Tips to keep your pets safe during dangerous winter weather

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - With several inches of snow and wintery mixes on the way to the broader Kansas City area, safety is important in many aspects, including your pets.

On Saturday, KC Pet Project shared several tips for keeping animals safe during this weekend’s intense weather.

Protecting outdoor animals

• Shelter: Make sure they have access to a well-insulated shelter that is big enough for them to curl up. Elevate the shelter’s floor from the ground and/or line it with blankets or dry straw for insulation.
• Food and water: Ensure their water bowl stays full but unfrozen and they have access to food.
• Feral cats: If you’re worried about a feral cat, place a weather-safe container outside for it to use. Put bedding inside to keep the cat warm.

Taking pets on walks

• Extra layers: Consider investing in booties or sweaters/jackets to give your pets an extra layer of warmth and protection.
• Watch for injury: Pay close attention to your pets to make sure they aren’t injured or showing signs of discomfort, especially if their paws are exposed.
• Limit time outdoors: Keep the walks short and bring your pets back inside as soon as you can.
• Wipe their paws: When bringing pets back inside, wipe their paws off to remove any snow-melting chemicals that could hurt their paws or be ingested.

If you need to drive somewhere:

• Check under your car and tap the hood of your car to make sure a cat isn’t curled up for warmth underneath or inside.
• Car preparations, driving safely in Kansas City ahead of weekend winter storm

ALSO READ: LIVE BLOG: Kansas City metro braces for near-blizzard conditions

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