Taming feral cats

[CyborgQueen]

Yep; a slightly crazy family, but family all the same. The Mom and her kitten (Taco and Callie) have taken to climbing onto our neighbors' roofs for their afternoon naps. So far, they seem to be getting up and down just fine, but it makes me nervous. We really lucked out in that our neighbors are all animal people who don't seem the least bit bothered by the cats. One of them is going to feed them while we're out of town.

We're now trying to decide what kind of shelter to use this winter. There's a local carpenter who builds them for a reasonable fee. We might do that or rig our own.

Shelter - If you're getting it built, I would make it something similar to a chicken coop. where the floor of the shelter is raised by about 2 feet off ground (in case of snow), Instead of a open door, put a dog flap in there to prevent wind getting in there...Put old blankets in there, and your feral will be happy. You can put food/water bowl in there.

Here's a link that I just found.....good pictures for ideas!! GOOGLE IMAGES (ugh...I just noticed a pic of a dead kitty...I apologize for that!!)

Here's a good link for Winter shelters: http://www.neighborhoodcats.org/HOW_TO_FERAL_CAT_WINTER_SHELTER


As for water - obviously, replace it daily. If it freezes, don't worry about it, they can live without water for a day. Ferals are probably going to eat snow anyways. It would be better if you use a dome shape water bowl. Easier to get the ice out.


My mom's feral cat mostly lives in a small shed protected by the winter winds/snow. However, she has a old dog igloo with hay (replaced every quarter) on a pallet (gives a few inches of clearance from snow). She's still around after 5 years (she got spayed after delivering a litter...which one of them is owned by mom). She lives in NJ, so she gets a lot of winter storms.

Good luck!!