Starting Feral Cat Caretaker

I just met my shining angel!!!! I am terrified of strangers and dreaded having to go introduce myself to the people behind me. Tonight I finally put my big girl panties on and went knocking on their door. No one home. The neighbor next to them was out on the porch and started talking to me so I told him what it was about. Then his wife came out. They are both really happy someone is doing this!!!! "Set up your cages anytime. Even if we're not here. Do what you got to do."

I asked about the neighbor not home. They will talk go her. Quite sure she'll be no problem. Did warn them neighbors next to me not really helpful and well basically hate me. They know the woman. Said "That woman got no say about what goes on in my yard."

This is so wonderful!  So happy they are so supportive.  Your job will be so much easier.

And good for you for "putting on your big girl panties."  

Wow, eleven showed for breakfast! Including another new one with similar markings to a couple of others.

Definitely working on shelter today. Tired of waiting on downstairs neighbor to mow like he keeps saying he's going to. Has put it off 4 days in a row..yawn. New shelters may come tommorow!

Question: One female that was just nuetered 5/31 did not show signs of lactating then. Today she does? Checked ear for tip same cat not my bad eyesight.

Her hormones may be a little wonky from the spay.  As long as her incision has healed, she should be OK.

Curious about how you make the shelters or do you buy them?

I haven't bought any little cat houses. I've been making do with material at hand. I did purchase the materials that went into making the lean to tent housing the shelters. I will try to get pictures tonight or tomorrow. Had rough day trying to build tent portion with a couple of cats insisting on helping. Looks really rough at the moment.

Shelters coming from Humane Society were made as some sort of school project. All I have been told is they have been painted bright colors and are decorated with cat toys. I am sure I am going to love having more shelters regardless of how they look.

Have been recruited to go around to local businesses to ask if they will display Humane Society posters. Why me? Ok, Ill

Problem typing.

Anyhow I am going to do it. Rather face a firing squad but gonna do it. Two companies I used to work for both sent me to public speaking classes and both companies wasted their money.

I'm with you.  I'd rather rip my tongue out than ask for help.  But ya do what ya gotta do.

I wasn't sure if your shelters were wood, made from totes or what.  I'm going to start making the totes shelters again for a local feral cat program.  I made about 250 of them when I was in Jersey and I am looking forward to making more.

Do you have a picture of totes? Are they hard to make?

Shelter still pretty rough shape. No hospital corners yet if you know what I mean. Styrofoam boxes free not great but good for now.

Feedings went pretty good today. Lady next door and her daughter keep making nasty comments in my direction. I am just ignoring them. At least they are staying out of my yard.

Shelters didn't come today. Cleared with landlord putting out the shelters without tarp covering them. The kids who made them would like pictures of some cats using them. Landlords cool with that.

You can buy large enough totes and put the styrofoam coolers inside them.  You will need to cut an opening into both but that's not hard.  I use 6" PVC piping, cut to ten-inch lengths as a "porthole" for entry.

Here are two pics of the ones I build.  I use the 36 gallon Rubbermaid totes for the outside and the 18 gallon Rubbermaid tote for the inside.  (These pix are of shelters that had been outside, so they are dirty)

I cut 1" flat styrofoam insulation to fit in the bottom. Once the bottom piece in in place, I measure and cut the porthole openings on both totes and put the PVC into place.  Then I pour styrofoam packing peanuts into the sides to about an inch from the top edge.  Shake the shelter to pack them down.  I use spray foam to top them off, so they don't blow out.  Put the lid on the inner tote and top it off with another 1" piece of flat insulation cut to fit.  That's the light blue piece standing up in the second picture.  The darker blue is the lid to the inner tote.

You can use that rubberized spray that waterproofs things around the porthole to seal it in place and prevent leaks.  Fill the inside tote with straw and they are nice and cozy.


I try to buy the latching totes for the outside and the regular push-on type of lid for the inside.


I made some of these almost six years ago for a lady with a large colony and she is still using them.  Another lady lined hers up on top of pallets and them topped them with a piece of plywood to which she has secured a tarp.  She said that helps keep the lids from deteriorating.

Some people use the flat insulation on the sides but I've found it easier to use peanuts.  They fill in the spaces between the totes.  Make sure to use the spray foam to keep them in place.

A couple questions:

Spray foam? Saw a lot of different kinds when I tried looking up.....confused. Sorry.

One entry/exit is ok?

I really like the looks of these. Must be much easier go clean too. These Styrofoam things are impossible to clean. I'm going to try making after the expenses of nuetering. Thanks for including the sizes of the totes used too (very helpful).

It is spray foam insulation - you can get it at Lowes and Home Depot or the hardware store.  Prices vary wildly, so check.  I usually use one can or less per tote.  I really just use to it keep the peanuts from flying out when you take off the lid.  It hardens about an hour after spraying, so a thin layer is fine.  I've used it around the portholes but it melts when it gets wet, so use the rubberizing stuff instead.

I usually only put in one entrance - the totes are too small for two; there'd be no room for cats inside.   You could try two, if you could put one entrance facing a wall to keep the wind out.

Most of the people I made them for had established colonies with bonded members.  The shelter will hold two cats comfortably.  Some cats in the colonies wanted one all to themselves.

Depending on the costs of totes, these can cost more than $50 each.  I always buy the totes on sale - Walmart and Dollar General are good sources.  Target, too, sometimes and Lowes has the smaller ones.

And yes, the coolers are a bugger to clean.  Other than lining them, I can't figure out how to keep them decent.  But if they're cheap or free, well worth a season's worth of shelter.

I agree while not ideal these Styrofoam boxes will work well enough for now. Time now to focus on more important things like getting everyone nuetered. Right now the cats are fed at regular times and have some kind of shelter available. They are starting to look much healthier, no more missing patches of fur and not as skinny. Not fighting anywhere as much either.

Lady next door upset because of the cats coming to be fed. I don't care, if a cat shows up at mealtime it gets fed. I am not going to chase anyone away. Besides what cat ever thought it belongs to any human?

You are right.  Fixing them all and ensuring their future health are priorities.  Feeding is next.

If they are coming from other homes/yards, you may not need too many shelters.  Whatever shelters you provide will be used, so you may want to think about providing free hotel rooms for everyone who is just visiting!

We had a caretaker who kept asking for shelters - I think I gave her more than 10.  Finally, someone asked her how many cats she had.  She said eight but the neighbors cats liked them too!

OMG!!! Nope I don't want to start running a cat motel.

Humane Society called today apparently cat shelters made as a school project are unsuitable for outdoor cats. So not getting any of those. Neighbor 2 doors behind me still very happy to let us trap in her yard. Unfortunately TNR is so busy the next trappings will happen mid-July. That seems like a million years from now.

Rudy is missing. I scolded him last night and I think he may be sulking somewhere. He was trying to hog all the food and snarling at any cat trying to get in tent. Hopefully he'll come to dinner.

Hopefully, your July trappings go well and Rudy gets over his snit.  

Rudy showed up for dinner. He managed to alternately give me the cold shoulder and nudge my hand with the food scoop so more food would fall on his plate. Some kind of cat politics going on. More males than females and each male seems to want to be top cat. Not nearly as bad as it was before nuetering though.

Do wish some of these cats would go back to being more standoffish. Bandit made a real nuisance of herself when I tried working on tent last night. She kept climbing on my head?!?!

Also someone left me a gift of a squirrels tale this morning. Neatly layed out on the steps I go down on to feed them.

They love you!