There are some hearty breeds of dogs and cats who acclimatize well to cold temperatures for a period of time. However most get cold just like you and I. Think of their fur as nothing more than a warm jacket. Sure, they can last awhile in frosty temperature but their paws, nose, eyes and mouth have no protection and after awhile their furry coats won't protect them. They can still get frostbite and suffer adverse affects or even death.

When I lived in Central California it could get down into the 30's overnight. We had a couple of outdoor cats that had access to our garage (maybe 10 degrees warmer than the outside air) through a pet door but it was still very cold. One morning I woke up to find one of my cats had suffered severe cuts along the right side of her body. After dishing out a very expensive bill (which paled in comparison to the fact that he save my pets life) the vet told me that most likely my cat had crawled up into the engine compartment of a car where it was nice and warm. Unfortunately when that person started their car their fan belt is probably what did the damage. Thousands of felines are killed this way every year. Whether it's a laundry room or a service porch or in a carrier, your pet would rather be inside when it's freezing cold. I have two dogs that run into their carriers at night with no prompting.

Please do the humane thing and protect your pets. They can't speak but they will love you more for it.

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