Making Things Simpler When Feeding Feral Cats

[surya]

I have two colonies and several different feeding stations. I feed most of the cats twice a day and I'm getting irritated with the number of dishes I have to wash. Once in a while I use disposable plates, but they tend to blow away. I also am trying a tray with water and set the food bowl inside, to keep away ants. That's kind of a hassle to bring water and set up. The biggest group, I sometimes just pour it on the sidewalk. The neighbor puts her leftovers in the bowls and makes a mess. I was thinking about buying some bowls with a moat, but they are kind of spendy. So I'm just complaining. I want a cheap easy solution.

 

[trudy1]

I always used a piece of plywood big enough that everybody had about a foot of their space. That was eight-nine cats. Another colony was under an abandoned farm house so I just fed them on the steps. Another group I just feed on the sidewalk. As long as it’s dry and you don’t overfeed where there is a lot of food laying around. They will show you by walking away when they’ve eaten enough. Take a wisk broom with you to brush feeding surface off occasionally.
Two colonies twice daily...wow...you are a “cat champion!”

 

[surya]

Thanks Trudy1. I only feed my dumpster colony once a day, because they are farther away. And maybe I should cut down on the food I feed at my apartment complex. It's hard for me to think about doing that because I don't want my fur kids to be hungry. Have you figured out how much you feed of dry cat food per cat? Sometimes they have leftovers, but some of the cats don't come out and eat till all the people are gone, so I want some left for them. I am having a problem with ants getting in their food, and then they don't want to eat it.

 

[maggiedemi]

I can tell you how much my 2 former ferals eat. They get fed twice a day at 7am and 7pm. They like their wet food and dry food on separate plates. They each get 3/4 can of Friskies and 3/8 cup dry food per day split in 2 meals. So that's about 1/4 cup canned food and 1/8 cup plus 1 Tablespoon dry food each twice a day.

 

[Tobermory]

Regarding the ants, I have no idea if either of these two things will work, but...

• I’ve read that ants won’t cross a chalk line. I don’t know if it’s true. But when you feed on pavement, you might try drawing a chalk circle around the area where you put the food.
• I’m currently having issues with ants in my kitchen. I mentioned it to the farm manager at the animal sanctuary where I volunteer, and he said he took Frontline flea spray and sprayed it around the foundation of his house and the ant problem stopped. You could try the chalk circle idea but with Frontline.

 

[surya]

I can tell you how much my 2 former ferals eat. They get fed twice a day at 7am and 7pm. They like their wet food and dry food on separate plates. They each get 3/4 can of Friskies and 3/8 cup dry food per day split in 2 meals. So that's about 1/4 cup canned food and 1/8 cup plus 1 Tablespoon dry food each twice a day.

Thanks Maggie, I don't usually feed these guys wet food. Just once in a while when I get some donated to me. It sounds like if you just fed them dry food, maybe it would be about 3/4 of a cup per day.

 

[surya]

Regarding the ants, I have no idea if either of these two things will work, but...

• I’ve read that ants won’t cross a chalk line. I don’t know if it’s true. But when you feed on pavement, you might try drawing a chalk circle around the area where you put the food.
• I’m currently having issues with ants in my kitchen. I mentioned it to the farm manager at the animal sanctuary where I volunteer, and he said he took Frontline flea spray and sprayed it around the foundation of his house and the ant problem stopped. You could try the chalk circle idea but with Frontline.

I am sprinkling diatomaceous earth around their food. The moat method does work, it's just a pain. I heard about the chalk too. I'll check out the frontline spray too. If it doesn't cost too much I will try it.

 

[Willowy]

I figure dry food at 1 cup a day per cat. That's usually around 400 calories, which should be enough even for pregnant/nursing females, big tough toms, and cats outside in the cold. There are usually about 4 cups per pound. So that's an easy way to estimate how much food to put out.

Unless you have fire ants or some other kind of nasty biting ant, I figure ants are just there. The cats don't seem to mind eating them. Nutritious!

 

[surya]

I feed them Purina One. Once in a while I get a donated bag of Meow Mix and I mix it in. I don't like Meow Mix, because a vet told me once it is junk food. I'm wondering if there are alternatives to Purina One that would be healthier, but not more expensive. I need to save money if I can, but I don't want to feed them crapp.

 

[maggiedemi]

Purina Cat Chow has a new Grain-Free dry food. I'm not sure if it's any healthier. Here's the link:
Cat Chow Naturals Grain-Free With Real Chicken Dry Cat Food

 

[surya]

Purina Cat Chow has a new Grain-Free dry food. I'm not sure if it's any healthier. Here's the link:
Cat Chow Naturals Grain-Free With Real Chicken Dry Cat Food

It sounds like it should be healthier. Thanks.

 

[maggiedemi]

Surya, just wanted to let you know that I tried the new Grain-Free Cat Chow and it gave my cats diarrhea. They are fine on the regular one, so I guess they need a little grain in their diet. I got a bag of 4health from Tractor Supply, that one has rice, but no wheat, corn, or soy. We'll see how they do on that one.

 

[surya]

Surya, just wanted to let you know that I tried the new Grain-Free Cat Chow and it gave my cats diarrhea. They are fine on the regular one, so I guess they need a little grain in their diet. I got a bag of 4health from Tractor Supply, that one has rice, but no wheat, corn, or soy. We'll see how they do on that one.

Thanks, Let me know if they like the new food.