Building Winter Resilience: How the HBSPCA is Supporting Community Cats

Protecting Community Cats This Winter

As temperatures drop, the Hamilton/Burlington SPCA (HBSPCA)is taking action to ensure community cats have a warm and safe place to rest during the winter months. For unowned cats living outdoors, exposure to cold and harsh weather can pose serious health risks. Through the Community Cat Program, HBSPCA provides practical, effective solutions to protect these vulnerable animals.

A key part of this initiative is our network of registered colony caregivers—volunteers who observe, feed, and monitor colonies of unowned cats. Their dedication ensures that these animals receive consistent care, while helping HBSPCA manage local cat populations effectively.

Volunteer Efforts and Shelter Builds

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On October 4th, volunteers joined the HBSPCA Community Cat Team to build 80 weatherproof shelters. While maintaining the proven design from previous years, we’ve made thoughtful improvements to make the shelters even more durable and effective in protecting cats from winter weather. These shelters are provided free of charge to registered caregivers, enabling them to continue supporting local colonies safely and efficiently.

“These shelters are more than just structures—they are life-saving resources that help community cats stay healthy and safe,” says Stephanie, HBSPCA Community Cat Program Manager.

“I had never built a shelter before, but I wanted to help. It was hands-on, educational, and rewarding to know that our work would directly protect animals this winter,” shared one volunteer.

Impact and How You Can Help

The shelters have a direct impact on community cats by reducing exposure-related illness and providing a safe, dry place to rest. They also allow caregivers to monitor colonies more effectively, ensuring that cats receive ongoing care. By providing these tangible resources, HBSPCA is helping vulnerable animals survive the winter and thrive in their local communities.

With most of the first round of shelters now in place, HBSPCA is preparing for a second build, with a goal of creating another 80shelters. The success of this next phase depends on securing specific materials to make the process faster and more efficient for mass production:

• Totes     – 68L Tuff Store
• Insulation     – Durospan 0.75
• Duct Tape – Nashua Heavy Duty

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Donations of materials can be dropped off at our Shelter:

📍245 Dartnall Road, Hamilton, ON

When you arrive, please let our team know you’d like to donate to the Community Cat Program. Every contribution helps ensure more cats have warm, safe shelters this winter.

By contributing these materials, supporters can directly help HBSPCA expand the program and ensure more community cats have safe, warm shelter this winter. Initiatives like this demonstrate how strategic planning, volunteer engagement, and community support come together to create meaningful impact—for the cats we care for and the broader community we serve.