Keep your Outdoor Kitties warm

Outdoor cats are often very opportunistic creatures in keeping warm and seeking shelter during colder weather.  One especially dangerous way they have in keeping warm is by crawling up under the hood of your car, especially after you have just come home and warmed up his newly discovered personal heater.

The downside to cats seeking out the warmth of a car is that often they will fall asleep there and still be there when you leave for work the next day.  You start up your engine and suddenly you cat is caught by the blades of the radiator fan.  Our office has seen cats with severe lacerations to their skin, amputated legs and tails and even has caused death.  Another pitfall for your cat's choice of warm shelter seeking, is they could also find themselves several miles down the road, riding fearfully under the hood, and once you have stopped, bailed out and find themselves somewhere besides home.

As colder weather approaches, be sure to check under the hood of your car for your heat seeking feline before you fire it up for your trip.  Help your cat avoid the cold by offering him other alternatives for shelter.  I saw this innovative idea for a cat shelter where they took extruded styrofoam insulation sheets and glued them together and placed rubbermaid type storage containers with openings cut in their sides for a creative outdoor condo for winter warmth.