Bring food
Warm food is the most important thing for stray dogs and cats in winter months. If you want to feed animals, you will need the simplest products: bring warm porridge, sausages, meat or milk. You may also buy special dry food for cats or dogs and mix it with warm water. Warm water is needed because after dry food animals are always thirsty, and they cannot drink cold water, that freezes up in cold weather right away. Water or milk must be warm but not boiling – boiling liquid may burn animals. Besides feeding dogs and cats, you may also take care of the birds. You can easily make a birdfeeder or buy it in a shop. Put seeds, nuts or breadcrumbs in the feeder and watch grateful birds having their meal.
Read: Tips for Living in Kyiv with Your Dog
Make a lodge
A simple lodge made of wood planks or even carton box can save a dog`s life in winter. You may reinforce such little house with floor insulation or linoleum. Putting straw or old clothes and blankets into lodge is also a great idea. Place a meal near new lodge so that dog will understand that it is welcome inside. Cats are more sensitive to low temperature than dogs, so when it gets really cold, you may let cats inside entrance hall or basement of your house. As for birds, you may make or buy a nice birdhouse for them and hang it on a tree in your yard. Do it together with your kid – it will be fun and, besides, it will teach your child to make handicrafts and to express compassion to animals. If you find a little puppy or a kitten in the street in winter days, bringing it home will be the best decision. Afterwards, you may keep it for yourself or find a new owner. Anyway, you will be happy to feel that you saved a small life.
Read: Dog-Friendly Places in Kiev
Check your car
Check under cowl panel before starting your car. In cold winter period, cats often sleep on warm motor engines. Dogs may be also sleeping under your car on warm sewer hatches. Checking under cowl panel and under car bottom will take only a minute of your time, but it can save an animal`s life.
Help animal shelters
Almost any big city has charity organizations that help stray animals. Such shelters provide animals with temporary and permanent home and vet care. You may help animal shelters with volunteering or donations. Below-mentioned animal shelters in Kyiv and Kyiv oblast` will surely appreciate any help for their fluffy dwellers.
Gostomel shelter
Gostomel animal shelter has been working for 18 years already. Nowadays, around 700 cats and dogs live here. Each month, up to 20 new animals find their home in the shelter, and only 5 are taken from the shelter by new owners. Some cats and dogs are brought here by shelter workers, while others are left by previous owners.
Address: 231, Svyato-Pokrovska street, Gostomel
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Sirius
Sirius shelter was founded in 2000 and had taken care of more than 4000 animals during years of its work. Sirius has changed its address many times, and now it is located in Fedirivka village not far from Kyiv. All cats and dogs here are vaccinated and well-kept. You may choose any of them to take home as your pet.
Address: Fedirivka village, Vyshgorod region, Kyiv oblast`
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Happy Paw
Happy Paw charity fund was established in 2012. Since then, it has been supporting shelters, searching for lost pets, propagating humane treatment of homeless animals and other similar tasks. Recently, the fund has opened its own shelter, where you can not only take an animal home, but also establish guardianship over it.
Адрес: Kyiv oblast`. Exact address is not disclosed for reasons of safety. Contact fund for information.
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Gaia
In this small shelter, dogs and cats are kept in good conditions, vaccinated and sterilized. All animals in Gaia have vet passports and are well-mannered.
Адрес: Kyiv. Exact address is not disclosed for reasons of safety. Contact shelter owners for information.
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Make this world a better place, helping homeless animals during severe winter.
Photo source: shutterstock.com. All photos belong to their rightful owners.
