Baby It’s Cold Outside
By Efren Martinez
I don’t mind winter all that much even though I prefer the summer; but my heart really aches for the animals and the homeless who have to sleep outside when the mercury drops below freezing. Thankfully we have warm shelters for some of the homeless to escape from the freezing temperatures but our animals do not. Here at my home I’ve created a few shelter boxes on my porch and in my backyard for the neighborhood’s feral cats. Every night more than a few take shelter in them. That’s good, this also helps me be able to sort out the feral cats that have not been spayed or neutered. Once I earn their trust, I will look to get them vaccinated and spayed/neutered. Friends, it’s deadly cold outside. If you have a 4 legged family member who lives in your backyard, please bring them in when the temperatures drop below 40 degrees. If possible, please fallow my lead in creating shelter boxes for the feral cats in your neighborhood and please remember our wild birds too. Making sure your wild bird feeder is full every day during the winter will ensure that our feathered friends have a meal during theses cold winter months.
Below are a few links to help us care for one another as well as our Lords’ creatures this winter. Please be kind to all animals and remember to check on the elderly in your area to make sure they too are keeping warm this winter.
Efren Martinez
Links
How to make a warm cat shelter. www.alleycat.org/ShelterGallery
Homeless shelters in Stanislaus County. www.homelessshelterdirectory.org/cgi-bin/id/county.cgi?county=Stanislaus-County&state=CA
5 Tips For Creating Cozy Winter Birdhouses tinyurl.com/zscbexz
Helpful Winter Tips Below
Make sure you cover or insulate your outdoor pipes.
Covering your sensitive plants protects them from the frost.
Decorating your sensitive plants and citrus tress with C bulbs (Christmas Lights) helps create some much needed added warmth when the temperature drops below freezing.
Keeping the ground moist around your sensitive plants and tress helps them to survive when the mercury is excepted to drop below freezing.
Link here farmerfredrant.blogspot.com/2010/12/holiday-lights-for-frost-protection.html
