(By MATT PIKE)
Extremely frigid temperatures are ravaging the area and it’s important to keep not only your safety in mind, but also your pets.
Wind chills are expected to make temperatures feel as low as –22 today and possible snow is expected this weekend as well.
Melanie Barnes with Friends of the Animal Shelter says pets should never be outside in these temperatures, but if they have to be make sure to have adequate housing for them
“If you have an outside dog house or a cat shelter, it needs to be up off the ground, or there needs to be a lot of insulation like foam piece in between, not like an egg shell foam I’m talking about like an actual white foam cooler that kind of thing, but it really should be up off the ground,” Barnes says on the KFEQmunnity show. “People don’t realize the ground when it is frozen, when temps are going to get like they are for us, that ground will absorb heat in a matter of a short period of time.”
Barnes says to also ensure your pet has a fresh source of water, because it will freeze, and that it also has the right amount of food to keep it safe and healthy.
Barnes with Friends of the Animal Shelter says if you have to let your pet out in the cold, be sure to watch for signs they need to come inside
“They may be having fun, but if they start to shiver and, or whine, even though they may still be looking like they enjoy it, they’re getting cold,” Barnes explains. “They’re showing you the signs that they are getting cold, so that may be the time to bring them in.”
Barnes says if you get beyond the shivering and your pet starts to slow down or curl up things are getting beyond safe for the animal.
While keeping your pets in mind in the extreme cold, it’s also important to consider those pets and animals that live outside
Barnes says if you have cats that live outside in your area, be sure to check your car before getting on the road
“Go ahead and do a couple bangs on the hood, or just some light taps, make some noise they say clap your hands, I’m not saying you have to get real aggressive with your car don’t hurt yourself, clap your hands do some other things just to make sure we don’t have, not only cats, but maybe just anything else that likes to climb up underneath there,” Barnes says.
Barnes says it’s also important, much like the hotter months, to not keep your pets inside a car as the temperatures get this cold to avoid hypothermia.
(You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.)