Blacky trapped in shed by snow.

That's great, so glad she has decided to leave the shed and start eating again. It is tough caring for ferals, especially in the winter. I always want to bring them indoors so I can keep them safe and warm, but some of them just don't want that.

I hope your girl will be OK in this cold weather.

@feline03 Such good news.  I know that every day, morning and night, when I go out to feed my ferals, I do a head count and if they're not all there I fret about it.  For you, to know she was there and not eating doubly hard.

Norachan said:

 
That's great, so glad she has decided to leave the shed and start eating again. It is tough caring for ferals, especially in the winter. I always want to bring them indoors so I can keep them safe and warm, but some of them just don't want that.

I hope your girl will be OK in this cold weather.

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I know what you mean.  In the morning when all are gathered out on the porch, I open up the door, with plates of food and the next thing I know I've got a couple of them popping in thru the door.  And it's like, "I know it's warm in here but----------." and they turn around and go back out.  My ferals are horribly spoiled.

Feline03, I'm so relieved and glad to hear that Blackie is eating and moving around again! It would be great if you could enclose her in your breezeway before the temperature plummets again and the snow arrives, and if you could keep her in there until the weather gets better. I know I was one of the people encouraging you to release her from her enclosure in the breezeway several months ago, but the circumstances are different now. She will be warmer and safer inside the breezeway during this weather crisis. It's also encouraging that even though she was enclosed there in the past that she feels safe enough to return. She clearly understands your intentions are good.

I only have one outdoor feral to worry about at this point in time, but man do I worry. Muffin is no longer a young cat--he's at least 5 years old--and he's slowed down a lot. I worry if his thermal cushion inside his pet house is warm enough, I obsess over how much covering to put over his house, and how much straw to put inside, and worry when I'm at work that the dry food I leave on my porch will get stale. I worry that he gets enough water, and about the possibility of  frostbite. I look him over each day for signs of illness or injury. The weather in my area is going to be brutal starting tonight for the next two weeks with sub zero temperatures and wind chill factors, wind and snow. I know many of you have the same concerns and worries for your feral friends. Let's all pray (or send out positive thoughts) for one another's ferals during the next few weeks!

Blacky not eating well.

I have a questions for anyone.  Has anyone every trapped a feral in their house and they used it again?  I believe Black is sick and I need to take her to the vet.  I think I can trap her in her house and bring her in but if I do that I fear she will never use her house again.

No, I have never had to do that, but I think the benefit outweighs the negative.  If you think she is really sick, then she needs to see a vet.  Had she been eating when she first came back?  The first 2 years that Shadow was with me, he would get so scared of the wind, snow, cold that he wouldn't eat much.  It worried me so much.  

You know her best. 

If you do have to take her in her house, she may decide not to use it for awhile, but once you get it back home, clean it so that it doesn't smell like the vet. 

You may need to put out another temporary shelter for her for awhile. 

I hope the best for you and Blacky.  Please keep us posted.

Let me get this straight, you're going to trap her in her house but are you going to take her to the vet in her house and not use a carrier?  If you are going to trap her in her house but take her to the vet in the carrier I can't see why she wouldn't  still use her house when you got back home.  And i agree with ShadowsRescue about the benefit outweighing the negative.  If nothing else, making  new shelter for her using a storage tub, styrofoam cooler and straw is cheap enough.  You can find instructions on line to do this.

I answered this question for you in your PM. Yes, I've tried to trap a feral in his pet house (unsuccessfully). I picked up his large, heavy cedar house and tried to swing it inside my house. I thought I could do it because he was very ill and lethargic--but he managed to jump out of it and bolt while it was swinging 3 feet in the air. Quite a trauma for us both! He didn't use the house again that winter, but used it again the following winter. If it's cold enough, Blacky will use her house again, but probably not for a while. I agree with others that right now that the main concern is getting Blacky through this particular crisis--all the other future concerns can be handled later on.

No, I'm not even going to try to trap her anymore. I swrewed up big time this morning. I went to feed her and while she was on the breezway I tried to close the door. She ran out and went under the house again next door.

I just pray she comes back to her house, it has a heated mat in it and she'll be warmer.

I think she has lost weight and a little weak but otherwise looks ok

Don't beat yourself up over this. You trapped her once successfully to get her spayed, right? If she's well enough to run, then she's not doing too badly. You've done a lot for this cat, and she knows you're her caregiver, even if she gets scared easily (as all ferals do).  If she really needs to see a vet, you'll find a way to catch her. In the mean time, continue to provide shelter and food for her--she'll return. She returned after months of captivity in the breezeway, and she will return again, probably today.

Update:  Blacky was in her house when I got home around 2pm.  She came on the breezeway and at "a little", then went back in her house. 

For some reason, she doesn't eat near her house, only outside of it.  Does anybody know if that is typical, like them not going 1 or 2 where they sleep?

I hope she stays in her house so I can keep an eye on her. Getting more snow tomorrow to Sunday, 12-16"      I am now just putting the food on the breezeway and going in the house to watch her from the window so she feels safe.

Good luck to all who are in the same  position as me.  Try not to worry that much.  I know I lost sleep last night.

I am so glad she is still there.  Are you heating the food so she can smell it.  This is really important.  It doesn't have to be hot, just warmed.  Keep an eye on her and make sure she is safe when the next batch of snow comes through.  I cannot imagine getting all of that snow.  We just have the cold right now.

Thanks for updating.

Yes, I am heating the food to a nice warm.  I went out to see if I could enclose the house area a little more so wind and snow wouldn't go in and gave her a couple of freeze dried chicken treats I went back out a minute later to put dry food and the treats were gone so I put a bunch more.  Hopefully she'll eat them.  I don't want to disturb her too much because the first time I tried to put the treat at the edge of her house and she went to swipe me. 

Thanks for sharing your experiences too ShadowsRescue and Ms. Aimee.  It means a lot and help me know I'm not alone.

When I first built my shelter for the first winter, I know it sounds crazy, but I sprayed some liquid catnip inside to make it smell more attractive for them to come in and check it out.  Just putting the thought out there.  Maybe way out there but-------------.  Again just a thought.

@feline03  you mentioned trying to trap her in her house. I use my three cat carriers as beds around the house and several times when I've needed to get one of them to the vet I've just waited until they were taking a nap, closed the door and taken them in. They still use the carriers as beds. You just need to make sure you wash all the bedding and clean the carrier or cat house to get rid of the vet smell.

I also used to use my trap, disguised inside a cardboard box and wrapped in a blanket, as a feeding station for my feral cats. They still came back to be fed, even after they'd been TNR'd. I had two other feeding stations that were just cardboard boxes lined up with the trap and box.

Just in case you think you really need to get her to the vet and trapping her in her house seems like the only option.

That's a great idea Norachan, however, I will have to try that in the spring.  I can hardly get her to come out to eat.  She has been staying in her heated house but rarely comes out.  This morning, when I went to check on her she did eat almost all the dry food I left for her and came out.  She drank some water but didn't eat any wet food and went back in her house.  Go figure.  I have realized I can't Make her Eat and can't Control her.  So I will just continue to do what I am doing and hope for the best.  Tomorrow we are getting another 12 inches of snow.  I just hope she stays in her house and doesn't freak out with the noise of the snow blower. 

Hi Norachan,

Can you please read my post under Weather Anxieties.  I would like your opinion suggestions.

Thanks,

IMPORTANT FEEING QUESTION

I have not seen Blacky since the last snow storm on Monday since she left her house . She is not coming when I call her.  I have left a 1/4 of a cup of grain free dry food out every morning and when I check to see if she is back in her house around 5pm, most of the food has been eaten with a little left in the bowl.  My instinct tells me that "she" is coming back to eat and then leaving because if it were another animal, none of the food would be left in the bowl. 

My question is, should I not leave food out tomorrow morning so she will be hungry and come when I call her at 5pm.  Or just keep leaving the food out in the AM for her as I have been doing.  A 1/4 of a cup is half of what she should be eating and I don't want her to be hungry but on the same token, I would like to see here and know she is all right.

Any comments/suggestions.

Thanks a lot.

Now is not the time to withhold food for any reason. Leave a full cup of food ouy for her so she can eat whenever hungry. Since there are no other cats around you can leave food out around the clock (changing it at least once a day) . Wildlife won't come out in less than 20 degrees or deep snow. Leave a coating of snow around outside the breezeway so you can see paw prints in the snow to see if she's coming atound. Keep us osted, I'm worried too about my feral too

Good suggestion with the snow.  I'll do that tomorrow morning.  It is funny how she is not eating all the food in the bowl.  She leaves a little and it is still there in the morning.  Even when she was coming two times a day to eat, her normal portion I gave her was a 1/3 of a can of high quality wet food and 1/8 cup dry and she ate most of it.  I don't think she is a big eater.  Even when she was missing for a week and showed up she ate a little more than 1/2 can wet and went back in her house.    I hope I see her in the AM.  Will keep you posted.  Good luck with yours too.