- Joined
- Jun 14, 2015
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Hello,
I feed several outdoor cats (some feral and some I think are just snacking neighborhood cats from around the way). Several months back a little kitten starting coming, pretty tiny. She lets me get to within a few feet of her while staying calm and just sitting and watching me. But any closer, and she runs a bit away before turning back and sitting to watch me. She's very skittish otherwise and will not use any of the things I out out for warmth. She was sleeping on my padded porch bench so I added a blanket in the summer for softness that she would SOMETIMES use. If I touched it to fluff it up, forget it. She'd avoid it for days and wedge up next to it instead. During the day she hides under my backyard deck. However, the entire underside is made out of construction grade steel, so I imagine it's really cold at night with all that metal, so she sleeps on the porch at night. It's now down to 32 degrees at night, and I know blankets aren't the best (she still won't even get on those now). I tried using boxes and carriers and things that are sheltered from the wind but the issue is that she won't go on or in anything I put out. No matter how I set it up or try to entice her, I think she's too wary of anything besides that damn bench lol. I can't physically grab her to show her it's warm so any suggestions on how to get her to go in? I know I can make an appropriate shelter with straw and such, and use non electric heating pads, but the issue is actually getting her to use these things. She's already gotten sick once this winter and I'll be trapping her to spay her soon at a feral clinic. Seems terrible for her to keep staying out uncovered in such frigid temps, especially when she'll have an incision.
I feed several outdoor cats (some feral and some I think are just snacking neighborhood cats from around the way). Several months back a little kitten starting coming, pretty tiny. She lets me get to within a few feet of her while staying calm and just sitting and watching me. But any closer, and she runs a bit away before turning back and sitting to watch me. She's very skittish otherwise and will not use any of the things I out out for warmth. She was sleeping on my padded porch bench so I added a blanket in the summer for softness that she would SOMETIMES use. If I touched it to fluff it up, forget it. She'd avoid it for days and wedge up next to it instead. During the day she hides under my backyard deck. However, the entire underside is made out of construction grade steel, so I imagine it's really cold at night with all that metal, so she sleeps on the porch at night. It's now down to 32 degrees at night, and I know blankets aren't the best (she still won't even get on those now). I tried using boxes and carriers and things that are sheltered from the wind but the issue is that she won't go on or in anything I put out. No matter how I set it up or try to entice her, I think she's too wary of anything besides that damn bench lol. I can't physically grab her to show her it's warm so any suggestions on how to get her to go in? I know I can make an appropriate shelter with straw and such, and use non electric heating pads, but the issue is actually getting her to use these things. She's already gotten sick once this winter and I'll be trapping her to spay her soon at a feral clinic. Seems terrible for her to keep staying out uncovered in such frigid temps, especially when she'll have an incision.