If you’re cold, they’re cold. Bring them inside.

Amid inches of snowfall and below-freezing temperatures with a wind chill knocking mercury levels down to subzero, that’s one of the phrases that rings out encouraging people to bring their pets inside.

But what do animals do that don’t have four walls and a roof to escape the cold?

Wildlife

Don’t worry too much about the forest critters out there, wild animals have a plethora of mechanisms and behaviors to help them survive the cold.

While some animals migrate out of the region completely, animals that stay start to prepare for the winter early, said Dr. Cody Thompson, mammal collections manager and associate research scientist at the University of Michigan’s Museum of Zoology. To stay warm, lots of animals – even pets – begin to grow thicker fur with the changing of the seasons in the fall. They try to get fat and stay fat as the winter months approach, by eating and food-caching in the fall, slowing their metabolism, lessening physical activity, and sometimes still foraging through the winter.

Deer even portray an additional behavior to help keep the heat in, said Northern Michigan University professor of wildlife biology Dr. John Bruggink, to congregate in areas with trees with dense forest canopies to block the wind and snowfall.

So, even though it’s been a miserably cold week, most animals out in the wild have been preparing for months and have more than enough resources and survival instinct to carry them through freezing temperatures.

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“A week and a half ago, it was easier to forage for food, where now, their entire food resource is covered by six inches of snow. … And not only that but also having to search for those resources in these really cold temperatures,” said Thompson. “It’s definitely a shock for wildlife but they’re generally really good at overcoming and making it through.”

The issue, Bruggink and Thompson said, is when Michigan winters go on for a prolonged amount of time and cold weather and snow stretches into spring.

“Say they go into winter with about a 90-day supply of fat, it’ll start to thin out going into March, so in years where winter hangs on – especially if it’s like a double whammy with cold temperatures and a lot of snow on the ground – that’s when it really starts to hit them hard,” said Bruggink. “But they don’t typically freeze to death, they become more susceptible to starvation or being killed by predators because they’re in a more debilitated condition.”

Birds

While most birds hibernate in a warmer place, those that stick around also survive the cold by gaining as much fat as possible.

Dr. Ben Winger, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan and bird curator at the Museum of Zoology, used the example of American robins that avoid migrating as long as they can find berries to eat.

“Right now, in Michigan, you’ll see robins swarming any kind of ornamental tree that has berries on it because they know they just have to be constantly eating to survive,” said Winger. “There are some populations that might have more mortality in a really cold year, but for others, so long as there’s food, they’ll be okay.”

Once the robins clear out the berries, the birds are then forced to migrate in search of more food.

To help the birds survive the cold, Winger said people can offer seeds in bird feeders or thistle feeders.

“Backyard bird feeders are good. I think for a lot of our resident birds like chickadees, titmice, nuthatches and woodpeckers – these are our species that don’t migrate – they do well with sunflower seeds in the winter,” said Winger.

However, for most other wildlife, experts recommended not to feed them. Not only could it make them sick, since the microbiomes in their gut change seasonally to suit the food they can find in the winter, but it can teach them to rely on humans instead of their foraging skills.

Additionally, if you see a wild animal in need of help, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitation center from the Michigan Department of Natural Resource’s list to make an expert decision.

Farm animals

While a little less wild, farm animals come with their own winter to-do lists.

Many farm animals grow a natural winter coat to help endure frigid temperatures, but their domestication brings a certain level of responsibility to the people who own them.

Michigan Humane’s vice president of veterinary medicine, Dr. Crystal Sapp, says pasture livestock need to have the option of a three-sided shed with an opening that has southern exposure to protect from wind while maintaining adequate ventilation for fresh air to circulate. A lack of ventilation could gases to build up inside the space and irritate the animals’ lungs.

Straw should be used as bedding inside the shed for its ability to absorb moisture without freezing. For horses, pigs, and cows that produce manure, bedding should be changed every day, but Sapp says sheep and goats’ bedding – because they are “pebble-makers” – can be bed packed as long as their bedding is monitored closely and changed accordingly.

Additionally, since farm animals aren’t usually out foraging, owners up the animals’ intake as needed to account for body temperature maintenance and growth. It’s recommended that heat be applied to the animals’ drinking water to keep it ice-free and keep the animals drinking it, especially for lactating animals.

Animals should be able to acclimate to decreasing temperatures as the seasons transition from fall to winter, but in cases of sudden and extreme weather changes, Sapp says owners may need to modify their animals’ living conditions.

“You should consider blanketing or short-term indoor stall confinement with an indoor arena option for exercise until they are more able to acclimate to the weather,” said Sapp. “Blanketing can reduce hair growth though, so if you don’t want to continue to put it on and take it off and replace with clean and dry ones, it’s best to allow for them to develop their winter coat if the normal season changes allow.”

She adds that small animals like rabbits and poultry, as well as very young and old livestock, need to be monitored closely as they might require more heat or protection.

Pets

As a reminder, Detroit Animal Control is urging people to bring their pets inside during this cold weather to prevent their furry friends from suffering frostbite or hypothermia.

If they must leave their pets outside for any extended period, state law requires them to provide their animals with adequate shelter, food, and water to stay safe in these conditions.

Taking precipitation and wind chill into account, small or short-haired dogs should be kept inside when temperatures drop to 15-20 degrees, while larger or long-haired dogs can remain outside until the thermostat hits zero. However, proper shelter needs to be in place, including a heated garage or insulated doghouse with its door facing away from wind and a protective flap to block any drafts.

Like in farm animals’ sheds, owners should use clean, dry straw as bedding inside a doghouse instead of blankets or towels. Additionally, dogs’ food quantity should be increased by 10 to 20 percent for extra calories to keep warm, and water should be kept in a heated bowl to keep it from freezing.

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Outdoor cats should be moved indoors or at least into a heated garage or shed. Detroit Animal Control also warns that wild cats often crawl inside of cars to keep warm by the engine; to give them a chance to escape before starting the engine, knock on the hood of the car or honk the horn to startle them out of place.

Failing to provide adequate provisions for pets can lead to misdemeanor animal cruelty violations, resulting in a sentence of up to 93 days in jail, up to a $1,000 fine, community service and a loss of pet ownership for a specified amount of time.

To report pets left outside without proper shelter in Detroit, residents can call the Detroit Animal Control Hotline at 313-922-DOGS (3647).