Taming Feral Cats

Well, at least someone is using it.  I hope Peanut and Pepper get a chance to use it too. 

The employees at Home Depot all think my DH and I are crazy. Last year I had ply wood cut to fit inside the shelter to go on the deck to keep the wind from blowing up.  I then covered it with astroturf.  I also needed to know how to weather proof it.  They of course asked what I would be using it for.  I did tell them.  They looked at me like I was from another planet.  Oh well.  I don't care.  I would do anything for my ferals. 

I am having a hard time right now with one of my neighbors indoor/outdoor cats.  He is here constantly.  He is eating all of the food and chasing my cats.  He is friendly to me, but I think starving for attention.  Yet, he chases my cats.  I don't know if he would fight them, but he is huge.  Last night he chased my latest feral, Cisco.  I had to go running outside after him.  I have no idea how to reapproach my neighbor about this.  I have talked with her about it before and she just shrugs and says " Oh , cats will be cats".  I have no choice in bringing my cats inside.  They are feral ( well semi feral now).  She just lets her 2 roam.  She also knows he eats here.  She says I should pick up my food.  I don't leave it out at night, but my boys graze.  Oh well.  I hope once it gets cold, he will decided to stay inside.

Yes, I am glad that someone is using it.  Perhaps the cold bothers the Calico more than Peanut and Pepper or perhaps

they already have their cold weather hiding spots and don't need mine.

Yeah, it's definitely not something to be ashamed of. It's a good thing you are doing. We got to talking to the Home Depot

guy and I don't think he thought it was all that unusual. We did laugh when we all agreed that the cats probably weren't

going to use it.

That would upset me so much about the neighbor cat. I would hate for a stranger cat to ever chase my ferals out of my yard because

I truly believe it is their home now. Let alone a cat that has an inside home but the neighbor lets it out! I wish I had a solution for you.

Sometimes I feel like the Calico does that to my other 3. But since I had her spayed and vaccinated, I believe it my responsibility to

care for her, even though she annoys me sometimes.

How are things going with the new stray, Cisco? Is he getting along better with the others?

I think I may have to call or go and see my neighbor if it continues.  Stellar is so frightened of this cat and is staying away all day to avoid him.  Last night he came on the deck around 10:30 and Stellar immediately left.  Many nights this cat is out all night.  One of my other neighbors has found one or both of the these cats sleeping on their front porch.  She is overwhelmed with animals as she has 2 dogs and 5 cats and lives alone. 

Cisco was trapped and neutered last Wednesday.  He returned for food on Friday night.  He is skittish now and I will have to rebuild his trust.  Shadow is ignoring him.  I put a small shelter at the edge of the deck behind some bushes, but I don't think he will use it at my neighbors cat has been tracking that area.  I hope he wasn't frightened away last night after the neighbors cat came after him.  I will take it slowly with him and see how it goes.  At least he is neutered now.

I would definitely try talking to your neighbor since the cat is upsetting your cats. I hope the outcome is good and your neighbor starts keeping them inside more because of the colder weather.

Yay! So happy to hear Cisco has been neutered. Hopefully he will come around and your twosome can become a threesome. These strays definitely know where to go!

ShadowsRescue said:

I think I may have to call or go and see my neighbor if it continues.  Stellar is so frightened of this cat and is staying away all day to avoid him.  Last night he came on the deck around 10:30 and Stellar immediately left.  Many nights this cat is out all night.  One of my other neighbors has found one or both of the these cats sleeping on their front porch.  She is overwhelmed with animals as she has 2 dogs and 5 cats and lives alone. 

Cisco was trapped and neutered last Wednesday.  He returned for food on Friday night.  He is skittish now and I will have to rebuild his trust.  Shadow is ignoring him.  I put a small shelter at the edge of the deck behind some bushes, but I don't think he will use it at my neighbors cat has been tracking that area.  I hope he wasn't frightened away last night after the neighbors cat came after him.  I will take it slowly with him and see how it goes.  At least he is neutered now.

Click to expand...

After I built a shelter for the kittens (brother and sister) and 8 year old former Tom. ( all fixed ) and released, the female ran off her own brother and shacked up with old Tom Cat. The shelter was big enough for all but I guess the female wanted a winter honeymoon suite. After 2 years, she decided to be a house cat after the old Tom went wandering again. She now sleeps with me every night but hisses at my boy rescue, as if to say "Beat it, I found her first". I will never know where her brother went. I figured old tom died, he was seen around until age 12.

I just wanted to update that the kitten is LOVING the house my husband built and the heating pad. She is in there practically all day! Good news is that she has become very friendly with us and loves to be pet and even loves to picked up and held. I wish we could find a home for her.

Also, her mother, the "mean" calico who we now call Turtle because she looks like a turtle (lol), has also become friendly with my husband and I! However, the other cats are very stand-offish with her as I don't think she is very friendly with them.

It's funny that we made the shelter for Peanut and Pepper and neither of them will use it! I don't know if the roof is too low for them or what but they will only sit in it for a few minutes to eat their treats and then leave, even when the heating pad is on. That's ok though because the kitten is getting major use out of it and my husband is going to make another one.

Peanut

 
Kitten


Pepper


It's so weird these pictures are from early fall and Peanut and Pepper's winter coats have come in now and they look so different.

Thanks for the update.  At least the shelter is getting used!!  I bet the little kitten is just in heaven.  Where do Peanut and Pepper sleep now?  My two love their shelter, but my 3rd guy Cisco won't have anything to do with one.  I was able to entice him inside the shelter with catnip sprinkled on the heat pad and he loved it, but doesn't want to stay.  I did make progress with him though as he is now eating on the deck full time.  My son was home from college last week and he and DH built another feeding station.  This morning was the first time that Cisco came to eat and one of the other cats wanted to eat too.  They each went into their own feeding station.  The other cat, Stellar was too afraid and left until Cisco left. 

It's always something with the ferals.  Stellar is my easy going boy, but is very afraid of other cats and people.  Shadow is very timid, but loves other cats.  Yet many of them don't like his approach and find him too friendly!  Cisco is allowing Shadow to sniff and that is very helpful to Shadow.

I hope Peanut and Pepper will learn to love a Shelter as much as my two do!!

How is the situation going with the neighbors cat? Last we spoke there was some issues with her cat bothering your cats.

Glad to hear the progress that is being made with Cisco. He is so lucky to have found you and I hope that him and Shadow and Stellar will all get along one day. They are finicky creatures, indeed!

I sadly have no idea where Peanut and Pepper sleep, at night time anyway. During the day when I am home I notice that they lounge/sleep on the deck. At night after I feed them some wet food they will stare at me through the window for awhile. I am hoping they go where they went last winter which is in my neighbors abandoned shed. It's not the best but I know they can curl up in there and are sheltered from the wind and rain at least. And he NEVER goes in there so they will be safe. It's odd, the rain doesn't seem to bother them as bad as it does the other two cats. Peanut will sit in the drizzle and stare through the window at me. It makes me feel awful so sometimes I let her inside and pet her for a few minutes. She enjoys it but always wants to go back outside, where she continues to stare at me. <sigh>

Your awesome son and husband building a feeding station has reminded me that I want my husband to build a feeding station too. He really has his work cut out for him. It's been amazing watching him get attached to these cats though. He was the one who first discovered that the kitten loved to be held.

Things with my neighbors cat are better.  I spoke with her and she is keeping him inside more.  She has also said it's ok to shoo him away.  My neighbor was out of town for 3 weeks so the cats were mostly inside during that time.  He still comes around, but it is improved. 

Shadow is the only cat Stellar likes.  They are inseparable.  Stellar is a one cat boy!  Yet he is never mean or aggressive to other cats.  He just chooses to leave when they come. 

The first winter I had Shadow, he slept under my neighbors screened porch.  He refused all of the shelters I had for him.  After the winter, he started hanging on my deck and hardly left the deck during the day.  During the summer, he slept on the deck all night.  So when winter came, I used the tent like shelter and put the love seat he slept on in there.  He was perfectly happy with that.  It's so hard because you can't make them do anything.  They have to decide to try it.  You could try putting a heat pad out on a patio chair or even on the deck.  Sprinkle it with catnip or treats and see if you can get them on it.  Then move it into a shelter.  You also can try the shelter with the lid propped up first. 

Good luck and keep us posted! 

My DH and son are wonderful.  My DH never liked cats and he just loves the cats.  He loves to build things too so it's a win win.  He visits the ferals from time to time, but loves our inside boys.  One of them is a former stray turned feral turned house cat!!  DH loves him to pieces.  There's something very endearing about a man who loves cats!!

I'm glad to hear that things worked out with your neighbors and that she is keeping her cats inside more, especially in the colder winter months.

Thanks for the tips, I will try those suggestions when my husbands builds the other shelters.

My husbands loves our inside (and now our outside) cats as well! It is very sweet to see him with them.  We  found one of our current inside cats outside as a kitten in our garden. She was about 3-4 weeks and we (well I!) hand raised her. She is just a big, old fluffball. She is our baby (at 3 years old)

In light of our conversation about men and cats, I just had to share this pic! (and of course a bonus pic of fluffy Leela)

She is a beauty.  I also have an indoor boy that is black and white.  He isn't as long haired as yours.  He was our first cat who we rescued from the Humane Society.  He was/is my sons cat.  It was a difficult transition when my son went to college in the fall.  Jake ( the cat) had a hard time.  He didn't much care for the stray/feral (Marvin) I brought into the house last year, but once my son was gone, the two have become buddies. 

Today I tried to rework some shelters for Cisco.  He has been spending about an hour each evening either on the deck or just under the deck on a reflective pad.  Our deck is very low so I can hardly fit anything underneath.  I tried today and managed to squeeze something.  I doubt he will use it, but I am still trying.  I figure the more comfortable he gets here, the more willing he may be to try a shelter.

How many indoor cats do you have?

I agree that the more comfortable Cisco gets, the more willing he will be to try the shelter. It takes time.

Because guess what? I have caught Pepper laying in what we now refer to as "the kitten's house" the past couple of days when it had been raining. Poor kitten was so upset!

Luckily I have an old rubbermaid tote with a heating pad as a back up for her.

My husband also started on the other shelter yesterday. It is much smaller in width than the first one he made but is taller. And it has a second floor. Not sure if they will use it but he likes

to try out different pro-types it seems. I will post pics when its completed. Hopefully since it is smaller they will be able to curl up and conserve some body heat in the winter months. We are apparently

building a cat village! lol

This morning it was below freezing and Peanut was laying on our outdoor swing and I just felt so bad. It breaks my heart. But they are all very fattened up thanks to us and have gorgeous thick winter coats thanks to genetics so they are better off then some other outdoor cats.

I only have 2 inside as well as a large dog.  Yet it often feels like a zoo!

Cisco started using the shelter under the deck on Friday night.  I switched the shelter I had under it and he went right inside.  Last night he was in it for over 3 hours.  He also is coming most mornings for breakfast.  He is starting to settle in.  Maybe Shadow and Stellar will decide to allow him to be part of their clan.  Right now they do not want him their shelter.  This is ok.  As long as I know Cisco has someplace to keep warm. 

I can't wait to see what your husband has built.  I don't know what I would do without my wonderful husband to build so many things for the cats.  Of course all the heat pads help too.

Last winter when it was so bitter cold, Stellar would go out every single morning to sit under some pine trees to watch the birds.  He never missed a day and often stayed out for 2 hours.  He would come back with icicles on his belly and his whiskers.  The cold really doesn't seem to bother him.  Maybe since he has such long fur.  Shadow on the other hand is short haired and he prefers to stay in the shelters.

This morning when I went out to feed the cats, I opened the door and had the tray in my hand.  Shadow and Stellar were at the door waiting.  Shadow ran right into the house.  I was so stunned.  Our dog was right there eating and my two indoor boys weren't far also eating.  I quickly shooed Shadow out the door while Stellar was in the process of being half way in the door.  I have no idea what possessed him to come inside in the mornings.  Shadow does come inside from time to time, but I have to put the other cats and the dog away.  Yesterday he wanted inside so badly, but I was unable to bring him in.  I just wish that he would decided he's had enough of out door life.  I do think it will happen one day, but not yet.

Post pictures when you can of the new shelter.

Wonderful news! Glad to hear Cisco is keeping warm.

I've noticed that with my long haired cats as well. The cold doesn't seem to bother them as much as it does the shorter haired.

That is so interesting how they tried to get inside the house this morning. Strange creatures sometimes!

I let Peanut inside sometimes too but only supervised because of my other cats. Well, her and Pepper look very much alike so one day I opened the door for who I thought was Peanut and Pepper walked halfway inside, got really wide-eyed, and high tailed it out of there!

Even if they are outside cats for life, you provide them with lots of love, food and warmth.

How are all the feral kitties fairing in this brutal winter weather so far? My four girls all take turns using the shelters with heating pads that my husband built. Here is the latest one.


Honestly not sure what cat that is! It looks like Pepper to me but her ear doesn't look tipped so it might be Peanut. (Though both are fixed, Pepper has her ear tipped.

Peanut does not) Ok, I zoomed in and the ear is tipped so it's Pepper. Aren't you glad I cleared that up for everyone?

So pleased that they all use them now, however I wish there was enough that they could all be in them at the same time but they won't share. Maybe I can have my husband build

just ONE more and have it be split down the middle so they will maybe use it at the same time.

What's cool about the new one my husband just built is that the escape route is through the second floor. So while there is a hole through the second floor, this makes the first floor

more warm in my opinion. And they still manage to sometimes sit and look out the second floor so win/win.

The cats who are in the shelters the majority of the time are the two thin coated cats, Turtle (calico) and the one we still call "The kitten" even though she is probably about 8/9 months.

Peanut and Pepper have the thicker coats and this is their second winter with these kind of temperatures so I hope they are seeking warm and safe shelter somewhere else.

Funny that we originally built the shelters for them as they were here first but I like the other two just as much now and I'm glad they use the shelters as well.

I also must say that I LOVE the outdoor heated water bowl (shown in picture). What a lifesaver it has been so far this winter. Last winter my yard was littered with blocks of ice

as I remember dumping the ice each morning to add fresh water which would probably inevitably freeze in a hour or two anyway. At first I thought it was way too big but the cats

love it so so do I. It gets dirty periodically thanks to the racoons who come for a nighttime snack (do they bath in it?!)  but it should be filled with fresh water every couple days anyway.

I just hate this terrible cold.  I have been awake for 2 nights worrying about them even though they have the heated shelter.  It was about -8 (wind chill -23) this morning at 6 am.  It's now -6 and it's after 10am.  The shelter didn't dip below the mid 30's so they were fine.  My concern is my 3rd feral, Cisco.  I was gone for 2 days over Christmas but had someone over to feed and pick up food.  He ate at night, but didn't stick around in the morning for the food.  Since my return ( 2 weeks) ago he only comes around 9pm and only gets in his shelter for a few minutes.  He has not been here since the snow on Monday.  I am hoping he has another place where he is getting food.  Caring for ferals is such a worry.

Your shelters are awesome.  It's too bad Peanut and Pepper will not use the shelters.  My crazy Stellar ( who looks just like Pepper and Peanut) was out under a pine tree this morning watching birds for 2 hours.  When he came back onto the deck, he had icicles hanging from his whiskers.  He is crazy. 

I love the heated water bowl too.  The raccoons wash their paws in it.  I find dirty water a few times a week.  This winter I purchased a heated food bowl.  I have tried it out this week and it works very well.  It keeps the wet food from freezing.  It has 2 bowls so one could be for water, but I use them both for food.  I do have to bring it in each night which is a pain as with the cold it's so hard to get unplugged. 

Tonight is to be a balmly 15, but back to -7 tomorrow night.  Then better each day and hopefully back to the 20's for lows next week. 

I am ready for Spring!!

It's good to hear from you! Poor Cisco. I so understand your worry. It's so hard. I've said to my husband every night how sorry I feel for them out there. And he keeps reminding our indoor girls about how lucky they are to be inside and warm! Haha!  It's funny because now I consider temperatures over freezing to be acceptable. That is excellent that the temperature of your shelter doesn't get below mid 30's especially with outside temps as cold as they are in your neck of the woods. Your cats are well fed just like mine are and have a lot of fat/meat on their bones and fur to protect them. I try to tell myself these things when I get worried. Only a couple more months and then hopefully we will get some spring weather. I will take temps in the 30's or 40's. It's this teens, single digits and below freezing temperatures that really upset me!

I feel like the cold weather doesn't bother the long haired cats as much. Maybe that's why your Stellar can bird watch for two hours at a time in below zero temps!

Peanut and Pepper actually do use the shelters now! They all take turns but I feel like Turtle and the kitten are in there the most because they have the shorter hair. Its so rewarding seeing them use them. I know it makes my husband so happy.

For the longest time I had no idea why the water was getting so dirty. haha

I like the idea of a heated food bowl but all four cats devour their wet food when we feed them at 5. They graze on dry food all day.

How do your guys feel about snow? It snowed here on Tuesday and it was the first time the kitten saw snow and my father said she absolutely hated it on her paws.    We shoveled the deck so it's not as bad. Poor thing.

I remember the first big snow last year and Peanut and Pepper were about 10 months old or so. I used to put food out for them on my picnic table and they heard me come out the door. They were over in my neighbors yard in his shed and they were just so upset and had no idea how to get to the food  because they the didn't understand how to walk in the snow. It was about a foot of snow and it was just so heartbreaking. They eventually made there  way over after several attempts. This was before I could even touch them and it just broke my heart, I cried. I felt so helpless. But now they are old pros.

I bought one of those heated double bowl feeders too, what a time saver! When it is below 0 here the food freezes solid in minutes and the ones who come in late don't get to eat. I use both sides too for food, both the cats and the birds use my heated pet bowl I have sitting on my bird bath to drink from so I have to dump it almost daily, but it is so nice to have all these heated things!

We have a little feral tortie now, about 4 months old, and she LOVES the snow! I watched her for over 30 minutes during our first snow and she had her front end on the ground, fluffy tail waving like mad, and was 'scooting' everywhere on our patio like a little snow plow. front legs going back and forth like mad. My husband was amazed at her 'tracks'. saying "what in the heck happened on our patio!?" It was hilarious! I feel so sorry for her, the mother was not a good mother at all (I didn't even know cats could be like that) and virtually abandoned her at about 6 weeks.The mother was never around, and when she was, she hissed and slapped them, even when they were tiny, I don't know how she survived! She had two beautiful fluffy brothers who disappeared at about 4 weeks, I'm sure something got them, they were too tiny to survive on their own. Nature can be so cruel. Well, I hope everyone has success in the winter months, good luck to us all!

Stellar doesn't mind the snow, but Shadow hates to get his feet wet.  He doesn't even like it when it rains!!  I clear paths in the yard for them.  There is one going out into the yard for Stellar to get to the pine trees, another that they can use, but I also use to feed the birds.  I also clear a path to the spot where they go potty!  My yard looks quite strange. 

Do Peanut and Pepper curl up together?  Thank goodness Shadow and Stellar do.  I know it helps them alot with body heat.

I keep my fingers crossed this brutal cold will not return. 

I went out around 10:30 this morning to see if the boys needed some more wet food.  It was gone so I opened another can.  Before I get it all into the heated bowls, Shadow was eating it out of the can.  I stuck around and let him eat for a few minutes.  He walked away and I was going to put the rest into the heated bowl.  It was frozen.  I had to take it inside to warm up. 

How are my other favorite ferals doing in this bitter cold?!

To answer your question from a few months ago, no. Peanut and Pepper do not curl up together and they don't share a shelter. However, I recently found that the calico (we call her Turtle) and her now almost full grown kitten (who we very creatively refer to as "Kitten") have shared the larger shelter from time to time.

Luckily, right before this current brutal cold snap my father and husband built yet another shelter. This time it is larger and has a divider in the middle but was made in the same design. The divider allows 2 cats to be in it at  the same time. It also only has one entrance per side and the cats have been using it just fine, so I am very pleased that with one entrance it is probably warmer for them!  I also bought two more heating pads. Just an FYI for anyone who is interested, K&H Heating pads are only about $30 on Amazon which is really a steal!  (What a shame! I just looked and they are now back up to $60.00!) I will post a picture soon but it's been so cold, I haven't wanted to go inside more than necessary. My deck now has three cat shelters on it. What we do for these kitties!

So now all of my four girls have a shelter equipped with heating pads and it makes me feel a bit better with them outside. It is delightful when I see them sleeping peacefully inside their houses and I love when I go out to feed them in the morning and I see them emerge from their shelters and stretch their little legs. They all play "musical chairs" with the shelters. It's cute to see who is coming out of each one each day. However, I will say that the Calico and kitten seemed to have moved into the new shelter with the brand new heating pads, the little buggers!

Another funny story is that I had to buy a new heated water bowl because I think it got snow in it and it must have ruined the heating element. My husband tried to explain that these bowls are for use outside but in covered environments, like barns. We bought a new one and elevated it off of the ground somewhat so I'm hoping we don't have the same problem again. I love that heated water bowl!

So enough about me, how are the other ferals making out in this weather?