BATON ROUGE, La (BRPROUD) ––– As temperatures drop, many unhoused people head to shelters throughout Baton Rouge, but their pets are oftentimes not welcomed. So, the Companion Animal Alliance (CAA) steps in to care for them. But to make more room for them and any pets brought in by animal control, they need your help. 

In normal conditions, fostering gives pets a break from the loud and lonely kennels. Typically, foster parents must go through an online orientation, but Emily Lemoine with CAA explains, “They need only to come to the shelter, choose a dog that fits best with their situation, sign some paperwork and then you’re good to go.” 

All the pets available for fostering are also up for adoption, but whether you choose to foster or have pets already, you will need to keep them safe from the cold.  

CAA provided the following tips: 

With the temperatures dropping don’t forget about your furry friends! It’s always best to bring your pets indoors when possible to keep them warm and out of the weather, but if they have to stay outside, make sure they have an area to get up and off the ground out of any water and make sure there is some sort of shelter to block the wind and rain. Keeping your pets dry is the first step to keeping them warm. 

If you make outdoor cat boxes, be sure to fill them with straw in case the bedding gets wet. Once a towel or blanket gets damp, that will trap the coldness. Straw lets the dampness fall away and does not keep the cold in as much as fabric. 

Make sure your reptiles, Guinea pigs and hamsters are away from the cold windows, and be sure to ensure that all your livestock has water that is not frozen. You may have to bust frozen troughs several times a day to ensure they have water to drink. 

For more tips and tricks, please visit the ASCPA website where you can find more recommendations for having healthy pets in cold weather. 

For more information on fostering or adopting, visit the CAA website here.