Strainers/Colanders in shelter cat's cages!

white cat lover

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One of the employees here at the shelter read somewhere about how strainers or colanders were used in an experiment with shelter kitties. 100 cats were the "subjects". 50 of those cats were given strainers/colanders to sleep in & play with. 47 of those 50 were healthier & happier. So, this shelter employee bought some colanders. We've got 12 week old kittens piled into one. Timid kitties hide in there for "shelter". A lonesome 4 month old brat of a kitty mauls his & then snuggles with it(not to mention bathes it). We haven't given any to the adult cats yet, but so far every cat given one loves it! We purchased pretty colored(like blue, pink, white, etc.) ones at the Dollar store for $1 each. Well worth it! One of the kitties is suffering from a nasty URI & is much happier snuggled into his colander. BTW-They all have hand towels in the colander to sleep in. Not that they bother to leave the towels in the colanders....


Just wanted to share the idea! I cannot believe after 2 days how much happier the cats seemed tonight. They all had to "show" me their new toys!
 

fats mcgee

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Interesting! So they use those in lieu of a bed? Our shelter kits have little green beds that they adore, but I'm wondering if we could use these for our sick kids b/c they would easier to disinfect...

So they're just regular strainers that like pasta goes in?
 

jen

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cool, the shelter I worked at used them too, pretty much anything about that shape and size will work.
 

babyharley

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Thats pretty interesting Natalie- Davidson would LOVE that! He'll lay in anything... Harley on the other hand tries, but he's too big
 
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white cat lover

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Originally Posted by Fats McGee

Interesting! So they use those in lieu of a bed? Our shelter kits have little green beds that they adore, but I'm wondering if we could use these for our sick kids b/c they would easier to disinfect...

So they're just regular strainers that like pasta goes in?
Yeah, just a basic strainer(the round type)! Lemme explain how we set up our cages here. Each cat gets a litter box, which is a box flat(basically a litterbox sized cardboard box w/ low edges). They are super easy to disinfect cuz we throw them away & give the cats clean "boxes" 2x a day. Each cat get a food & water bowl. They also get 1/2 of their cage covered with a blanket of some sort(we have all types-fleece, cut up comforters, baby blankets, etc.). They also get toys. We simply put the strainer in the cage with a small hand towel in it & let the kitties have at them!
 

catsknowme

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What a great idea!! Glad to know that the shelter cats are being given something to make their lives happier. Bless you and all the other shelter workers who help them
 
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white cat lover

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I've been thinking that I should get some strainers for my cats at home!
It will look nuts, but the shelter kitties were having so much fun with them!
 

callista

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It is a very "snuggleable" shape! If you've ever seen a cat in donut position, you know that a cat in a colander will be completely surrounded and supported curled up like that. No wonder they like them!
 

lionessrampant

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I'm going to have to bring some to our kits! Of course, we have the most pampered, spoiled shelter cats on the planet, but it's still a shelter environment so any ideas to make them happier help!
 

fats mcgee

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I see! We have a really similar set up. You know something else you can do for kittens, especially, is to get a small plastic stool and put it over the colander. Often, esp. in kitten season, we start cramming kittens in cages and it gets crowded. the little stool can make a HUGE difference!
 
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white cat lover

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Originally Posted by Fats McGee

I see! We have a really similar set up. You know something else you can do for kittens, especially, is to get a small plastic stool and put it over the colander. Often, esp. in kitten season, we start cramming kittens in cages and it gets crowded. the little stool can make a HUGE difference!
Hmm....another great idea! I know we have two "ferret cages" with shelves for litters of kittens, but we often have more than two litters in the summer months! We do use large dog crates & put the crate divider in sideways to form an extra shelf in there, too. Every extra inch of space helps those poor guys bounce around more!
 

clixpix

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That's really interesting...who would have thought?

If I got some for my girls, I would have to get an industrial size for Sabina!
 
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Originally Posted by clixpix

That's really interesting...who would have thought?

If I got some for my girls, I would have to get an industrial size for Sabina!
I think you're right!
Sabina did get to be a big girl, didn't she!
 

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Originally Posted by catsknowme

What a great idea!! Glad to know that the shelter cats are being given something to make their lives happier. Bless you and all the other shelter workers who help them
I totally agree! That's so nice of you all to want to enrich their lives more than just adopting them out!
for you Natalie!

I can totally see why they would want to cuddle in a colander.....Louie would sleep in anything small and compact....when he was little he would sleep in DH's slipper.....
awwwww......
 
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