Winter: How to Help Stray Animals with Food and Shelter

As The Curly once said, this winter is not scary — but only if you are warm and well dressed.

What about homeless animals?

Thousands of them die every winter due to lack of help. Cats can die from cold in as little as six hours, dogs — in about fifteen. But anyone can save a life by following simple rules.

Below: how to feed, what to feed, and how to set up shelters 👇

☝️ Feeding basics

• Prepare warm food: porridge with meat scraps or dry food soaked in warm water

• Avoid cold food — it can chill inside the stomach

• Feed regularly in the same place so animals don’t waste energy searching

• In snowy regions (for example, Chicago or Minneapolis), add high-fat foods (like chicken offal) so animals can store energy

Water is mandatory:

• Pour warm water into bowls protected from wind

• Below −10°C (14°F), change water every couple of hours to prevent freezing

• Avoid dairy for adult animals — it causes digestive problems

🌮 Different animals — different diets

😼 Meowsters

😎 Give:

• Dry food soaked in warm water

• Warm porridge cooked on chicken broth with offal or meat scraps

• Heated canned food

• Food for active cats

😕 Never give:

• Fish waste, bones, sausage skins

• Raw fish bones or entrails

• Sour soup

• Leftovers or expired sausage

Feed 2–3 times a day when possible. Food for active cats works best.

🐶 Dogieeeeees

😎 Give:

• Meat by-products

• High-quality sausages

• Diets for active dogs

• Special dog food or canned meals

😕 Never give:

• Chicken tubular bones (injury risk)

• Fat from canned food

• Very cheap food of unknown quality

Feed 1–2 times a day. Food for active dogs is recommended.

🐦 Tweeties

😎 Give:

• Millet, wheat, oats, raw sunflower seeds — for most species

• Meat pieces or unsalted lard — for tits

• Dried hawthorn or rowan — for bullfinches

• Nuts, acorns, pine cones — for woodpeckers

😕 They will aggressively peck you with their beaks because of:

• Bread (swells in the stomach, causes disease)

• Rancid or moldy grain

• Polished millet

• Rye bread crumbs

• Salted or roasted seeds, meat, or lard

Feed daily from the first frosts. Hunger can kill birds within hours.

🛖 Shelters: what to build and for whom

😼 For cats

• Use boxes with a 15 cm (6 in) entrance

• Line the inside with foil to reflect heat

• Add straw or newspapers (do not absorb moisture like fabric)

• Place near dumpsters or garages where cats gather

• Avoid cotton and synthetic padding — they get wet and cold

🐕 For dogs

• Use wooden boxes insulated with foam

• Always raise shelters off the ground to prevent freezing

• Use straw and old blankets without synthetic filling

❗ General rules

• Place shelters away from roads

• Choose wind-protected spots (for example, recessed areas near first-floor buildings)

• Add a sign: “Animal Shelter” so people don’t throw it away

• Change bedding regularly and keep it clean

🐦 For birds

• Make feeders from plastic bottles or wooden boards

• Hang them high so cats can’t reach

• Fill with sunflower seeds, wheat, or unsalted lard

✍️ Extra tips: cars, injuries, more

🚘 Before starting your car

• Check wheels and the underside — cats may hide there for warmth

• Tap the hood

🩸 If you see an injured animal

• Contact veterinary services or local shelters for treatment or sterilization

👍 If possible

• Let animals into apartment hallways

• Take small animals inside during extreme cold

• Carry food in your bag or backpack (for cats, dogs, and birds)

❌ Common mistakes — don’t do this!

• Feeding cold food — harms digestion. Always warm it

• Leaving water in freezing temperatures — it turns to ice fast. Replace with warm water

• Overfeeding wild animals — creates dependency and disrupts balance

• Ignoring sterilization — leads to population growth and more suffering

• Disturbing hibernating animals — exhausts them. Leave hedgehogs alone

• Putting clothes on stray dogs — risky and gets wet, causing illness

These tips can save animal lives — and now you know what to do.