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Feral in my garage
- Thread starter Bitsy's Mom
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Just thinking about you and Oscar and hoping he is still doing well. And hoping that you have had some luck selling your house!
Hoping Oscar and his family are doing well and hoping for pix/video of the Panfur Prince whenever...
Bitsy's Mom
Hope all is well. We haven't had an Oscar update in awhile. I am sure you are busy and hopefully you have sold your house. Please check in when you can.- Thread Starter Thread Starter
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Hi - thanks so much for checking in. I promise to post an Oscar video this afternoon.
Oscar is still doing well although nothing has changed in terms of our interaction. He avoids me however, when I go in to clean or put down food, I have "caught" him a few times on the platforms. He freezes but doesn't seem as stressed to see me as he was originally.
It is cooling down here which means that I can finally get that air conditioner out and open up the window to the catio. However, it's still hot during the day so it's still in there! THe shed heats up and cools down in an instant; no insulation which as me worried for the winter. I have to figure out a way that he can survive and stay warm. I don't want to leave a portable heater in there unattended and so have to figure something out. And, I am still searching for someone to fix the soffit. NO ONE seems to know anyone to do it!!! It's so frustrating.
My house has not sold . ...and I am trying to stay calm but bleeding $$$. I missed the market frenzy due to delaying since I had to trap him. I would do it again . . . since he would've definitely starved. That said - it has to sell before the cold weather or I am screwed.
Also, I have a foster puppy from Louisiana. An Cattle Dog who is absolutely crazy. Like having a torpedo in the house. I was probably an idiot to agree to foster but I just missed my shepherd so much, I thought that in helping another puppy - I was doing some good.
That's it for now and will post Oscar video later. He is still partying it up at night <3
Thank you for checking in! So glad he is doing well and I look forward to seeing the videos.
For winter time you might want to add a bedding area with some straw. Some cats like to burrow down into the straw for warmth. My feral cats hated straw and never used it, but I know many that find it warm and cozy. I always used outdoor approved heat pads.
Another thought is to get a small shelter to place inside the shed that has a heater. We had 2 shelters outside that each contained a hound heater. It kept the space nice and warm. The shed will get terribly cold in the winter. Planning ahead now is a good idea.
I am sorry your house has not sold yet. Good thoughts coming your way that it sells soon.
I bet having a puppy is a big change. Puppy energy is a lot. How long will you have him?
For winter time you might want to add a bedding area with some straw. Some cats like to burrow down into the straw for warmth. My feral cats hated straw and never used it, but I know many that find it warm and cozy. I always used outdoor approved heat pads.
Another thought is to get a small shelter to place inside the shed that has a heater. We had 2 shelters outside that each contained a hound heater. It kept the space nice and warm. The shed will get terribly cold in the winter. Planning ahead now is a good idea.
I am sorry your house has not sold yet. Good thoughts coming your way that it sells soon.
I bet having a puppy is a big change. Puppy energy is a lot. How long will you have him?
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It's interesting. I did put one of those outdoor cat houses (missing the heating element which cannot be found) inside the shed with a mylar blanket underneath and straw. I had it under my car port last winter when Oscar was out there - but no one every used it. So, I put it in the shed and recently noticed that the mylar blanket was pulled out and straw was all over the place. Not sure what he was doing at night since the camera often doesn't record
I will look into a hound heater. Again, no electricity out there and I cannot afford to add until I sell my house. I guess I could run the extension cord like I have all summer for the airconditioner, except it would probably only heat the area around the heater. Maybe that would work?
He will be dry but it will be frigid in there.
The puppy is insane as a cattle dog. She was a mess when I got her health wise and had been mistreated. She is doing much better. I am tempted to keep her but her energy level is off the charts. I think they will put her up for adoption next week. I was so sad about losing my shepherd and my house not selling . . and it has been my experience that if you help, or give of yourself - at least if you are depressed, you are helping. That is why I decided to help this puppy.
I will check out the hound heater!
I used an extension cord with the hound heater and outdoor heat pads. It worked very well along with the heat pad and kept my feral boys quite warm even in bitter cold. I put a wireless thermometer inside and could view it in the house. Below is a picture of the heated shelters I used. My DH built them. You can see the hound heater attached to the inside of the shelter.
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That looks awesome. The issue with the shed is that it is 12 x 16 and has a 10-12 ft ceiling. The soffits are plastic (as we all know!) so the air just exchanges with what is on the outside. The saving grace this summer was that hot air rises, and Oscar was smart enough to come and lay down on the floor while the air conditioner was running. The cooler, more dense air was down on the floor.
He may be up in his loft this winter - but the cold outside air will be up there too.
Yes, it will still be very cold in the open spaces. Yet when it's really cold he could use a heated house to warm up. It's just an option that he is still in the shed, but has a warm option. You could do both a straw shelter and a heated one. When it was zero outside, the hound heater would heat their shelter to around 45. They were then sleeping on a warm heat pad too. For reference, here was the tent like shelter I used. Only the shelters had heat. There was cold air all around them, but the heated space gave them a safe place to be warm.
Bitsy's Mom
TheJoyOfCats.com HOME has lots of videos and suggestions for making winter cat shelters cozy.I recommend getting an oil heater. They are used in auto shops and other places where heat is needed. They have thermostat and they are long and narrow, with very stable legs. They also have auto-shut-off in case it is needed. We got one for use in our barn (12'x12') and it worked very well. They're dependable and safe sources of heat for just the kind of environment Oscar has.
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Thank you for all the great ideas! It so wonderful to have everyone supporting my journey with Oscar with love, care, and ideas! It takes a village I think <3
I am going to look into the different heaters and figure out what may work. I will keep you posted. And, the video will be later too <3
I am going to look into the different heaters and figure out what may work. I will keep you posted. And, the video will be later too <3
Unfortunately, looking at current pix, I see that almost every one of the radiant (oil) heaters now on the market are vertical rather than horizontal, making them easier to knock over. But some look to be a lot sturdier than others.
I looked at a few on Amazon and saw that lots of people use them in sheds with really good results. It looks like a really good solution. I like that some of them have remotes too so it would be easy to adjust to the temp and fan from a distance.
I hope you can find something that will work. I am so looking forward to cooler weather, but not winter!! I am in Ohio and it has been a hot hot summer. It's been lovely the past few days but more heat arrives next week.
I just remembered there is a website thumbtack.com that we have used a few times to find people to do small jobs. They have reviews from others. Thought it might help you.
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Oh -- forgot another thought I had (which you likely have already considered, but...) - I can't figure out how to edit my post.
For your house:
Most areas in New England are short on home rentals.
Is there a chance you can rent it out? Short-term, month-to-month rentals can be handled by a local real estate agent (for a fee, but probably worth it if you are over an hour away now) without any long lease commitment, with the understanding that the house will eventually sell. Or, you can do a fixed short-term rental until Spring, if you want, so you have income until then and don't have to deal with selling it over the winter. If you go through an agent, they can screen the renters.
Just a thought but of course, you've already likely considered it.
For your house:
Most areas in New England are short on home rentals.
Is there a chance you can rent it out? Short-term, month-to-month rentals can be handled by a local real estate agent (for a fee, but probably worth it if you are over an hour away now) without any long lease commitment, with the understanding that the house will eventually sell. Or, you can do a fixed short-term rental until Spring, if you want, so you have income until then and don't have to deal with selling it over the winter. If you go through an agent, they can screen the renters.
Just a thought but of course, you've already likely considered it.
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PS: my long intro post hasn't shown up, in case you are wondering who the heck I am - hopefully they'll approve it soon and the later one will make more sense! 
I've used this site and found a good person to do a job I needed done. I recommend the site far above the more well-publicized and advertised sites.
A good thought,Oh -- forgot another thought I had (which you likely have already considered, but...) - I can't figure out how to edit my post.
For your house:
Most areas in New England are short on home rentals.
Is there a chance you can rent it out? Short-term, month-to-month rentals can be handled by a local real estate agent (for a fee, but probably worth it if you are over an hour away now) without any long lease commitment, with the understanding that the house will eventually sell. Or, you can do a fixed short-term rental until Spring, if you want, so you have income until then and don't have to deal with selling it over the winter. If you go through an agent, they can screen the renters.
Just a thought but of course, you've already likely considered it.
DeeCat
, but anyone renting or leasing needs to bear in mind that there may be damage or poor upkeep from temporary occupants. This is the reason I will never rent to anyone.
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That's why one needs to have them screened - an agent will do that, with a background check and referrals from at least one previous landlord.A good thought,
It's very strict nowadays for any decent area anyway - my "kids" rent, and they had to have a good credit score, a background check, no serious debts, no arrests, great recommendations from landlords, etc.... It's very competitive out there to rent!
