Bitter cold - to bring my two boys inside or not

Hi all,

I'll try and keep this as brief as possible, though I have a great knack for being long winded, so advanced apologies.

We have a rather small feral colony that lives primarily on our back patio.  It's a covered patio, we have tarps up on all sides to prevent the wind from blowing in.  There are probably 8-10 'beds' for the cats, from a dog house to a wheelbarrow with a doghouse lid over it, and a hollowed out tv stand.  All have straw and solar blankets in them to try and make as warm as possible.  And against my better judgement I use two standing heaters on the colder nights.  I'm not sure how much it really helps, but it makes me feel like I'm doing at least something.  I tend not to worry quite as much about the feals on our back patio because of it.  Most, if not all of them, are not friendly.  They'll come for food, but we can't pet them, and they're clearly still scared of us.  We're slowly trying to go through and vaccinate and TNR them, but with my work schedule, my free time to do these things is at a premium, and my elderly mother isn't capable of doing it by herself.

My real problem is the two twins that instead of sleeping out back on the patio, are content to stay around the front of my property.  I have a pick up truck that i don't use during the winter because of lack of 4 wheel drive.  I have an old mattress over the top of the bed, a tarp over that, with plenty of straw in the bed itself, creating a bit of a cave with a very small opening for them to get in and out of.  I know they use it because when I come home from work and come up my driveway, they come out of the truck to greet me.  They're quite friendly, they follow me right under my feet, let me pet them, rub their heads, I can even pick them up and put them back in the bed of the truck.  I've been thinking of bringing them indoors, but  I have a 3 year old female that still is a scaredy cat and refuses to not hide if someone other than myself or my mother is in he house.  I'm worried for her well being with two new additions.

I'm very worried about the impending cold here.  I was going to let the boys into my garage for the night, but I have a few concerns.  One,they are not vaccinated yet, so I don't want to chance something passing to my indoor female.  Two, I'm concerned that if I trap them in the garage for a few days, or even just overnight, it will shatter the trust they have in me.  And 3, my garage is a bit of a mess, I don't want them getting into something that could hurt them, but I don't know how I could contain them without crating them overnight and that would surely scare them.

I worry ridiculously for these animals.  I'm not sure emotionally I'm built for taking care and having pets, because my blood pressure is through the roof half the time,and other times I can't sleep because I'm just so concerned if they're safe, if they're warm, are they running across the street and going to get hit?  I hate it!  But they're also my babies too, and I can't imagine just letting them fend for themselves.  It's such a dilemma.

Any advice?

And yeah, so much for not being long winded.

Bringing them inside will tick them off but it will not shatter their trust. Having said that, though, i wouldn't bring them inside without a vet check and shots. No sense in exposing your resident cat. The garage is only a possibiity if you can clean it up. They may panic at being locked in and running around, may get hurt.

So, even though the truck is not the best, it is way more than many outside cats have. Do you feed them under cover? A small feeding station is needed - even a plastic tote turned on its side wil do. Your description of the truck bed sounds nice and cozy, so they should be fine with hunkering down there.

We all worry about them getting hit or wandering away. These two may be at odds with the back yard crew, so they've staked out their own territory. Providing them with sleeping quarters and their own feeding area is helping them more than you know!

Yes, we have part of the front porch sectioned off as a feeding station.  They get wet food twice daily, fresh water, and we keep a bowl of dry food full for them.  All under cover in the corner of the porch.

I have seen both of them out back at times, a few times taking a nap on one of the cushions on the not as cold days.  So I'm not sure why they prefer to stay out front.  Maybe they actually like the truck and the feeling of having a 'house' of their own?

They do seem to want to come inside.  I'll open the front door to feed them and they're halfway in the door by the time I get outside on the porch.  And I love the little guys.  But I just am so concerned with how my female, also a rescued feral, our first actually, will react.  Both the boys swat, when I handle them I tend to wear thicker leather gloves just so I don't get knicked.  It doesn't seem in a mean way, they just see something moving at them, and instinct is to swat at it.  It's why I haven't vaccinated them yet though, because if I'm going to bring them indoors permanently, that's when I want to do it.  Not take them to the vet and then let them back outside again.  They're also bonded to another feral cat that we've had a while, and I hate the idea of taking them away from her.  But she's one that I don't think I could adapt to indoor living.  We tried it once about two years ago and I've never heard a cat make such a warble in my life lol

Ugh, I hate winter.  I just don't know what to do.  But my primary concern is my indoor cat, she needs to be comfortable, this is her home and I don't want to make her feel like it's not.

Thanks for the reply!

Great about their feeding station. They have first rate accommodations. The only way it may work is if you have a spare room just for them. That way, they can be kept separate from the resident cat until they are proved healthy and regular (slow) introductions can be started.

I hate winter, too, for a lot of reasons!

Do you have electricity on your porch?  If so you could use outdoor heat pads or even get a cat house that is heated.  My DH built a heated cat house that is heated with a Hound Heater.  I have also used a reptile bulb.

I too hate winter.  It is always such a worry.  Bitter cold is coming here too. 

ShadowsRescue said:

 
Do you have electricity on your porch?  If so you could use outdoor heat pads or even get a cat house that is heated.  My DH built a heated cat house that is heated with a Hound Heater.  I have also used a reptile bulb.

I too hate winter.  It is always such a worry.  Bitter cold is coming here too. 

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I do have electricity on my back porch and I have two portable heaters running.  I keep the back window curtains open and keep an eye on them because I'm not a fan of the idea of them getting tipped over. The problem with the porch is that it's large enough that it's the size of a living room, so the heaters probably aren't doing much.

I work so much that every time I get an idea for a project like building a house for them I never have the time to do it, and then it's cold weather all over again and I'm back to having stress all winter long.  That will have to be my summer project this year, though I'll probably need to build two of them since we have around 8 cats that come and go in the back right now.

If your porch is the size of a livingroom and is at least partially open then I would be concerned that all you are doing is running up your electric bill without much benefit to the cats.

Get some thermometers. Ideal would be min-max thermometers but they are pricey. Simple thermometers will work. Mount them in various places - near the heaters at porch level, a few feet away, raised up a couple of feet (hot air rises). And outside the porch to measure outdoor air temperature. Take readings and write them down.

It might be best to make some very simple Tupperware storage tote shelters and stuff them with straw. http://www.erubbermaid.com/roughneck-homes

Getting the cats out of the wind with straw to nest down into will do a lot to help them through cold weather - especially if they are well fed with a high calorie diet.

Here are a few pictures of my shelters.  It comfortably holds 2 cats, but could accommodate a third if needed.  I keep a thermometer sensor in there at all times so I can read it inside my house.  Earlier this winter it was -6 and windchills of -23.  The heated house never dropped below 32.  It was 6 when I got up this morning and the heated house was 50. The dimensions are 27w x 23d x 25h.

My DH and Ds built this in a day.  It is a must to insulate it.  We used Reflectix. 

Thanks Shadow.  That house is fantastic!

I'm more worried about the wind than anything right now.  We have a high wind warning tonight.  And while I have tarps on all four sides of my patio, that kind of wind could bring the tarps down.  And if it does, some of their containers could go flying and that really worries me.  I'm trying to think of a way to reinforce the tarps to make sure they stay up.,  The front two are tied into the rafters of the patio covering, but the ones on the side are hooked in.  I'm thinking maybe I could gorilla tape them to the siding and hope that holds?

The boys seem cold, and they both keep trying to get in.  The other cats seem content enough on the back patio.  I think I'm going to try and corral the boys into the garage tonight and tomorrow night.  I can't get them to the vet, but as long as they're in the garage I would assume I wouldn't need to worry about something spreading to my indoor, vaccinated cat.  There IS a local pet store having a clinic tomorrow morning for vaccinations and deworming but I'm concerned since they're ferals, friendly with me, but still ferals, and I don't want any accidents or something happening.  I was thinking of purchasing a ferret cage at the local pet store to contain them for the few coming days, but they're over 100 bucks and that seems wasteful as a short term solution.

A garage would be fine as long as the cats are contained and can't get into anything poisonous or try to hurt themselves.  Bringing the ferals inside to a spare room would not jeopardize the health of your indoor kitties.  If they were all together in a spare room and then you cleaned the room really well when they left, all should be fine. 

I too am worried about my structure.  It is a thick shed in a box and we have it bolted to the deck, but the winds are awful.  We are having gusts right now to 45mph.  The cats are so scared.  They keep running under the deck and then back to the shelter.  I know I can get one of them inside tonight if I need to, but not sure about the other.  Fortunately tomorrow the winds will be better just bitter cold. 

I hope the best for your kitties and all the others who are battling the cold.

I actually bought a large dog kennel at Tractor Supply tonight.  I'm going to put it in the garage, stuff it with some blankets, put a litter pan and some food in, and get the boys in there.  At least for Sunday and Monday.  It might be a decent trial run to see if they would be ok indoors, though I'm not a fan of penning them up and scaring them, I'd rather that then let them outside to potentially get hurt.  There's a TNR clinic on Wednesday that I might be able to get them to as well.

Now to just worry about the others on the patio.  God I hope the tarps hold.  We aren't getting the winds yet, but it's imminent now.  I'm also worried our power will go out which will knock the heaters out on the patio, nevermind in the house here.  I think I just need to move to the west coast lol  I just hate how stressed I am about this, I already have high blood pressure. Grr.

Best of luck to all the other feral moms and dads who are stuck in this awful northeast winter.

Sounds like a very good solution.  I think the cats will adjust and be just fine for a day or two.

I was just telling my husband tonight that I was worried about the power going out.  I know the heated house shouldn't drop below 30 and the cats should be just fine when it is only 30.  Yet if the power goes out I think they will be miserable.  Dh and I use a sound machine while we sleep so at least I would know the power went out.

Keep safe.

pipervali said:

I actually bought a large dog kennel at Tractor Supply tonight.  I'm going to put it in the garage, stuff it with some blankets, put a litter pan and some food in, and get the boys in there.  At least for Sunday and Monday.  It might be a decent trial run to see if they would be ok indoors, though I'm not a fan of penning them up and scaring them, I'd rather that then let them outside to potentially get hurt.  There's a TNR clinic on Wednesday that I might be able to get them to as well.

Now to just worry about the others on the patio.  God I hope the tarps hold.  We aren't getting the winds yet, but it's imminent now.  I'm also worried our power will go out which will knock the heaters out on the patio, nevermind in the house here.  I think I just need to move to the west coast lol  I just hate how stressed I am about this, I already have high blood pressure. Grr.

Best of luck to all the other feral moms and dads who are stuck in this awful northeast winter.

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I can relate to you guys! I've been feeding and befriending a feral male for a year now. Last winter we couldn't get anywhere near him so all wee could do was feed him and hope for the best. Once the weather got better I started sitting outside near him while he ate and after months and months of that I finally got the signal that he wanted to be petted. That was September, now he is one of the most affectionate cats I've ever known. He purrs and purrs and loves it. Tonight I even kissed his head and he was fine with it. But he doesn't like to be picked up and gets scared if he's in the garage and we close the door. He calms down if we pet him, but I suspect he is very scared when we leave. We have put him in there a few times when it was very cold, but then when we let him out he disappears for a day or two. And when he comes back he won't go near the garage. These past few weeks he's gotten some bites on his front paw, I assume from fights with other Tom cats. ( I haven't been able to get Zeus fixed yet. I'm afraid the whole process would traumatize him and he may not come around afterwards.) We debated on whether to leave him in the garage tonight, because we know it scares him, but it's so bitterly cold out that we went ahead and left him in there. I hope he's okay. We don't have any electrical outlets outside, and we already have 4 cats inside a small house so bringing him in here isn't an option now (especially since he chases my youngest cat who is a small black male). There is another feral cat outside, but it stays in a cat house we built, and it's still too untrusting to let us get near it or pick it up. I'm crossing my fingers that all of the outdoor babies will make it through this weather with no problems!
I'm glad that I found this forum.

I am dealing with several feral/stray cats (all TNRd several years ago). I put down new straw in the winter shelter, I hope it's enough. Two cats use it regularly. There are single family dwellings on top of the hill along with some run down sheds. I hope there is an opening in them that the cats can at least get out of the wind. (If a cat can fit its head in a hole, he can fit his entire body. That's how Ritz survived a 20" snow storm.)
There is a cat with a bum paw (probably newly sprained). I can pet her when I feed her. I regret now not catching her and bringing her home--I only saw her once. I've been feeding her since she was a kitten, but still feral.
On the other hand, I did take Hercules home and he is in the second bedroom. He has always been extraordinarily affectionate, head bumping me, and his weight fine. He finally peed after 24 hours and ate after 12. He may have a caretaker: but no cat should be out in this weather if there are options. (He may also have allergies/herpes: sneezes occasionally. Negative for FIV/FeLK.)
The colony is 1/2 hour from where I live, so I can't check on them regularly.
Vibes to all who take care of feral/stray/dumped cats and their human saviors.

I ended up grabbing the boys and putting them in the kennel last night.  They are not happy at all.  There was a small bit of warbling when I first put them in, but hen thy crawled into the corner of the cage on top of one another and haven't moved since. They haven't touched their food or water, and haven't used the litter pan at all. I've checked on them from time to time, gave them fresh wet food, they haven't gone near it. I'm having regrets about this now because they look so scared and traumatized.  

It's 8 degrees right now, winds at 30 mph with gusts higher and it's supposed to be -4 tonight.  I was contemplating letting them out because they look so traumatized, but I'm afraid they'll be disoriented and then take off and freeze in the elements tonight.  I feel terrible though, they're looking at me like I hurt them.  I was only trying to help them, but with as friendly as they have been I wasn't anticipating them reacting so poorly.

I would keep them in the kennel.  They may be unhappy, but it is the safest and warmest place for them.  Can you cover the kennel with a blanket or two to help calm them as well as to keep them warmer? 

Just tell them you are doing this for their safety and you are taking the best care of them possible.  Hopefully tomorrow they can be let back out.

As much as it hurts my heart to see them tucked back in the corner of the cage non responsive to the point they won't even look at me, I know they're warmer and safer where they are.  I'll release them before I head to work tomorrow afternoon, when the worst of the cold is over.  I just wish they'd eat something in the meantime.  They just look so dejected and it's making me feel awful.

I have two blankets in the kennel, and I have an old sleeping bag draped over the entirety of the cage besides the door in the front.  I left the light on in the garage last night, but perhaps tonight I should turn it off to make them feel more secure?

You are doing the very best for them.  My boys aren't eating much at all.  Shadow (the biggest baby of all) hasn't eaten much of anything in 2 days.  I even tried to tempt him with his favorite baby food and he won't touch it.  I know from the past winters that this is what he does when he is stressed.  He will eat like crazy in a few days.  For now I just keep offering. 

One tip is to warm the food.  It allows them to smell it easier.  I also add low sodium chicken broth that is warmed so it makes the wet food even easier to just lap up.