How Can There Be Feral Cats In Upstate New York After Winter?

mike5361 said:

for example my version of a kitchen is just a small refrigerator with a microwave oven on top and a toaster on top of that, i like to eat frozen dinners.

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LOL, that sounds a lot like my kitchen. I eat a lot of cereal.



Is your place rented? Do you have a deck? You could always make him some kind of catio so he can get out for a bit of air.

@Kieka made her cats a great catio so they can get in and out of the house when they want to. Lots of pictures here.

Catio Incoming

You could make the green house coyote proof by building a catio around it, so the green house is the cat's shelter and the fence around it keeps him in and other animals out.

It would need to be a bit like a chicken coop, with wooden fencing posts and wire mesh sunk into the ground.

If you're handy and you like DIY projects it's really fun to build that kind of thing yourself.

My cat enclosure has been a work in progress for the past 4 years, I'm always modifying and adding to it.

If you check Google you'll find plenty of pictures, free plans and ideas.

catio pictures - Google Search

Otherwise would your dad agree to keeping him indoors just at night? It would make him a bit safer. One of my former feral cats lived as an outdoor tom for at least ten years. It took me about a year to convince him to stay in, but it was worth the effort because he got to live out a comfortable old age as an indoor/enclosure cat.

That's a great idea. Your Dad could get him to come inside for dinner and then keep him inside overnight until after breakfast. That would make him much safer, since the wildlife come out at night.

Condolences on losing your mom - that you can have compassion for a little cat during your time of grieving is a testament to your outstanding character.
I concur with bringing that kitty in at night if at all possible.

catsknowme said:

Condolences on losing your mom - that you can have compassion for a little cat during your time of grieving is a testament to your outstanding character.
I concur with bringing that kitty in at night if at all possible.

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yea im on "day 23" after loosing my mom. she went really fast, it was only 4 months of cancer.

in the last few days i have been leaving my door open in the morning and my kitty has been visiting me every morning. i give him food and he stays a while and then leaves. i havent seen the raccoon in many days.

i explained that my apartment is really small, he wants to be outside at nightime the most, if i locked him up inside here at night he would go nuts.

if he is alive next winter he will stay inside because he doesnt like to go outside when its freezing outside.

It sounds like you are really in sync with your cat - what the ancient Egyptians would consider your soul-kitty, the guardian of your dreams. Yes, it is risky outdoors but some cats insist on having some control of their own fate. I had a bottle baby that I kept inside as he was my heart's treasure but I lost him to cancer at only 5 years of age; in contrast, 3 of my dad's ferals are 11+ years. When we are called Home, it is our time to go and the best we can hope for is to "go with our boots on".