Seocho-gu Helps Stray Cats Have a Safe Winter with a Warm Sip of Water

[Seoul District News] Seocho-gu Produces and Distributes 50 'Warm Water Bowls' with Volunteers on the 10th to Help Stray Cats Survive the Cold Winter & Places Warm Water Bowls Inside Weatherproof Boxes to Provide Non-Freezing Water During Winter

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seocho-gu is the first autonomous district in Seoul to launch the ‘Heated Water Bowl Production and Distribution Project for Stray Cats’ to help stray cats find water on cold winter days.

Seocho-gu (Mayor Seongsu Jeon) distributed heated water bowls to stray cat feeding stations and winter shelters to provide warm water to stray cats vulnerable to the winter cold wave.

Since stray cats often consume food left by people, they intake a lot of salt, making sufficient water supply important. Lack of body fluids can cause kidney damage due to excessive salt. Especially in freezing weather, even if water is placed at feeding stations, it often freezes solid, making it difficult for stray cats to drink.

Accordingly, on the 10th, Seocho-gu, together with 50 volunteers including ‘Cat Moms and Cat Daddies,’ assembled and produced ‘heated water bowls and external air-blocking boxes that keep water warm without freezing’ at the 9th-floor training room of Seocho-gu Office. The heated water bowl is placed inside the external air-blocking box that blocks cold wind, snow, and rain.

The external air-blocking box was made by purchasing and assembling black polyveneer PP material measuring 41 cm (width) × 21 cm (depth) × 32 cm (height) from the market. The corners were reinforced with black tape to block cold outside air.

The heated water bowl placed inside the box is a commercially available case measuring 22 cm (width) × 16 cm (depth) × 10 cm (height) with built-in styrofoam insulation. A hot pack is placed between the case and the water bowl to keep the water from freezing for a long time.

Seocho-gu attached a notice with a management number on the outside of the heated water bowl container for stray cats to ensure proper management. This is to efficiently manage the bowls and prevent unauthorized relocation or damage. Volunteers will regularly replace hot packs or supply water to the heated water bowls they are responsible for during cold waves. After the severe winter, the heated water bowls will be used as cooling water bowls by placing ice packs during the hot summer.

Seocho-gu started the stray cat winter shelter project nationwide for the first time in 2018 and currently operates 200 winter shelters and 36 feeding stations.

In addition, the Seocho Cat Mom Association donated 50 blankets, and the pet food company ‘Dunapet’ sponsored 50 packs of cat food (total 100 kg, 2 kg per pack), continuing warm support for protecting stray cats in winter.

Furthermore, Seocho-gu plans to resume the neutering project as soon as temperatures rise above freezing before next spring. This year, Seocho-gu operated 60 volunteer stray cat neutering workers and has ranked among the top autonomous districts in Seoul for the neutering project over the past three years since 2018.

Seongsu Jeon, Mayor of Seocho-gu, said, “We will carefully monitor stray cats to ensure they can safely endure the harsh cold winter,” and added, “We will continue to respect animal life and strive to create ‘Animal-Friendly Seocho,’ where humans and animals coexist.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.