Help Stray Animals Survive These Brutal Winters

Do you ever realise how privileged we humans are? We have food on our tables, a roof over our heads, a bed to sleep in and possibly all the things we could ever need. Turn on the AC if it feels too hot or snuggle up inside a blanket if it is too cold outside. We are fortunate, indeed!

However, with winter just around the corner, our fellow beings, stray animals have to face a plight under the harsh weather. So, how about we help stray animals survive the brutal winters? How about we show some love and do something to make their lives a tad bit easier? As humans, it should be our primary instinct to help anyone in need. So, let's begin with some animals who need our support the most. This blog will tell you how to take care of stray animals during winters. All the ways and steps are pretty simple and would not cost you a lot of time.

1. Food and Water

This one is the most basic and important step in how to help stray animals during winter. It is essential that the animals are well fed during these low temperatures as food helps them stay warm and energetic. You can feed dogs chapati, rice, milk, boiled vegetables, eggs and non vegetarian food items.

For the cats in your neighbourhood, try keeping a bowl of milk on your balcony during the night. More often than not, the cat will come and drink the milk. As far as solid food is concerned, cats are not very fond of vegetables. They love chicken, turkey, fish and most non vegetarian foods. You can also go an extra mile and buy some packed cat food, if you want.

Remember to keep a bowl of fresh water and some grains on your terrace for the li'l birds too. Keep your heart and their stomachs full!

2. Provide Shelter

During the day, when the sun is shining bright, the animals might want to soak themselves up in some sunlight. But as the moon replaces the sun, and the temperature starts falling, it is best if those animals get some shelter. The shelter would protect them from the harsh, freezing waves of wind and also keep them safe from any danger.

It is pretty easy to make temporary shelters using cardboards and old sheets or mattresses. You can use a big carton box, such as that of a refrigerator or an air conditioner. Cut the carton open from one side and use an old sofa’s mattress, an old rug/carpet or even an old blanket to make the surface cosy and warm. You can also use a cracked or slightly broken plastic tub that is used to wash clothes. In case you are good with wood and nails, why not make a comfy home for the fluffers on a Sunday afternoon? You can place these temporary shelters in your society for dogs and on your terrace for birds or cats to sleep in. You can also let a couple of stray dogs sleep in your house, if you wish to. If not, consider using your garage or verandah.

3. Buy a Jacket/ Dog T-shirt

For dogs, you can definitely help them fight winters with some warm clothes. You can use your old cardigans or t-shirts to give a little relief to the puppers from the ruthless winter season. However, since human clothes do not fit dogs well and are quite uncomfortable, you may want to buy dog t-shirts and jackets that are not as pricey as you might think.

Paw La Land offers dog clothes at minimal prices and in case you decide to get some, reach out to us via mail or the social media handles.

4. Help Them Find a Permanent Home

We all have witnessed the power of social media. Besides, all the Animal Rights Activists have been advocating “Adopt, Don’t Shop” for decades now. So, how about you help your stray dog/cat find their permanent address? There is no better solution!

Post a picture of the stray animal on your social media handles such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Give out all the details about them and help people find their furry friends.

You can also contact NGOs or online adoption centres. These have huge following on social media platforms and thus, can help your voice reach a large number of people.

Here is a list of 3 Dog adoption centres that you could contact in Delhi.

  1. Sanjay Gandhi Animal Care Centre

Where: Raja Garden, New Delhi

Contact: 011 2544 8062

  1. PAWS : For Dogs

Where: C9/7, Masudpur Village, Badam Singh Market, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi

Contact: 0112689 5737

  1. Friendicoes : For Cats

Where: No 271 & 273 | Defence Colony Flyover Market, Jangpura Side New Delhi

Contact: 011 2432 0707

Not only that, you can also find shelters for cows if you have any around your neighbourhood. Contact a cowshed (Gaushala) and they will take care of the cows and provide a better life to them.

5. Provide Medical Assistance

Last on our list on how to help stray animals during winters, we have one extremely important step. If you find any animal that is ill or injured, we request you to take them to a vet. Animals are prone to sickness during harsh weather and not receiving the appropriate medical assistance on time can even lead to their demise. We can, however, stop this from happening by taking the animals to a vet, if needed. If you think the animal might need more attention, care and resources than you can provide, contact an NGO. NGOs try their best to help all the animals in need.

In the end, we just want to thank you for being the human that this world needs. We know you want to help and you will do your best to help stray animals during winters.

We, at Paw La Land, also try our best to help animals live a better life. Every order that we receive feeds a stray. And we would love to connect with you on our Instagram and Facebook. Do let us know how you added some love to a stray’s life.

Love.