Despite bitingly frigid temperatures and more than a foot of snow, volunteers from area animal rescue groups are making sure that outdoor cats are receiving care.

For the Palmerton Cat Project, that means “colony caretakers” are looking after feral cats that have been trapped, spayed or neutered, and then returned.

“We support a number of feral colonies in the area that we have TNR’d (trapped, neutered and returned),” Barb Greenzweig, a volunteer for the foster-based rescue, explained. “They continue to be maintained by colony caretakers.”

While it’s a year-round job, winter — especially one with heavy snowfall and cold temperatures — means extra care is required.

Dave Matsinko and his son, Patrick, take care of about 10 “fixed” cats with the help of the Palmerton Cat Project.

Four of the felines regularly check in to their Beltzville area garage, where a cracked door offers them access to a heated water bowl, food and a warm, cat-sized shelter.

Others prefer the outdoor life, and spend time in heated outside shelters and lounging on heated mats that have been placed on a deck.

The cats made their way to the Matsinkos after an elderly neighbor passed away.

“She worked with the Palmerton Cat Project to have close to 40 stray and feral trapped, ‘fixed’ and released,” Dave said.

When she passed, he said, the cats had nowhere to go.

“They found their way to our deck,” he said. “We have been feeding them with help from the Palmerton Cat Project. They have been very generous.”

The group provides its colony caretakers with food donated by businesses and others.

And, Dave Matsinko said, he is grateful to a neighbor to gave him several heated cat houses, heated mats — and the heated bowls.

“The biggest winter concern I would have is making sure they have water source,” he said. “The heated bowls make this possible.”

Greenzweig said colony caretakers typically begin preparing cold weather shelters for cats before winter.

“In the fall, what they look at is providing adequate insulated shelter with fresh straw in there, never hay,” Greenzweig said. “Straw is for strays.”

Straw does not hold moisture, and therefore, will not “freeze” the cats.

Openings to shelters should be pointed away from wind and drafts, such as facing a fence or a wall. Shelters should be elevated or placed on a platform to prevent moisture from entering, Greenzweig explained.

Volunteers also make sure that snow is cleared from shelter entrances so cats can venture in and out to eat and do their business.

“Having a feeding station is important,” Greenzweig added. “It can be a structure that offers protection, ideally with a heated water bowl.”

Wet food can freeze quickly unless it is in a heated dish.

As a result, Greenzweig suggested serving extra, high-calorie dry food as an alternative.

“We recommend kitten food, like Purina Kitten Chow, that has a lot of calories in it. That is what is going to enable them to stay warm,” she said.

If no heated bowls are available, water should be checked frequently to make sure they’re filled and not frozen.

If ice is a problem, sand, gravel and pet-friendly deicers are safe choices. Rock salt can be poisonous to cats.

Volunteers also check colonies for new arrivals and to see if any cats have medical conditions that need veterinary care.

“We love our colony cats. They’re in that position at no fault of their own but because of someone who was irresponsible and did not spay or neuter,” Greenzweig said. “They’ve been put in this position and unfortunately by the time they get to them, if they are older or didn’t have human contact in the first three months, they’re really difficult.”

Volunteers try to work with them to see if they can find them furr-ever homes, but if they can’t, they use the TNR method.

“It gets them back to a colony and they’ll have a supportive life out there,” she said.

The TNR method is recognized by most animal welfare organizations and veterinarians as the most humane and effective way to manage stray cat populations.

“The colonies come in all sizes and eventually the goal is that there won’t be a colony caretaker anymore because there will be no more cats in that colony — that’s the goal,” Greenzweig said.

Tami Bieber, a volunteer with the nonprofit Tamaqua Area Animal Rescue, said the nonprofit all-volunteer group helps with the TNR program in a number of areas.

“It’s very important to remember that every single cat that’s trapped is one less adding to the overpopulation,” Bieber said. “TNR helps break the cycle.”

Last year, the Tamaqua-based organization spent upward of $12,000 on its TNR program, with volunteers getting at least 3 — 6 calls each week no matter the season or weather.

“I’ve helped people in Tamaqua, McAdoo, Tuscarora, Barnesville, West Penn — all over,” she said. “This year we’re really going to start to concentrate on Tamaqua because there’s a really bad problem” in one particular area.

Once Bieber learns of an abundance of stray cats, she gets permission to set traps. The traps are monitored every few hours by her and other volunteers until the felines are caught and can be “fixed.”

Both organizations try to find homes for adoptable cats and kittens since many local shelters are full.

Donations may be made to the Tamaqua Area Animal Rescue, 345 E. Elm St., Tamaqua, PA 18252. The Berks Animal Hospital also accepts donations for the organization.

The Palmerton Cat Project also accepts donations. Both rescues maintain Facebook pages.