Caring For Family Of Strays. Winter Is Coming.

[Bojim]

I guess about 6 months ago or so, we started feeding a couple strays that showed up in our back yard. We thought the little female had a home cuz her fur was real shiny and we could approach her. The big male wouldn't let us get near him but would eat as soon as we went back inside. The little one seemed to be looking in our back door several times a day. Turns out she was nursing two babies and needed to keep herself going. She finally brought the babies over so we started feeding them too.

After they all got pretty comfortable hanging around, we trapped them all and sent them to the shelter to be spayed and neutered. Austin is no kill and they released them a few days later right in our front yard. Now we have a family in the back and our 4 rescue indoor/outdoor cats have the front. Had 5 but had to put one down. I'm sure I'll post that sometime.

I'm concerned about the winter. When it get's cold, what do we do? The kids are approachable so it probably won't take much to get them out of the cold. I think the parents have been through a winter here so they might have a nice den someplace. Also, we are renting and may only be there a couple more years and we can't adopt 4 more cats that are very independent anyway. We're already the crazy cat people. And Hi by the way. - Bojim

 

[maggiedemi]

The babies might be able to be adopted out, if you can socialize them. Can you take the two adults with you when you buy a house, as outdoor cats?

 

[DeweytheLion]

There is an easy solution for this problem.
You can find instructions in videos online, but basically you take large storage bins(plastic tubs), one a bit smaller so it can fit in the other one. Cut a hole in each of them so they line up and a cat can enter. Before finishing put hay in the bottom of the biggest bin, put the smaller one in and put more hay around the second one. It's insulation so they'll need a lot of it to keep them warm. You can buy cheap baby blankets from some thrift store and place them on the inner bin so the cat doesn't go sit on cold plastic.
You make make several of these for them to sleep in.

 

[catsknowme]

I like the various box suggestions. For outside boxes not on a porch or in a shed, I put them on wood pallets and under a plastic-draped work table. I also have a "longhouse" of sturdy tarps draped over a swingset frame battened down with plywood and sturdy ropes (our temps get -0° and the winds easily exceed 100+mph).
One of the cats' favorite boxes is a huge styrofoam chest with 2 holes cut out and lined with thermo-batting topped with faux sheep-wool. I have a large yard so I also have a small tipi made with branches and old blankets, encased in blankets with baskets of clean, dried leaves inside. The porch has a mini-longhouse that is just a plastic table folded part way into an 'A' shape and covered with thick blankets with catbeds inside. Basically, any outer structure with an shape will contain warmth best.
Bless you for caring for that little cat family - your good deeds have prevented an explosion of unwanted kittens born to a fate of fear and suffering.

 

[orange&white]

Hi Bojim!

Let me make sure I have the right picture. You have a total of 8? 4 indoor/outdoor (who will stay inside during bad weather?) and the new family of 4 feral/semi-feral? So you need outdoor winter housing for 4?

I'm in the Austin area too. If we have a winter like last year, we won't even get a freeze. But typical winters will have maybe a dozen nights in the high-teens or twenties with above freezing days, and possibly a couple of hard freezes or ice storms that last a few days where the temp doesn't get above freezing.

I'm also planning ahead, just for the one feral cat I TNR'd. She had babies at the shelter (Wilco) and they kept them, fostered them and found them homes. City of Austin rules are pretty crummy. Can't imagine having five cats dumped on me. Anyway...getting off topic.

For my one feral, I picked up an 18-gallon Sterilite tub on sale last week at HEB (2 for $8.00). I'm going to put Styrofoam peanuts in the bottom inch and center a cardboard box on top, then pour more peanuts around the rest of the box so there's 1" of insulation all around, and cut one door through the tub and box.

Hobby Lobby has clean straw bales on sale at 40% off retail. I picked a small one for $3.00. I may use that for bedding inside the cardboard box or a Walmart fleece throw ($2.50) or a combination of fleece and straw.

My feral is tiny (7.5 pounds) and she may be a little cramped, but will be able to comfortably curl up or sit in a loaf position (but not stretch out).

You could do something similar, but with a 30 gallon tub. I'm not sure that all that insulation is really required in this area...depends on the weather. You could probably just put straw or fleece blankets straight into the tub. If the whole family of 4 is using it, their body heat will be each other warm.

I'm also looking at ordering one of these microwave warming discs before the first freeze (usually around Thanksgiving). You have some time to plan.

It seems like with the heating disc, you probably don't need a double-walled insulated shelter, but I read some reviews that said the disc only held warmth a couple hours. Others said they lasted all night. Again, with multiple cats, they'll help keep each other warm.

 

[Bojim]

There is an easy solution for this problem.
You can find instructions in videos online, but basically you take large storage bins(plastic tubs), one a bit smaller so it can fit in the other one. Cut a hole in each of them so they line up and a cat can enter. Before finishing put hay in the bottom of the biggest bin, put the smaller one in and put more hay around the second one. It's insulation so they'll need a lot of it to keep them warm. You can buy cheap baby blankets from some thrift store and place them on the inner bin so the cat doesn't go sit on cold plastic.
You make make several of these for them to sleep in.

 

[Bojim]

Thanks. I like that and will look into it!

 

[Bojim]

Hi Bojim!

Let me make sure I have the right picture. You have a total of 8? 4 indoor/outdoor (who will stay inside during bad weather?) and the new family of 4 feral/semi-feral? So you need outdoor winter housing for 4?

I'm in the Austin area too. If we have a winter like last year, we won't even get a freeze. But typical winters will have maybe a dozen nights in the high-teens or twenties with above freezing days, and possibly a couple of hard freezes or ice storms that last a few days where the temp doesn't get above freezing.

I'm also planning ahead, just for the one feral cat I TNR'd. She had babies at the shelter (Wilco) and they kept them, fostered them and found them homes. City of Austin rules are pretty crummy. Can't imagine having five cats dumped on me. Anyway...getting off topic.

For my one feral, I picked up an 18-gallon Sterilite tub on sale last week at HEB (2 for $8.00). I'm going to put Styrofoam peanuts in the bottom inch and center a cardboard box on top, then pour more peanuts around the rest of the box so there's 1" of insulation all around, and cut one door through the tub and box.

Hobby Lobby has clean straw bales on sale at 40% off retail. I picked a small one for $3.00. I may use that for bedding inside the cardboard box or a Walmart fleece throw ($2.50) or a combination of fleece and straw.

My feral is tiny (7.5 pounds) and she may be a little cramped, but will be able to comfortably curl up or sit in a loaf position (but not stretch out).

You could do something similar, but with a 30 gallon tub. I'm not sure that all that insulation is really required in this area...depends on the weather. You could probably just put straw or fleece blankets straight into the tub. If the whole family of 4 is using it, their body heat will be each other warm.

I'm also looking at ordering one of these microwave warming discs before the first freeze (usually around Thanksgiving). You have some time to plan.

It seems like with the heating disc, you probably don't need a double-walled insulated shelter, but I read some reviews that said the disc only held warmth a couple hours. Others said they lasted all night. Again, with multiple cats, they'll help keep each other warm.

 

[Bojim]

We have 4 of our own indoor/outdoor cats and 4 strays/feral outside. We can approach 1 baby pretty easy and the other one's getting there. The mother sometimes and the father never. I think the older ones remember the trapping, fixing and re-dumping too well. I'm pretty sure the parents probably holed up someplace last winter. We'll do what we can for them and they will be fine. They already are getting 'solid'.

 

[Bojim]

Thks for the kind words. Went to Mexico last year and spent quite a few bucks buying tacos for all the stray cats and dogs we saw. Next year it's Havana and they have a really bad problem and nobody cares. I hope I have many allergy attacks there so people will think that's the reason my eye's are leaking. ;-)

 

[Bojim]

The babies might be able to be adopted out, if you can socialize them. Can you take the two adults with you when you buy a house, as outdoor cats?

 

[Bojim]

We put a blerb about the cats in our HOA website and now most of the residents are up in arms cuz they think we are bring stray's in. Idiots. They've settled down a bit but we're keeping quiet now. We have another sight for all the surrounding neighborhoods so that will be the next try. Ya, trying to get the babies real social so that's a good possibility. The parents won't let us get near them. If they're hanging around the back patio, they bolt when we come out with food. They come back to eat when we go back inside. They get hard and canned food. Getting a bit expensive but no kids here so we got money. ;-)

Since we've been feeding them we now have a racoon that comes around and is fearless. Used to come through the dam cat door and trash the kitchen. Now we keep food away from there unless there's cats to feed and lock the cat door at night. Cats can get out but can't get back in till morning. They just climb a tree by the balcony to the bedroom and scratch on the door till I let them back in. 10 mins. later the cycle continues. Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!

 

[orange&white]

I only feed my backyard feral three scheduled meals a day and sit on the patio with her while she eats. Otherwise, I'd have a raccoon, a possum and a whole army of community cats hanging out here.

HOA's and nosy neighbors in general can get you in trouble, so it's good you're laying low. We have a city ordinance for a maximum ownership of 6 cats and 6 dogs. If anyone filed a complaint, it would be up to the opinion of some city code enforcement inspector to determine if you own the feral cats or not. If you're feeding them, they are likely to say you do own them...so they could charge a hefty fine. There is no money for the city coffers if they simply let you help community cats and look the other way.

I hope you're able to find good homes for all the kittens.

 

[Bojim]

I guess about 6 months ago or so, we started feeding a couple strays that showed up in our back yard. We thought the little female had a home cuz her fur was real shiny and we could approach her. The big male wouldn't let us get near him but would eat as soon as we went back inside. The little one seemed to be looking in our back door several times a day. Turns out she was nursing two babies and needed to keep herself going. She finally brought the babies over so we started feeding them too.

After they all got pretty comfortable hanging around, we trapped them all and sent them to the shelter to be spayed and neutered. Austin is no kill and they released them a few days later right in our front yard. Now we have a family in the back and our 4 rescue indoor/outdoor cats have the front. Had 5 but had to put one down. I'm sure I'll post that sometime.

I'm concerned about the winter. When it get's cold, what do we do? The kids are approachable so it probably won't take much to get them out of the cold. I think the parents have been through a winter here so they might have a nice den someplace. Also, we are renting and may only be there a couple more years and we can't adopt 4 more cats that are very independent anyway. We're already the crazy cat people. And Hi by the way. - Bojim

It got down to 50 last night so I put a couple cat house size cardboard boxes on the patio during the day so they'd get used to them being there. I put a bunch of towels down in each one a few layers thick. Threw a bunch of wash clothes and dis towel in so they bury themselves it they wanted. I covered both boxes with a doubled over moving pad (very think) and left a small door in each one. I think a couple cats in each one would be warm. I didn't know if they'd try it cuz 50 might not be cold enough yet. Anyway it looks good. I'd sleep there if I could fit. Shined a flashlight in both of them this morning as I was feeding them and it looked like someone had been in one and the other one was full of the neighbors cat so I know he liked it. Had to fight the damn raccoon as I was feeding them. He's fearless. Brought the food in till he finally left. I've been leaving some dim lights on at night in the kitchen and putting a small radio by the cat door tuned to a talk radio station so I could leave the cat door unlocked. It works! Raccoon thinks somebody's home. See if he catches on.