Winter shelters

steelewolsey · Sep 23, 2012

Hi this is my first post and would really like any help possible. A little background - I have one very spoiled indoor kitty for the past 7 years. Last summer a skinny stray cat showed up on my porch. I fed her and she hung around. I had just talked hubby into having her neutered when she disappeared for a while. When she came back pregnant and long story short she came indoors with the kitties and we found them homes. While feeding her a gold cat and black cat would sometimes join her at the food.
I found myself feeding the gold and black cats. It has taken a year but I can now pet them. I have talked to my vet about neutering them gold cat is male and black cat a female. My concern is the coming winter. I built them a rough house winter shelter out of a plastic tote box and straw. How do I get them to use it? I am trying to find them homes but there are a lot of stray cats in this area and I have found no takers. I can't bring them in my kitty barely tolerates the stray we took in last summer and goes nuts when she sees the gold and black kitties so I really want them to use the winter shelter. So any advice. Sorry this is so long I can always make a short story long lol.

kittylover23 · Sep 24, 2012

I have four shelters just like you described. I have a lot of ferals around and I really needed something to protect them from the harsh Canadian winters up here. So, I think to get the kitties to go inside, what I did was feed them right next to the shelter. Is there a cat you can pick up? What I did was pick one of the friendly kitties up and put her inside, and then the others followed and discovered their new warm shelters.

steelewolsey · Sep 24, 2012

I will definitely move their food next to the shelter. Neither kitty will let me pick them up at this time. Thanks for your suggestions. I do worry with winter getting so close.

feralvr · Sep 24, 2012

Welcome to TCS!!!!!!!!! Glad you found us. I would absolutely get them neutered FAST, first and foremost. Good to hear you are planning on this. There are many great ideas for shelters and I use the Feral Villa and have a couple of them now and the cats do use them. Using cat nip can help get them interested in venturing into them. Also Feliway spray - kitty pheromones in a bottle. :lol3: I just set up my villas last week. I get the cat's used to seeing them and using them way before the really frigid temps arrive. Thanks for caring for these kitties!!!!! :clap:

http://www.urbancatleague.org/WinterCatShelters
http://www.feralvilla.com/

steelewolsey · Sep 29, 2012

Good news went out this morning and black cat was in her shelter. So happy IHave been so worried about how they would survive this winter!!

feralvr · Sep 30, 2012

Steelewolsey said:
Good news went out this morning and black cat was in her shelter. So happy IHave been so worried about how they would survive this winter!!

Good news, indeed

She will stay nice and warm then this winter!!!!! She knows that is her special little house!! :clap:

jcribbs · Oct 1, 2012

Feralvr said:
Welcome to TCS!!!!!!!!! Glad you found us. I would absolutely get them neutered FAST, first and foremost. Good to hear you are planning on this. There are many great ideas for shelters and I use the Feral Villa and have a couple of them now and the cats do use them. Using cat nip can help get them interested in venturing into them. Also Feliway spray - kitty pheromones in a bottle.

I just set up my villas last week. I get the cat's used to seeing them and using them way before the really frigid temps arrive. Thanks for caring for these kitties!!!!!

http://www.urbancatleague.org/WinterCatShelters
http://www.feralvilla.com/

oh my gosh....... I just looked up the feralvilla... How awesome is that!! It has given me ideas about little cubby holes in my current cat house.....

feralvr · Oct 2, 2012

jcribbs said:
oh my gosh....... I just looked up the feralvilla... How awesome is that!! It has given me ideas about little cubby holes in my current cat house.....

It took my feral cats a week or two to start using the villa's. Now, they just love them. I have already put them outside and I think Willow has been sleeping in his already

I think they are great little houses and fully insulated too! I do put an outdoor heating pad on the second level when the temps drop into the single digits. Glad you saw them and hope they give you some great ideas for your enclosure and shelters.

daisy the cat · Oct 2, 2012

http://www.facebook.com/pages/DaisysCatTips/343034942397074?ref=hl

i have an indoor outdoor heating pad in my feral shelter which is made from hard wood. i have hard plastic sides and top added too for no rain or cold winds to enter. as one other person said here, i feed close to the shelter too. my heating pad is made only for cats because it heats to 100 degrees which is what cats need. and it only goes on when they lie on it. i have it hooked up to the backdoor light fixture where i just screwed in one of those plug in attachments to be able to plug it in. on my link i placed here somewhere is a posting on daisy's cat tips page on facebook about shelters. when i click onto the link icon above i have to start all over because the page gets that shaded grey over it and doesn't continue on to add the link. hope this link stays on here now.

ldg · Oct 2, 2012

To entice kitties to use their shelters, we use Feliway spray and catnip spray.

jac6387 · Oct 3, 2012

Hi i just joined to also ask some questions about winter shelters. I have a stray/feral that i have been taking care of for a little over a year now i think. Last year i tried to make a temporary little cave type area for him to use but he never really went in there luckily it was a fairly mild winter. This year i decided to build him a proper home for the winter. I'm mostly done with the structure now (built mostly from some 1 by 6's). I put a hinged roof on the top to make cleaning easier and have already sealed up all of the gaps so once i throw on some water proof paint it should be a nice and dry little haven. All i have left to do now is put in a wind break wall and a small window for some natural light.

However i don't feel like the bare wood is going yo be very comfortable so I'm trying to come up with something to line the ceiling and walls with. It would have to be something that won't retain too much water and grow mildew and mold. I was thinking maybe felt? Does anyone have any other ideas, our should i just leave the bare wood. I was also thinking that lining the interior with Mylar would help to reflect his body heat but I'm not sure if he would go in with all that shiny material on the inside.

And finally, I'm trying to figure out what to use for bedding. From researching online i know that you shouldn't use blankets or sheets because once they get wet they stay wet. So from everything I've been reading it seems like straw would be the best option but I'm having done trouble finding straw in NYC. Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.

catapault · Oct 3, 2012

Hi Jac6387,

At this time of year garden centers - even in NYC - may be selling bales of straw for Halloween decorations. Call around to garden centers or places like Lowes and Home Deport (I think they are in NYC) and see if any place has some. Ask about a broken bale since getting a full bale home could be difficult unless you have a car.

Otherwise - and this will be more expensive - pet stores sell small little bales of straw for pet bedding. You'd need several.

Has anyone ever used autumn leaves?

I'd suggest you use kitchen / bathroom paint to paint the inside of your kitty cabin. It's what I use in my greenhouse because it is moisture and mildew resistant.

daisy the cat · Oct 10, 2012

i applaud you so much for the shelter you made. it sounds like a good one. yes, i read all over that straw is best too. my shelter is three feet off the ground and right next to my back door so it has the plugged in indoor/outdoor heated mat inside. it has a wetproof cover protected against wetness so it won't cause electrical issues. it has a faked out sheep skin cover i wash occasionally too. straw is best overall in all other cases since it doesn't get moldy as in why they use it for other animals.

soft too. i used such for baby animals like possums i was reabilitating when i found as tiny babies and hurt because they would go to the potty and it was easiest to clean up. luckily cats don't do that! i've seen some pretty cute cool wooden cat shelters ready made and for sale on the internet but i can't afford them and my mate is so busy and honestly... he isn't all that handy :-(

jac6387 · Oct 10, 2012

Catapault said:
6dTFv.jpg

jac6387

Oct 10, 2012

Riex4.jpg

jac6387

Oct 10, 2012

(Here's a shot with the hinged rood raised. It's been raining and the roof is visibly wet but the inside is still dry (good sign) And if anyone has any other critiques or suggestions for my structure feel free to add them. I'm far from a carpenter.

feralvr · Oct 10, 2012

THAT is awesome!!!!!!!!!! :clap:

Good job on that one. The only thing I would do if you have not is to insulate the sides, bottom and top with 1 1/2" insulating foam. Very cheap and you can pick this up at any Home Depot or Lowes, etc. That will help tremendously in keeping the interior cozy and warm for your feral cats. I would not use the felt as that would stay damp if it gets wet. The insulating foam needs nothing over it. Very comfortable. The weather stripping will be a good idea along the hinged part of the roof so no rain leaks in.

This is the time of year to get straw. I waited one year till late November and could not find any straw!! You could keep the straw bale under a tarp BUT when the winds pick up and storms blow through the tarp might loosen. Just make sure you "roll" it in the tarp and use large rocks to secure it down. I usually break up the bale and store sections of it in those heavy duty black lawn garbage bags. I have rarely had to replace straw in my feral shelters. Surprisingly, the straw stays dry and clean throughout the winter once you pack it in the shelter.

feralvr · Oct 10, 2012

Catapault said:
,

Has anyone ever used autumn leaves?

I have used leaves too. I start bagging them up when it is VERY dry. They cannot be wet or even the slightest bit damp. They do work well alone OR mixed with the straw.

bugmankeith · Oct 10, 2012

Since I'm not handy I just bought 2 of the largest dog igloo houses I could find and lined them with a generous amount of straw, I also bought the door flaps. Ventilation for hot summer, but also waterproof and insulated for winter.

steelewolsey · Oct 13, 2012

Update on my kitty's and their winter shelters. My black kitty (female fixed) is using her shelter on a regular basis, but my gold kitty (a boy-fixed) still will not use his. He is still sleeping on the patio furniture. It hasn't got to cold but we have had frost here. Just wish he would sleep there can't stand the thought of him being so cold.

feralvr · Oct 13, 2012

Steelewolsey said:
Update on my kitty's and their winter shelters. My black kitty (female fixed) is using her shelter on a regular basis, but my gold kitty (a boy-fixed) still will not use his. He is still sleeping on the patio furniture. It hasn't got to cold but we have had frost here. Just wish he would sleep there can't stand the thought of him being so cold.

Maybe he wants one of his own? :dk: Does the black kitty and the gold kitty get along extremely well? If so, then they could share. Otherwise, you might need another shelter. :slant: I have two because there is one cat that is quite dominant and has claimed the one villa as his own.

csipost · Jan 15, 2015

Awesomely designed windbreak!

My issue is more of the smallest/meekest cat never getting a home, no matter how many I make.

Down to 7 in my feral colony, with 6 homes so far, 3 insulated, but new homes just spread the

tough guys, who were doubling up in the bigger unins'd totes.

My Little Half-Tail Bobbi is always in a cardboard box, so I'm insulating more 2 boxes this weekend.

Maybe when theres more good home boxes with smaller entrys, than big cats, he will win one.

Winter shelters

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