Domestic animals such as cats only have a day or two to survive in the cold before their bodies start to shut down.
Image Credit: Okanagan Humane Society
December 23, 2022 - 4:30 PM
The Okanagan Humane Society is asking animal lovers to think about those who can't fend for themselves during this cold snap.
The society's volunteer president, Romany Runnalls, said a domestic animal left outside in -20 Celsius has only a day or two to survive.
"If not less," she said.
Runnalls said the society regularly receives calls about abandoned or feral animals left in the cold — mostly cats.
"It's more common than we would like. We keep getting more and more calls as the temperatures plummet. People are seeing cats, kittens and pregnant cats in their neighbourhoods. Cats are not wild animals. They must be fed."
Runnalls said an animal left out in the cold will do whatever it takes to survive.
"That's why we see animals throwing themselves at a person's window trying to get in," she said. "Meowing or scratching at the door, picking fights with other animals in order to get to food and stay warm. If they're not warm, their bodily systems don't function and organs start to shut down fast."
Calls to the humane society about abandoned dogs or canines left out in the cold are not as common "because they are highly regulated," Runnalls said.
But some residents don't hesitate to pick up the phone.
"We get calls from residents who are calling on their neighbours for leaving their dogs outside," Runnalls said.
She refers those calls to the dog control or bylaw because the organization doesn't have a mandate to deal with cruelty.
It's been a busy year for the Okanagan Humane Society. So far in 2022, it's dealt with 530 rescue requests, a 40% increase over last year.
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