How do I get my ferals to sleep in their houses?

[feralvr]

YAY for Little Dot. Her own private little castle So far my villa has NOT been used . It has gotten very cold here at night. I loaded a bit more straw into the villa. It is butted up to my deck with one of the door openings facing underneath the deck so the cat's can choose to enter from under the deck or from the outside. I am hoping when it starts getting super cold it will be used. So far I don't have the heating pad out. That will only go in when temps are hovering around fifteen degrees or below. The villa seems very well insulated and windproof so I think the heating pad is not needed until very, very cold, extreme temps.

 

[bastetservant]

Grenval is not using her Feralvilla either.

Good for Little Dot!


Robin

 

[Primula]

hmmmmmmm . . .

Well, if she doesn't like catnip, what else could draw her into this beautiful, comfy little house I bought just for her?


Robin

Give her time. Cats don't like to be rushed. She needs to feel that the decision to enter the house is hers and that she feels 100% safe there. Outside cats have a great fear of being locked in and not being able to escape. When she is ready she will go in.
 

 

[ldg]

:lol3: It's taken three years for our feral villa to get used.

 

[bastetservant]

Well, I think, I think, I think that Grenval has been, at least, in her little house. For the second time, I sprinkled Temptations treats in the Fetalvilla, including on the second level. And again, for the second time, they are gone.

Maybe she is just going in to eat the treats. But I think the more often she goes in, the more comfortable she will be there. I hope.

Robin

 

[ldg]

:lol3: Can't resist the "temptation."

And yes, I'm sure it'll help her feel more comfortable!

 

[feralvr]

YAY for Temptations. :scratch: I wonder if that would work for Willow..... Temptations. So far, no one has used the villa. But I have a feeling when it gets very, very cold it will be very inviting at that point :nod:

 

[feralvr]

:lol3: It's taken three years for our feral villa to get used.

:nothappy: Well - at least there is hope ( for the future ) :lol3:

 

[jcribbs]

I didn't read the whole thread but I do know how I got mine to use rubbermaid crates.

We used the large crates also at one time.  And if the crates were just sitting "out there" they would not use them.

What we had to do is tarp an area around the crates so it gave the cats the impression of it being a little room.   Our tarped area was aprox 6x6 feet but only about 3' tall.  We put the crates inside that area and covered the bottom with stray as well.

They loved it.

But until we tarped an area around the crates, they were unused.

 

[bastetservant]

That's interesting, jcribbs, about creating a little room around your shelters. How did you do this? You used a tarp, but what did you put the tarp over? Just the shelters, or did you have some kind of frame? Did you hold the tarp down with bricks?

Details, please!

Robin

 

[feralvr]

Pictures too, if you can . I can't imagine we could use a tarp here in the Midwest with the high wind's we get, if it came loose and flapped around, that iin itself would scare the cat's away. I have moved my feeding shelter, which is the bottom of a very large Vari dog kennel turned over, very close to the villa. The villa is now getting used. It is right up against my deck with one of the entrances having access to underneath the deck. The second level has not been used, yet.