twice daily to keep water from freezing. Use deep bowls rather than wide ones, and refill them with hot or warm water. If the colony is close to an outlet, heated electric water bowls will also do the trick.
• Here’s a trade secret: Add a pinch of sugar to the water to keep it from freezing as quickly (and to provide an energy boost for the cats!)

RESOURCE:  

PETFINDER BLOG

Author Becky Robinson is the president and founder of Alley Cat Allies.

Be Prepared for Major Winter Storm, Extreme Cold

Dress Warmly and Stay Dry

Dress in layers. 
Wear a hat.

• Be sure the outer layer of your clothing is tightly woven, preferably wind resistant, to reduce body-heat loss caused by wind. Wool, silk, or polypropylene inner layers of clothing will hold more body heat than cotton.

•  Stay dry—wet clothing chills the body rapidly.

•  Excess perspiration will increase heat loss, so remove extra layers of clothing whenever you feel too warm. 

• Avoid getting gasoline or alcohol on your skin while de-icing and fueling your car or using a snow blower. These materials in contact with the skin greatly increase heat loss from the body.

•  Do not ignore shivering. It’s an important first sign that the body is losing heat. Persistent shivering is a signal to return indoors. 

• Infants less than one year old should never sleep in a cold room because infants lose body heat more easily than adults.

Hypothermia

• When exposed to cold temperatures, your body begins to lose heat faster than it can be produced. 

• Prolonged exposure to cold will eventually use up your body’s stored energy. The result is hypothermia, or abnormally low body temperature. 

• Body temperature that is too low affects the brain, making the victim unable to think clearly or move well. This makes hypothermia particularly dangerous because a person may not know it is happening and won’t be able to do anything about it.

• Hypothermia is most likely at very cold temperatures, but it can occur even at cool temperatures (above 40°F) if a person becomes chilled from rain, sweat, or submersion in cold water.

• Victims of hypothermia are often (1) elderly people with inadequate food, clothing, or heating; (2) babies sleeping in cold bedrooms; (3) people who remain outdoors for long periods—the homeless, hikers, hunters, etc.; and (4) people who drink alcohol or use illicit drugs.

Recognizing Hypothermia

Warnings signs of hypothermia:

Adults:

shivering, exhaustion

confusion, fumbling hands

memory loss, slurred speech

drowsiness

Infants:

bright red, cold skin

very low energy

What to Do

If you notice any of these signs, the situation is an emergency — get medical attention immediately.

Be A Good Neighbor

A winter emergency like this is a time for all of us to be good neighbors.

We especially need to look out for the elderly. Older adults often make less body heat because of a slower metabolism and less physical activity.  

Many elderly live alone and have limited mobility…some even have no family close by. They may even have special medical needs so check in on them.

Eat and Drink Wisely

Eating well-balanced meals will help you stay warmer.

Do not drink alcoholic or caffeinated beverages—they cause your body to lose heat more rapidly. Instead, drink warm, sweet beverages or broth to help maintain your body temperature. If you have any dietary restrictions, ask your doctor.

Look Out For Pets

Bring pets inside

When you take pets outside, go with them. Don’t let them go alone.

The city has many community cats -- before starting your car, TAP on the hood.  DON'T HONK HORN! TAP on the Hood!

Cats will seek shelter in engines during cold weather.  So before starting your engines, TAP ON THE HOOD OF YOUR CAR!

Avoid Exertion

If you haven’t exercised or been very physically active, now is not the time to go out and shovel your driveway in a hurry.

Cold weather puts an extra strain on the heart.

If you have heart disease or high blood pressure, follow your doctor’s advice about shoveling snow or performing other hard work in the cold. Otherwise, if you have to do heavy outdoor chores, dress warmly and work slowly. Remember, your body is already working hard just to stay warm, so don’t overdo it.

Preventing Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

• If power outages occur, the use of alternative sources of fuel or electricity for heating, cooling, or cooking can cause carbon monoxide to build up in a home, garage, or camper and then poison the people and animals inside.

• Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless gas that can cause sudden illness and death if inhaled. 

• Every home should have at least one working carbon monoxide detector. The detector’s batteries should be checked twice annually, at the same time smoke detector batteries are checked. 

• Never use a gas range or oven to heat a home. 

• Never run a generator or any gasoline-powered engine inside a basement, garage, or other enclosed structure, even if the doors or windows are open, unless the equipment is professionally installed and vented. 

• Never leave the motor running in a vehicle parked in an enclosed or partially enclosed space, such as a garage.

Exposure to CO can cause loss of consciousness and death. The most common symptoms of CO poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. People who are sleeping or who have been drinking alcohol can die from CO poisoning before ever having symptoms.