Kirkland Lake cat finds comfort in the Sault

Meet Sherlock, a stray brown tabby cat from Kirkland Lake who, thanks to a good Samaritan there, found his way this week to a loving animal shelter in Sault. Ste. Marie.

Sherlock suffered severe frostbite this winter which caused the loss of his right ear as well as some damage to his left.

Joy Wood, a volunteer with The Animal Assistance Group (TAAG), said that a good Samaritan in Kirkland Lake had first seen the cat about four months ago around their home and when, in the middle of winter, she saw the cat had no ear anymore she assumed it had no home.

After spending about a month trying to bait the cat with food, the owner finally managed to catch him and, because they wanted to make sure he went to a good shelter that wouldn’t euthanize him, she contact Wood and TAAG in Sault Ste. Marie.

Wood's daughter Miranda named the cat Sherlock, "for no particular reason."

TAAG is a volunteer, non-profit organization that promotes animal-welfare and runs an animal shelter and adoption service.

Because of how tame and friendly Sherlock is, the staff at TAAG think he must have been a domestic cat before he was stray.

Joey Kirkwood, also with TAAG, said that because of Sherlock’s history she expects he’ll find a home rather quickly.

“He’s got such a nice demeanour and he’s very snuggable. After all  the trouble he’s been through he’s paid his dues. He definitely deserves a good home and I suspect there are lots of people out there who will want to give him that,” she said.

Like all TAAG cats, the group made sure Sherlock got his rabies shots, was tested for feline leukemia, vaccinated , de-wormed, de-flead, and spayed and neutered.

Kirkwood talked about caring for cats outdoors in the wintertime.

“The three biggest risks for a cat are lack of water, food, or shelter. Not having any of those three can kill a cat in the winter.,” she said.

Kirkwood said cats will look anywhere for shelter and this can include under porches, in sheds, garages, dog houses, and even under car hoods to get warmth from the engine.

“If you keep your car outside and you know there are a lot of feral cats around, knock on your hood just to unlodge any burrowing cats there,” said Kirkwood.

In winter, freezing water bowls are a big problem.

Kirkwood said some solutions to this include buying a solar or battery powered heater, switching from metal bowls to thick plastic ones, possibly adding sugar to lower the freezing temperature of the water, or other DIY solutions.

“You can rig up an old tire, fill it full of rocks, and put a big bucket of water inside during the day. The tire and stones will heat up and then it will help keep the water warmer in the evening. That’s something borrowed from farmers who use it for their horses,” she said.

And of course freezing is the reason why outdoor fed cats need dry food instead of wet.

Kirkwood said that, especially for feral cats, winter is not only tough because its hard to get a meal but because they become potential meals from also-hungry predators.

“Their natural food source, mice, are hibernating and at the same time they become food for others. Foxes and coyotes are very hungry this time of year. That’s tough on a cat especially when they’re cold and undernourished,” she said.

But, despite giving tips for helping a cat survive outside, Kirkwood said that, ideally, cats should never be outside anyway.

“An outside cat is eventually a dead cat. From other predators, accidents, getting lost, parasites, fleas, and ticks - there are just so many risks for a cat outside. The life span of an outside cat its much shorter than the life span of an indoor cat,” said Kirkwood.

Kirkwood said that, in the type of cold weather we have been having lately, its quite possible that if  a cat is left outside for even a day it could get the same sort of frostbite problems Sherlock had.

“If you love your cat keep them inside. And that’s definitely extra in the winter,” she said.

If anyone is looking to adopt a cat or volunteer, just contact TAAG by visiting their website.