Pets of the Month

engine can be appealing for outdoor and feral cats, but also deadly. If you know there are feral cats in your neighborhood, make sure you check underneath your car, bang on the hood, and honk the horn before starting the engine to scare them away.

While a car may seem like a safe place for your pet over the winter, it can act as a refrigerator that holds in the cold, just as it holds summer’s heat, and cause animals to freeze to death. Pets that are young, old, ill, or thin are particularly susceptible to lower temperatures and should never be left in cold cars.

Now that we’ve covered the outdoors, what can you do inside to keep your pet safe and comfortable? Just like you, pets like to be comfortable when sleeping and may change their preferred location based on the season and temperature. Give them some options away from cold drafts with warm blankets or beds and if possible, move the beds off the floor. Be careful with space heaters that can cause burns or be knocked over. Make sure your traditional wood fireplace has a grate to prevent your pet from exploring or embers from escaping.

It’s natural to resort to hearty meals and comfort food over the winter and some pet owners think a little extra food will help their pet feel better as well. But just as you will struggle to shed that winter weight in the spring, so will your pet. It’s best to keep them on the same diet and at their normal, healthy weight. Outdoor pets do require more calories in the winter to generate enough body heat and energy to keep them warm, but for most pets, winter is not the time to overeat. Cold weather can also lead to dehydration, so make sure your pet has plenty of water to drink to keep them well-hydrated and their skin less dry.

Winter can be a magical time with your pet if you know the risks and how to mitigate them.

About the Author: Cindy McGovern has volunteered at King Street Cats and is an avid animal lover and pet owner.

By Gina Hardter

4101 Eisenhower Avenue Alexandria, VA 703-746-4774 alexandriaanimals.org Mon-Fri, 1-8 pm Closed Wed Sat & Sun, 12-5 pm

If your new year’s resolution is to be more mindful, then 3-year-old Baby is happy to help you achieve your dreams! Baby is all about the calm and quiet, and she’d love a household where her future family takes it slow and low. If your New Year’s Eve is less fireworks and more falling asleep to a marathon of Cake Boss, then Baby is the girl for you. Email Adopt@AlexandriaAnimals.org or call 703.746.4774 to schedule time to meet Baby from her foster home.

Grover’s new year’s resolution is to get more exercise...although he’ll admit he already gets a fair amount of exercise. But too much exercise can never be a bad thing, right? It’s just more ways to keep your brain and your body in great shape. Plus, there are all kinds of fun exercises, from Fetch to Chase to learning new tricks, and Grover is happy to do them all with his future family. Schedule time to meet Grover by emailing Adopt@AlexandriaAnimals.org or calling 703.746.4774.

New year’s resolution Number One for Thumper? Stop getting confused with that rabbit from Bambi. They don’t even look alike. New Year’s resolution Number 2? Find a new home where he can get all the hay and apple sticks he can dream of. Resolution number three? Learn how to replace a car tire. It’s sure to come in handy someday, right? Help Thumper achieve at least one of his resolutions and schedule time to meet him by emailing Adopt@AlexandriaAnimals.org or calling 703.746.4774.