Winter reminder: Cold harms pets

With temperatures along the Wasatch Front predicted to plunge into the low teens, the Humane Society of Utah reminds pet owners that this means inconvenience, discomfort and danger for everyone, including the non-human members of the population.

Animals' hair coats do not provide adequate protection against the bitter cold that will be punishing our area, and the society urges people to use both common sense and compassion when it comes to the animals in their care.

"Warm-blooded mammals can't survive without adequate protection in the kind of cold weather we're going to be having," says HSU Executive Director Gene Baierschmidt. "If you can't actually keep your animals in the house with the rest of your family or in a basement or garage, then please at least see that they have snug, insulated shelter away from the wind and elevated off the ground. In the case of livestock, these animals need proper shelter, too. Bring horses into the barn. It's only the reasonable thing to do."

• Keep your cat inside. Outdoors, cats can freeze, become lost, injured or killed. Cats that are allowed to stray are exposed to fatal diseases, including rabies. They also prey on songbirds and other wildlife.

• During the winter, outdoor cats sometimes crawl under the hoods of cars in an effort to keep warm. When the motor is started, the cat can be injured or killed by the fan belt. If there is any chance that a cat may have sought shelter under your car's hood, always bang loudly on the hood before starting the engine to give the animal a chance to escape.

• Animals who must spend much time outdoors, including livestock, need proper shelter. Cats and dogs must have snug, well-insulated houses. Pets that are very young, very old, ill, or short-haired breeds, should not be kept outdoors at all.

• Animals need extra calories and protein during the winter because they consume more energy just maintaining normal body temperature. Water bowls must be emptied and refilled frequently to keep ice from forming.

• Injuries resulting from the cold, such as frostbite, ice cuts or hypothermia (severe chilling) should be treated immediately.