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Today it began to snow outside. The yellow tabby that chases ducks in my yard left tracks across the whited lawn. Just about the time I got to wondering where all the local strays go when it freezes, I discovered an article on a recent design  contest held by the New York City Architects for Animals organization. Entries from some of the more respected of the city’s architecture firms are already in service on the streets of Manhattan.

Uptown pets only need apply

Photo by Carole Milker

According to contest sponsors, designer Frank Lindemann’s “Brown Tubes” pictured above is the “Waldorf Astoria of feral cat shelters”. Minutes after it was positioned outdoors, it was filled with meowing strays. Read more about the contest at The Architectural Record.

Pre-fab architecture for tabby

Photo by Gulf Coast Pet Supplies

Feral cat aid societies across the country want you to be considerate of less fortunate scamps this winter. If your conscious calls, you can buy a pre-fab kitty condo for the winter. This heated K&H Outdoor Thermo-Kitty Camper sells for $44.14.

Ugly is Eden to a mouser

Photo by Alley Cat

Your cat shelter need not be a glam product. Ally Cat Allies is a national stray animal advocacy organization that has posted detailed instructions for building your own insulated kitty shelter out of plywood and a roll of insulation. You can do it yourself or hire a contractor.

Cathouse on a hot tin roof

Photo by Cozy Winters

Feeling particularly generous? For $99 you can buy this portable heated shelter from Cozy Winters that uses a 20-watt dispersion heater operated by a thermostat. It’s a pad that’s just large enough to heat the undercarriage of your guest.

Bed and breakfast

Photo by North Jersey.com

Perhaps this is your preferred way of helping out. However, cat hoarders can really strain the budget in the winter. In New Jersey recently, Parsippany officials busted a woman who had 32 cats in a one-bedroom apartment. The cats, officials say, were breeding. Duh!

Despite warnings about catastrophic injuries caused by the intersection of homeowners with power tools, I continue to find stories in the news about nail gun injuries. I blogged about his once before, but people continue to toy around with high-powered nailers that fire projectiles with the explosive force of a .22 handgun.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports of about 37,000 emergency room visits a year from victims of nail gun mishaps, some 40 percent to DIY homeowners who don’t work in the construction trades. Even among carpenters, the tools of destruction take their toll. Over a four-year stretch, the CDC says, one out of four apprentice carpenters are in inadvertently nailed; one out of five are injured twice.

Gettin’ nailed

Photo by Wise Brother

For heaven’s sake, the CDC says, take your hand off the trigger! Homeowners should buy nail guns with a full sequential trigger that protects them from rapid fire. Multiple nailers can end up sending a direct message to the brain via your expensive bridge work.

Home improvements, body decrements

Photo by Kaj R. Svensson

Nail guns are great time-saving tools for a range of jobs, from hanging drywall to vinyl siding. Workplace experts, The Occupational Safety & Health Administration, warns against novice use of the multi-shot, dual-action trigger which can be discharged by a simple bump.

Whoa, doggy!

Photo by News.com Australia

Lil’ pooches don’t like being nailed, either. Nails can ricochet when fired into hard surfaces or metal. Shoo away onlookers or anyone else not firing nail guns. Don’t expect nails to lodge into a piece of lumber; many projectiles pass through and keep on going. Fluke accidents, in retrospect, are completely understandable. A great many professional contractors are injured when they bypass tool safety mechanisms, the CDC says.

Be careful! You might just end up with unexpected bling:

Photo by Eplasty