How to DIY a Cat & Dog Winter Shelter
Winter is coming!
Canadian winters are COLD!!! The biting wind, ice storms, hailstorms, blizzards, large snowfalls, and below freezing temperatures can make wintertime very challenging to live in. When Canada goes into deep freeze like we did last year with the polar vortex, we and our pets can stay warm inside our homes.
But what about the cats and dogs that don’t live in homes?
Free-ranging dogs (dogs that are not confined to a house such as street dogs, stray dogs, village dogs or feral dogs) cannot warm up, curled up next to us on a couch in a nice warm home after a walk outside during Canada’s cold winters. Out of the estimated 900 million dogs around the world, only 17-24% live in homes as pets- meaning around 750 million dogs around the world are free-ranging dogs (check out a great FREE course on free-ranging dogs here) .
Worldwide, there are an estimated 480 million free-ranging cats (cats that are also not confined to a house such as community cats, stray cats, or feral cats) and only around 220 million cats that live in homes (check out cat statistics here).
Although free-ranging, community or stray animals are not commonly found in Canadian cities, they are commonly found in the outskirts of the cities, rural, and indigenous communities. Rez dogs, as these dogs are commonly called, are an important cultural part of First Nations communities, and are an important part of their history and culture. However, large packs of feral dogs have caused significant animal welfare concerns, (read more here) which is why collaborative and respectful dog management population initiatives like what Vets Without Borders and Canadian Animal Task Force are doing, are integral for helping communities and free-ranging dog population on indigenous land.
Cover of The Community Dog Book, authored by the University of Saskatchewan
An amazing indigenous animal advocate, Save Rez Dogs, (who WFA previously featured on Ask a Trainer -check out the blog here) does fantastic work to raise awareness and #saverezdogs!
Along with a wide array of helpful rez dog resources on their website such as the Community Dog Book Save Rez Dogs has an amazing template for how to build community dog houses. Check out the link on their website here. While you’re there- check out their fantastic merch!
For free-ranging cats in the area, you can use WFA’s temple on how to build community cat houses here. Bear in mind, our template is geared towards cold Canadian winters, which is why for our feline friends, it is focused on insulation! If you live in a less chilly location, then you can adapt our template as needed.
Below is the first page of our template!
Check out our template linked above!
If you live in an area where there are a large number of community cats and you want to do something to help them, organize a winter cat shelter build using our template, and check out the Humane Society’s very thorough overview on how to help community cats here.
And to keep your pet safe during the cold winter- check out American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)’s cold weather animal safety guide here!