Diy Feral Feeding Station

[Q2U]

We are about to hand off feeding of our the feral colony we TNR'd to our neighbor who wants to assume the feeding duties. To this end I built our neighbor a "Feral Feeding Station" so she could easily feed the 8-cat colony and not have her 5-dogs scare or hurt the cats.

But I need your advice: I need to figure out a how much food she needs to feed them. There are eight (8) cats in the colony, and the cats weigh an average of 10-pounds each. How many calories does each cat need? And how to I translate calories into cups of food?

We feed them once in the AM and a 2nd time in the PM, but she may feed them only once a day. If this OK?

Can anybody help me with this? We've put so much money and energy into these cats and we care for them...I want to make certain thy get enough to eat.

Help?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, let me see...by the way, neat-o feeding stations!
1 bruce 1 lalagimp can you help the OP?

 

[1 bruce 1]

I'm not a calorie counting guy (pats belly with a sigh ) but I can say that Q2U you're fantastic for building....this. Beyond fantastic. My cats are glaring at me in jealousy!
If we were buying your home, we'd be in awe!
Are the people who will be feeding/caring for these cats cat-saavy enough to notice a porker putting on too much weight, or one that's a little underweight?
I don't know your moving position, but if you're moving nearby or close to, is there anyway you could visit a few times a month (or even once a month, or even less) to give them help since they're so kind as to feed these cats?

If they feed once a day, and leave dry food out as a "failure of hunting" measure, I wouldn't worry.
The dogs might notice the cats and bark, and it might spook them, but most cats learn that barking dogs don't equal attacking dogs and learn to ignore them.

 

[lalagimp]

Even if they are lighter ( I live with two 13 lb boys as well as 9-10 lb ladies ) but they live outside, then they might be up to 250 calories per day per the activity level. On the other hand, if they are living outside, they are probably eating something they had to kill as well. An average mouse is 30 calories. So, say you're SUPPLEMENTING their diet with the dry food - then this may be anywhere from 160-200 calories per cat.
Now... What are they going to feed them? Calories vary greatly on the formula. You can get one kibble that's 300 calories per cup, or our pricier fave around here for being high protein and low carb: Dr Elseys, which is over 500 calories per cup.

some numbers for you to start with.

 

[Willowy]

I always figure 1 cup per cat (assuming basic food like Cat Chow). If she can afford to have a bit of loss and doesn't mind if wildlife clean up that's the easiest. If money is tight or wildlife is a big no-no, I'd recommend one cup per cat for a week, measure the food that's left when they're done eating, and average it that way. Bump it up a bit in the winter.

 

[msaimee]

Can she put out the amount you're currently feeding them? She may need to use trial and error. If the food she is putting out is gone by the afternoon, increase the amount. If there's a lot leftover at night, decrease it. Also, it's impossible to overfeed outdoor cats in winter time, they burn up a lot of calories to stay warm, and there's less prey. Also, with eight cats hunting, there may not be much available prey. I would err on the side of putting out too much rather than two little food.

 

[Q2U]

I always figure 1 cup per cat (assuming basic food like Cat Chow).

1 cup per cat, per day?

Also, it's impossible to overfeed outdoor cats in winter time, they burn up a lot of calories to stay warm, and there's less prey. Also, with eight cats hunting, there may not be much available prey. I would err on the side of putting out too much rather than two little food.

Good point, thanks.

 

[Willowy]

1 cup per cat, per day?

Yes. With Cat Chow that's something like 400 calories, and that's probably too much for most TNRed cats (although if it's really cold they might need all the calories they can get), but it seems to be a good average.

 

[Q2U]

What about feral cats eating dry kibble and without a good supply of clean water can lead to urinary tract infections?

 

[msaimee]

The largest colony of cats outdoor that I had at one time was five, a family. My neighbor and I fed them canned food mixed with a little water once a day. We only had to care for that number of cats for a few months, mama took off after we trapped and adopted her three kittens, and papa remained on our block. I imagine it would get expensive feeding canned food to eight cats even once a day, but that's the only solution I can think of. There is a stream across from my house, so I haven't had to worry about water. However, you could leave a large bowl of water out for them. Even if they don't drink the tap water, they would drink any rainwater that would accumulate in it. You might want to check with your local Humane Society regarding food. The one in my area offered to give me cat food when I was taking care of these five cats and was unemployed. Thankfully, I never had to take them up on their offer.

 

[Willowy]

What about feral cats eating dry kibble and without a good supply of clean water can lead to urinary tract infections?

Probably. I suppose I always figured that leaving a bowl of water out is part of caring for ferals. I even leave a bucket out for wildlife when it gets dry, lol.

Is she willing to feed them canned? I give mine canned food whenever I see them, to try to train them to show up when I'm there instead of in the middle of the night. But I won't leave canned food out because that's too expensive for possums .

 

[Q2U]

There was a feral feeding frenzy at the new Feral Cat Feeding Station.

 

[msaimee]

That looks awesome!

 

[Q2U]

Showdown at the Feral Feeding Station!