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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / November 2005Thanks for your advice on caring for strays
Our newest stray, who I've named "Ringo" because of his prominent, ringed tail, seems to be doing quite well, even though we can't provide a home indoors for him. We bought a pet carrier from a local thrift store, and lined it with plastic and newspapers. Then we put it in our backyard, wedged between our shed and house (invisible to any indoor windows, hopefully reducing the stress on our resident cats). I also installed a bird bath nearby with the dual purpose of watering our local birds and giving Ringo a place for a drink of water. The other night I went out back and surprised him, and saw him dash out of the carrier. It's definitely been used, shreds of newspaper being piled up near the entrance. Here in Minnesota, we're getting set for our first big snowfall and cold snap. Hopefully Ringo will have a warm place to hang out, until we can earn his trust and get him to the vet for neutering and innoculation. Thanks for you folks who have offered ideas on how to mitigate the suffering of these outdoor strays. It's such a sad situation - I saw the carcass of a car-struck cat very near our house yesterday. Someday, maybe, our collective efforts will outstrip the fecundity of these roaming cats. BLink > Our newest stray, who I've named "Ringo" because of his prominent, > ringed tail, seems to be doing quite well, even though we can't [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > BLink I rigged up a temporary shelter for a feral stray once.. I used a large Rubbermaid container, not too different from a pet carrier. It might help if you raise the carrier a few inches off the ground and insulate the bottom. Also, I found a down jacket at a thrift store, and cut/sewed a lining for the inside of the carrier. Sherry Glad you're taking care of Ringo, Brian. Minnesota has got to be a tough climate for strays. He'll appreciate the shelter. Styrofoam is good insulation, too. Maybe elevate it on that -- could even possibly put some on the sides. We have a plastic disk called "Snuggle Safe" for pets. It looks like 2 frisbees glued together, and is filled with a heatable gel. I believe Petco and Petsmart carry them. You just heat it in the microwave for several minutes and it stays warm for about 10 hrs. We used it with a towel or blanket on top for one of our cats. Maybe that could work for Ringo on the coldest days, too. Hope everyone is happy and warm, Rhonda > Our newest stray, who I've named "Ringo" because of his prominent, > ringed tail, seems to be doing quite well, even though we can't > provide a home indoors for him. > Our newest stray, who I've named "Ringo" because of his prominent, > ringed tail, seems to be doing quite well, even though we can't > provide a home indoors for him. <snip> Be sure to feed him more food, and higher-quality food now that it's cold. Warm dinners of cooked poultry (including fat) are especially appreciated by the outdoor cats in snowy weather. I used to buy whole chicken on sale, bake them, let them cool until just warm, and then set the deboned meat/skin/fat out near the shed where they hung out. It would be gone in minutes. -L. > > Our newest stray, who I've named "Ringo" because of his prominent, > > ringed tail, seems to be doing quite well, even though we can't [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > -L. Absolutely. I forgot about that. Extra food means extra energy to help stay warm. If the OP is really serious about this, there's a product available that's designed for outdoor use; I think it's designed for doghouses. It's a hard, enclosed plastic heating unit. It heats to 102 degrees, and has a steel wrapped cord. I ended up trapping the stray in the garage, and used it out there. It cost about $80 at Petsmart. Sherry > Absolutely. I forgot about that. Extra food means extra energy to help > stay warm. If the OP is really serious about this, there's a product [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Sherry Sounds like a useful unit for people who have "outside" cats and live in cold climates. I remember one year in IL the weather got really cold - colder than their normal "cold". My Mom ran a space heater in the garage for the outside kitties, and she had a small doggie door with a flap so they could go in and out. In the AM she came out to feed the cats and found a family of raccons in there, too. Musta been pretty dang cold to chase them from their nest! -L. One neighborhood where I take care of many ferals used to have an old unused garage that the cats shared with a family of possums. Also, for years, if I got to the feeding site late, I would set down several food plates, walk away and watch cats and a couple raccoons and a couple possums eat close together. I try not to leave food in the dark because I don't want to feed the possums and raccoons. Some humans are mean to possums and raccoons, which is another reason it wouldn't be good to help create a huge group of them in the urban neighborhood. The cats are fixed, but the other animals are not. One great shelter for ferals is the sturdy styrofoam box you can get from a tropical fish store. These boxes are used to ship tropical, aquarium fish. It is square and has a tight fitting lid. Seal lid with lots of heavy duty packing tape. You can cut a small doorway opening and place door away from the prevailing wind direction. Elevate the box to help prevent snow and groundwater from entering. Good luck with your feral boy! Lynne http://www.lovethatcat.com > One neighborhood where I take care of many ferals used to have an old > unused garage that the cats shared with a family of possums. Also, for > years, if I got to the feeding site late, I would set down several > food plates, walk away and watch cats and a couple raccoons and a > couple possums eat close together. snip, snip.....8>< When I lived in Austin, TX, I house-sat a couple of times for a professor who lived on Lake Austin. He and his wife would purposely feed the neighborhood racoons with peanut butter sandwiches, dogfood and day old Dolly Madison products. They left a whole notebook of procedures for house sitters because the animals now depended on it. They'd put out two feedings each evening and morning. At the darkest feeding, you'd get all the young and healthy animals, at the lighter one, you'd get the old and infirm. One time I was there, the second morning feeding included a possum and a Siamese cat. The cat was a neighbor's and was wearing a rhinestone collar, but just enjoyed hanging with the wild boys. I guess as long as you wore a mask, you could join the club, but that cat sure looked silly eating peanut butter sandwiches and Twinkies. > When I lived in Austin, TX, I house-sat a couple of times for a > professor who lived on Lake Austin. He and his wife would purposely [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > could join the club, but that cat sure looked silly eating peanut > butter sandwiches and Twinkies. A study was done of dumpster diver raccoons vs. raccoons in wilder areas that had natural diets. It turned out that the dumpster divers invariably had horribly rotten teeth, while the natural raccoons had sound teeth.  SignatureWeb site: http://www.slywy.com/ Message board: http://www.slywy.com/phpBB2/ Journal: http://slywy.diaryland.com/ > Thanks for you folks who have offered ideas on how to mitigate the > suffering of these outdoor strays. It's such a sad situation - I saw [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > BLink FTR: I think it makes the Lord smile when we do these things. Animals were with him at his birth (in a manger) The Lord also saved animals on the Ark with Noah (if you believe the Biblical account) |
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