THUMB AREA — Tuscola County, along with the rest of Michigan, has been enduring bitter cold for days, and while people are doing their best to stay warm, animals are feeling the effects, too.
In a highly agricultural area, animals such as livestock, dogs and cats are often kept outdoors. When temperatures drop below freezing — let alone below zero, as they have overnight in recent days — it is important to remember that even animals with fur are vulnerable to the cold.
Tuscola County Animal Control Officer Katrina Nelson told The Advertiser that conditions can become dangerous for outdoor animals within minutes.
“Typically, without this freezing nonsense that we have going on, it’s 15 minutes, tops, if they don’t have shelter, food and water out with them. Obviously, this is different,” Nelson said. “With the weather being so cold, it’s so hard to say a minutes-outside max, but below freezing, below zero, I’d say five or 10 minutes, tops, if they don’t have any type of shelter or anything. Their feet are still getting cold — their noses, their ears, all that — and we don’t need frostbite or anything.”
Nelson said dogs — especially short-haired breeds — and cats are the most vulnerable to cold temperatures. She added that many dogs are kept outside on chains, which can make access to proper shelter difficult. The county also has a large stray cat population, and those animals need places to escape the elements.
