HELENA — The snow and cold temperatures are here and we are not the only ones needing to bundle up, but also Helena's stray animal populations.
Helena resident Madeliene Rafter saw a need in her community and set out a heated shelter for the stray cats in her area to find comfort and safety during the colder months.
"Just imagining them going through any type of suffering, especially in the winter when there is a higher risk of getting hypothermia or even dying at the worst, thinking about that breaks our heart," Rafter says.
Rafter ordered the shelter on Amazon and it is insulated with a heating pad, but has also known of residents using styrofoam cooler filled with blankets and hay.
Rafter encourages people to set out shelters in their areas too.
Although winter is not the busiest time of the year for humane society, they still take in dozens of cats and dogs every month.
Cassidy Cook at the Lewis and Clark Humane Society shares the difference between cats and dogs during winter.
"I know it is really hard when it is negative thirty degrees for us to think they are okay, but more often than not cats are actually okay. They are actually very very resilient especially if they are already outdoor cats," Cook says. "Obviously dogs are a little different. If you see a roaming dog most likely you should pick it up, typically they are not supposed to just be roaming around, especially if it is really cold."
In areas where stray populations are common handmade shelters, food and water are all helpful to getting them through the winter.
The humane society has various programs and resources to help our community understand if an animal is okay in winter weather.
You can help local animals by visiting the Lewis and Clark Humane Society website.
