winter

Brrr... it's getting colder and colder! Winter is well on its way and there's no stopping it. At least one thing we can look forward to is seeing all the different reactions animals have towards wintery things, such as snow and Christmas! 

Those moments of dogs seeing snow for the first time are magical. Or when cats see their first Christmas tree! Granted, they'll end up destroying it but we're talking about that magical moment where they take in all that beauty they see and all you can see is pure excitement. 

Dogs are already pure enough as they are so when you capture them in a moment such as a first-time experience, well, it's simply too much for the heart to take in! Not only do we have first-time experiencers here but we also have quite a few senior doggos that just make our hearts smile! 

We hope you have a wonderful day!

Combine the magic of snow with the majesty of the tiger, and you get some of the most wholesome, chill pictures on the web. Because you know how chill these tigers must have been to sit there for so long and just let the snow cover them, turning themselves from stunning orange and black beauties to the most magical, majestic looking white tigers.

These pictures are the exact type of chill that we need to start our week off with. Cold but snuggly and infinitely powerful and beautiful. So, let this white blanket envelop you and imagine being as chill about it as these lovely big kitties. 

There's nothing quite like the magic of snow. White covering everything in something that feels like a blanket of purity. And though we may be hiding at home, it's the winter animals' time to absolutely thrive. 

One of our favorite winter animals is the fluffy, gorgeous arctic fox. Arctic foxes are honestly just as pure as snow, both because of how perfectly white they are, and that's beautiful, but also because... they're foxes, and is there anything purer than foxes? Arguable. Foxes are always adorable and wholesome, but arctic foxes in the snow really bring out that wintry magic. 

It's been a long week already. A lot has happened, we know. And after everything, all that we feel we need right now is some calmness. We want to sit down with a cup of tea by our windowsill, watch the rain pour, and think about absolutely nothing, letting the gloomy weather bring a feeling of calmness with it. Preferably, we would also have our cat with us for some snuggles for that. 

We only have Friday to go, and then we can do all of that ourselves. By for now, we hope these calming, wholesome pictures of cats staying snuggled up and warm inside, hiding from the rain, chilling, and doing exactly what we want to do will bring you that little bit of relaxation that you need. 

Okay okay, this might just be too cute to handle! 

There is literally something about animals in any sort of clothing. Be is sweaters, animals in hats, even animals wearing shoes has us squealing with absolute joy!! It's just all too cute. (We know you agree!) 

But let's just focus on one thing at a time. This time it's adorable animals wearing some teeny tiny sweaters making them look even cuter, if that's even possible! 

Just a heads up...

IT'S PAWWWSIBLE 

Something really special about snowfall, isn't there? And if you're seeing it for the very first time -- well, that feeling is pure magic. 

Here are 17 animals experiencing their very first snow and their expression says more than 1,000 words! 

The Persic family from Pennsylvania wondered why their cat isn't working. When they popped the hood, they found some gifts from a local and very energetic squirrel. Story via: The Dodo

Feral Cat Day is celebrated every year on October 16th to remind us of our love of the furry-little devils, and how every stray cat has within them a loving cuddle-able furball looking for a forever home.

In August of 2001, Alley Cat Allies celebrated its 10th anniversary and launched the first annual Feral Cat Day to promote raising awareness about feral cat colonies and how to care for and prevent them. Alley Cat Allies is a strong supporter of the 'Trap-Neuter-Return' policy, where stray cats are captured and brought in to local volunteer veterinarians to be neutered and returned to the streets. This allows the cats to live out their lives on the streets, without creating more kittens to perpetuate the problem.

Feral Cat Day is best celebrated by alerting people of the various issues facing stray cats. 

One of these issues is the cold winter months. For feral cats, this time of year is no winter wonderland. Winter temperatures stress outdoor pets and take a toll on homeless animals. These cats need our help, especially during the cold season. 

These earmuffs may look adorable but they serve a very important purpose. The calves must be protected from the cold as it can lead to severe frostbite, hypothermia, and even death. These muffs help protect from the wind chill. 

According to Dr. W. Dee Whittier, Bovine Specialist at the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, wrote in a paper titled 'Calves and the Cold', "Frostbite is the damage to body tissues that occurs when these tissues freeze. The extremities are most at risk. Frozen ears and tails result in changes of cattle appearance but do not affect cattle performance significantly." 

Dr. Whittier continues, "Newborn calves are most at risk because they are wet and because they have a large surface area in relation to their total body mass. Calves are not fully capable of maintaining temperature the first several hours of life. Newborn calves have a circulatory system that is less able to respond to cold changes as compared to more mature animals."

Turns out, when it comes to detecting frostbite, if the ear-tips are frozen, there's a high chance that the feet are experiencing some damage as well. 

If that does occur, Dr. Whittier recommends to thaw the tissues as quickly as possible. And once the tissues are thawed, you must prevent re-freezing from occurring. Which means housing with heat for several days. Damaged tissues are more prone to re-freeze and can do so very easily. 

One IKEA store is opening its doors to more than just shoppers looking for a bargain. In Catania, Italy, IKEA is allowing stray dogs to come inside so they can stay warm during the winter — and the internet is loving it.

Brrrr...