As you know, Greenville is expecting some of the coldest weather of the season this week, possibly dropping into single digits at night, feeling much colder with the wind chill. Besides the obvious precautions like bringing any plants you want to save indoors, wrapping outside pipes, leaving outdoor faucets trickling water, and turning off sprinkler systems you may have forgotten to turn off earlier, please don’t forget about your pets.
Please bring in your animals during these extreme cold spells. Make sure your companion animal has a warm place to sleep, off the floor and away from drafts. A cozy dog or cat bed with a warm blanket or pillow is perfect. If that’s not possible, then leave them a box with a blanket in it to provide a place to get out of the wind. I keep a heated cat bed on my side porch for strays that I feed. Remember that outdoor cats often sleep under the hoods of cars and can be injured or killed by the fan belt when the motor is started. If there are outdoor cats in your area, bang on the hood before starting the engine.
Never leave your dog or cat alone in a car during cold weather. A car can act as a refrigerator in the winter, holding in the cold and getting down to very low temperatures. While we are not expecting precipitation with this system, for future reference, thoroughly wipe off your dog’s legs and stomach when he comes in out of the sleet, snow or ice. He can ingest salt, antifreeze or other potentially dangerous chemicals while licking his paws. (ASPCA)
Stay warm!
