how to feed ferals while on vacation

sweetlilac

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hi there,

we will be on vacation for ten days. someone will be coming by every couple of days to house sit.

is there any way to leave out food for three feral cats without raccoons or other unwanted animals getting it?

we live up against state park but are fenced in against deer, though i guess there are raccoons, mice, birds, the usual suspects, delighted to have this food.

thanks. what have others done.

ps my cats seem kind of porky and are always "starving" when i feed them, though maybe that's just their mannerism. they seem to be siblings. i inerited them when i moved into the house, they've been fixed.

they go nuts when they can't eat twice a day though i am fine with them only eating once, they're cats, after all. i think they just want to manipulate me and a trained that way.

thanks again.
 

ritz

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Thank you for taking care of this group. I'm sure they are glad you are their "executor"!
I am fortunate in that I have a co-care taker; she feeds Tuesday and Thursday(dry food) and I feed Saturday and Sunday (wet and dry). If one of us is away, we cover the other person. The rest of the days the cats hunt (mainly birds and squireels) and dumpster dive (condo complex). There was/is one racoon.
In your case, I assume you live in a residential area, i.e., no dumpsters. Still, I think the cats will be okay, hunting on their own if they get hungry enough.
PS: their 'porky' size may be a sign of worms.
 

red top rescue

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There are battery operated food dispensers which open the door to the food on a timer that you set up.  If you got the large dog size and set it so it would operate every 24 hours and your house sitter could refill it every 2 days that might work.  Alternatively, you could even hire a responsible neighbor child to come and put food out at a certain time every day, when the cats are used to eating, and they will get first chance at it.  Then anything left over will be fair game for all the rest of the creatures.  You could even get the cats used to coming at a certain timebefore you go on vacation by feeding them at that exact time every day.
 
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sweetlilac

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thanks for the acknowledgements on caring for these cats.

they don't relate to me at all except when feeding time comes.

they sleep on my furniture outdoors and are full of fleas.

not sure what to do about that.

or worms. i feed them dry food. i would help them more if i knew how.

anyway, i don't think they know how to hunt, i've never seen them catch anything and if i don't feed them they go hungry.

i will investigate the electric feeder, thanks for this idea.

i am a little hesitant about broadcasting to a neighborhood kid that i am on vacaction... kids are not discreet and i don't want my house to be considered a target.... you know... <grin>

any more ideas appreciated and meanwhile i will look into the feeder.
 

shadowsrescue

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What an awesome question.  I hope others chime in with great ideas.  I always have this problem when I travel.  I feed my ferals 2x a day.  They would be fine for a few days with a large bowl of dry food, but I cannot leave the food outside at night.  The raccoons are just way too clever.  I tried one of the electric and battery operated feeders a few years ago and came home to them both destroyed.  The electric feeder was expensive.  The battery operated one was strung out all over the yard.  I wouldn't waste the money if you have a raccoon problem.  They will find a way to get into the food. 

I always end up hiring someone to come by 2x a day.  Once in the early part of the day to set out fresh food and water and then again in the late evening to pick it all up.  I have tried putting the food up in an enclosure on top of a tall table, but the raccoons still manage to find their way up. 

I hope you can find someone to help you out.
 

ondine

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ShadowRescue's suggestion is the one I thought of - hire or ask someone to come by.  If you have raccoons, you are smart not to want to start attracting them.

As to the fleas and worms - there is a product called CapStar you can buy on Amazon. You sprinkle on their food.  It will take care of fleas, ticks and most worms.

It is basically made up of Diatomaceous Earth, which is the fossilized remains of microscopic seashells that, when eaten, shreds the nasty parasites inside the cat's digestive system.  (I just love that image).
 
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