Monday, December 30, 2019

Merry Mancat Monday

December 25th may have come and gone, but today is only the Sixth Day of Christmas. We of course don't even consider taking down our Christmas decorations until after the Twelve Days of Christmas are over. Even then, our decorations will probably still be up until close to the middle of January. This here human is in no rush to see the Christmas season go, and neither are the furbabies around here.


When Evan's ready for a snooze, he more often than not picks a spot next to his favorite Christmas tree. I don't blame him. I like napping by the light of the Christmas tree, too, especially when Evan's there to snuggle.

Merry Sixth Day of Christmas!



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Festive Doodle of the Day




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Tip of the Day

Today's tip on winter feral care is to remember to put water out for ferals and strays you care for. This sounds and often feels impossible, given that water freezes in cold temperatures. However, it is often possible to make water accessible to ferals or strays even in the winter months. Yesterday's tip discussed ways to successfully feed moist food to ferals in the winter, and most of those methods will also work for water. You can start by simply checking the water as often as possible, and removing ice or refreshing the water to ensure that it remains a liquid and not a frozen solid. You can also warm the water bowl, or even put out warm water, to delay its freezing. Other options include putting microwavable heat pads beneath the water bowl, using an electric heated bowl, or using another heat source in the area where the water is kept. With all such options, though, always keep safety in mind, and only choose and use heated products that best prevent burns and fires.

There are a couple of other considerations to make when putting water outside for ferals and strays in the winter months. To begin, as is possible, try to keep water bowls elevated off of the cold ground, to help keep it from freezing rapidly. In addition to this, using a deep bowl inside of a wide bowl will also help it to freeze less rapidly. Another option is to have a source of running water, such as by offering water in some sort of fountain, as moving water does not as easily freeze. And yet another way to help keep water from freezing rapidly in the winter is to put the bowl in the sun.

It also important to note that, as is possible, try to avoid putting water near where ferals or strays might sleep. This is because spills can indeed happen, and damp bedding material can make warmth and comfort difficult. So, there are many considerations to make when successfully offering water to ferals and strays in the winter months, but it is indeed possible, and of course also beneficial to them and their health.

12 comments:

Tyler (Staff Writer) said...

Aww, Evan is sleeping with one eye open to make sure the Christmas tree is still up. One year, we left ours up until February. YIKES

The Island Cats said...

Evan looks so sweet napping near the tree.

Eastside Cats said...

We use a six-pack cooler as our water bowl...it holds almost a gallon of water. Because it's insulated and very deep, the water doesn't freeze quickly, unless it's bitterly cold, then all bets are off. I believe we attracted the community cats to our yard because our sump pump splashed out water, and liquid water is rare in the winter.

Catscue Catmom said...

The tree is so pretty, you need to enjoy it for the full length of days. Have a wonderful week and a Happy New Year all!

pilch92 said...

Evan is a cutie. I like the drawing too. And excellent tips, as always.

Melissa, Mudpie and Angel Truffles (Mochas, Mysteries and Meows) said...

Love that doodle beyond words!!! Absolute purrfection. Our house is the same - the decorations rarely come down before the 20th of January.

Melissa, Mudpie and Angel Truffles (Mochas, Mysteries and Meows) said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lone Star Cats said...

We're mid-January (sometimes more like late-January) people here too!

Mark's Mews (Marley, Lori, Loki, and Binq) said...

We have the small tree up. And the lights are on a timer, so TBT doesn't even have to pay much attention. But he does sometimes just stand in the room and look at it, remembering trees in the past.

But you know what was special last night? The Mews were all around me. And they were looking at the tree. I don't know exactly what they saw.

Lights, certainly, though I do not know what colors they saw. Bright lights and colors are not quite the same thing. But they saw something unusual to them (as I did in my own way). I wonder what they actually see.

Pam and Teddy said...

Evan is quite cozy looking and I love his "wink" at you while you snap his photo! Happy New Year's Eve Day.....here's to a wonderful 2020 ahead!

Hugs, Teddy and Mom Pam

Smudge said...

Aww, what a wonderfully festive, tasty doodle. Happy New Year to you!

Timmy Tomcat said...

Thanks for a year of fun
Have a Very Happy Mew Year friends