Little Parfait was scooped from the cold but not before suffering frostbite to her ears.

The severe cold this winter has been hard on people and pets alike, but it’s been especially traumatic for the poor stray cats trying to survive on the street. RCR has been busy rescuing as many as we can, but the requests for help are endless. We want to share some of their stories.

Beautiful Nevaeh was wandering stray on one of the coldest nights of the year. A kind woman took pity and let her inside, but the damage had already been done. Shortly after she was placed in foster care, her ear fell off.

Sadly, Nevaeh lost her ear due to frostbite.

Little Dave is just a kitten at 16 weeks of age but he’s already known the fear and pain of being out on the street and frozen. He was discovered literally frozen in ice after the temperatures quickly dropped after a warm day of thawing. A kind resident discovered him crying for help with his tail and paw completely encase in ice. He carefully chiseled the poor cat out and took him home to warm him up. Unfortunately, the little guy’s tail will need to be amputated because of the tissue damage suffered.

Each year, we rescue at least a few frostbitten cats due to the cold winter weather we experience. These are easily preventable injuries. If it’s too cold for you to be outside, it’s too cold for your pet. Please help by:

Keeping your pets indoors (always, but especially in cold weather)
Checking the wheel well and under the hood of your vehicle for cats and kittens seeking warmth
Cleaning up all anti-freeze spills (it’s extremely toxic to cats but its sweet taste makes it very enticing)
Not leaving your cat in a cold car
Taking action when you see an animal freezing outside (don’t assume someone else will help)

For information on fostering, adopting, or donating, please visit www.reginacatrescue.com