Modifying a feral cat shelter/creating hiding places - advice?

sceptr

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Hi there, we recently became caretakers to an adult neutered male feral. (His rescuer normally does TNR, but he came from a location that he couldn’t be returned to, so he is now acclimating in our backyard garden and nearing release. A few folks here have been kind enough to give us advice previously which was greatly appreciated! We are cat lovers who’ve had pet cats in the past, but this is our first experience with ferals.)

His acclimation setup is a rabbit hutch with an inner wooden “box” that has been his sleeping/hiding spot. When he’s released, we’re planning on leaving this setup available for him in case he still wants to use it as a home base. If we leave the little door to his hutch ajar for him to be able to come and go, should we also create some sort of extra exit for him in case another cat/raccoon/etc. also manages to find their way in?

We’d also like to give him some hiding spots in other areas of the yard, and would love any input on what folks do for their feral kitties that they seem to like. We’ve been thinking about putting out sections of large PVC pipe (say, 8” or 10” diameter pipe, in sections a few feet long so he could feel “hidden” in the middle) — has anyone tried this and found it effective/not effective or have any thoughts about the best diameter pipe to use? (Or would love any other ideas for hiding spots we could give him!)

We’ve also considered making him a little hiding spot in a storage bench or box — if we were to cut doors into such a setup for him, what size holes would you suggest? I think I’ve read that they prefer smaller openings than a layman might assume? He’s not an *enormous* cat, but he is an adult male and I’d call him on the larger side.

(It’s warm where we live, so we do plan on getting him something insulated before winter comes but it’s not our immediate priority.)

Thanks so much for any thoughts or advice you may have!
 

tarasgirl06

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Hi there, we recently became caretakers to an adult neutered male feral. (His rescuer normally does TNR, but he came from a location that he couldn’t be returned to, so he is now acclimating in our backyard garden and nearing release. A few folks here have been kind enough to give us advice previously which was greatly appreciated! We are cat lovers who’ve had pet cats in the past, but this is our first experience with ferals.)

His acclimation setup is a rabbit hutch with an inner wooden “box” that has been his sleeping/hiding spot. When he’s released, we’re planning on leaving this setup available for him in case he still wants to use it as a home base. If we leave the little door to his hutch ajar for him to be able to come and go, should we also create some sort of extra exit for him in case another cat/raccoon/etc. also manages to find their way in?

We’d also like to give him some hiding spots in other areas of the yard, and would love any input on what folks do for their feral kitties that they seem to like. We’ve been thinking about putting out sections of large PVC pipe (say, 8” or 10” diameter pipe, in sections a few feet long so he could feel “hidden” in the middle) — has anyone tried this and found it effective/not effective or have any thoughts about the best diameter pipe to use? (Or would love any other ideas for hiding spots we could give him!)

We’ve also considered making him a little hiding spot in a storage bench or box — if we were to cut doors into such a setup for him, what size holes would you suggest? I think I’ve read that they prefer smaller openings than a layman might assume? He’s not an *enormous* cat, but he is an adult male and I’d call him on the larger side.

(It’s warm where we live, so we do plan on getting him something insulated before winter comes but it’s not our immediate priority.)

Thanks so much for any thoughts or advice you may have!
Hello S sceptr - welcome to TCS and THANK YOU for all you are doing for this little man! Your current setup sounds great, and your ideas do, too. I haven't tried the PVC idea but it sounds very creative!
My ex and I did a lot of TNR/rescue/adoption of "community" cats when we lived in a community about 30 miles from here. We built several small cat houses using readily available lumber, with sleeping/hiding/resting cubicles and "porch" areas for food and water dishes. We also built a modular "recuperation station" that abutted onto a house wall. It was a 2-story wood structure of about 5x5 and maybe 7' tall. There was a wooden ramp up to the 2-story sleeping cubicle which was furnished with 2 cat donuts from Petco; the litterbox was on the ground floor and accessible via a door secured with a hook and clasp, so we could slide it out to clean and back in again, with no risk of the cat escaping. The feeding station was right outside the sleeping cubicles, accessible by another door of the same design. We entered and left via a small screened, wood-framed door with a lock on it. All of the materials were bought at a home supply store. It was a few years ago, and I don't remember the cost, but it wasn't expensive for us. And it was designed to be movable if we chose.
Another idea is a dog igloo. They have them at Petco, but amazon, eBay and other venues sell them as well. They're very versatile and easily cleaned.
As for a double egress, none of our cat houses have had them.
You can also build a real catio if you're so inclined. catioshowcase.com may be open to view some; or you can just google "catios" to see some.
 
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kittychick

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Hello S sceptr - - - SO glad this guy has you caring for him! And doing things VERY right so far it sounds like!!!! Even very caring people sadly believe you can just move a feral cat to a new spot and they'll stay - - -but doing it the way you're doing is the only way to get him to understand this is what his new home smells/sounds/etc is like.

This site is definitely the place to come for advice from people who've been there and done that, and willing to lend an ear and shoulder when it's needed. :) And you've gotten some good advice from tarasgirl06 tarasgirl06 (as usual!!!!) - - and I'll definitely weigh in tomorrow. I'm unfortunately working all evening/night, but I've done lots of TNR work, made lots of shelters (of all sorts and shapes - some the cats dug - - some not so much), and have helped move ferals when I worked for cat shelters. So I'd love to offer lots of suggestions - -- but I'll just need to do so tomorrow. But I wanted you to know I'll definitely be back on tomorrow soon as possible (you'll probably get lots more suggestions by then!). Hang in there - - - you're doing a wonderful thing for this guy!
 

shadowsrescue

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I have made a lot of shelters throughout the years. Here is a link to the shelters I have on my blog.

 

tarasgirl06

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Hi there, we recently became caretakers to an adult neutered male feral. (His rescuer normally does TNR, but he came from a location that he couldn’t be returned to, so he is now acclimating in our backyard garden and nearing release. A few folks here have been kind enough to give us advice previously which was greatly appreciated! We are cat lovers who’ve had pet cats in the past, but this is our first experience with ferals.)

His acclimation setup is a rabbit hutch with an inner wooden “box” that has been his sleeping/hiding spot. When he’s released, we’re planning on leaving this setup available for him in case he still wants to use it as a home base. If we leave the little door to his hutch ajar for him to be able to come and go, should we also create some sort of extra exit for him in case another cat/raccoon/etc. also manages to find their way in?

We’d also like to give him some hiding spots in other areas of the yard, and would love any input on what folks do for their feral kitties that they seem to like. We’ve been thinking about putting out sections of large PVC pipe (say, 8” or 10” diameter pipe, in sections a few feet long so he could feel “hidden” in the middle) — has anyone tried this and found it effective/not effective or have any thoughts about the best diameter pipe to use? (Or would love any other ideas for hiding spots we could give him!)

We’ve also considered making him a little hiding spot in a storage bench or box — if we were to cut doors into such a setup for him, what size holes would you suggest? I think I’ve read that they prefer smaller openings than a layman might assume? He’s not an *enormous* cat, but he is an adult male and I’d call him on the larger side.

(It’s warm where we live, so we do plan on getting him something insulated before winter comes but it’s not our immediate priority.)

Thanks so much for any thoughts or advice you may have!
If you want some kind of climate control in a larger building or catio, oil heaters (used in shops) are good and have thermostats; and there are portable swamp coolers that work well as long as you monitor the water containers. We installed a mister system on our compound roof that we'd turn on in the summer. It helped.
 
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sceptr

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Hello S sceptr - welcome to TCS and THANK YOU for all you are doing for this little man! Your current setup sounds great, and your ideas do, too. I haven't tried the PVC idea but it sounds very creative!
My ex and I did a lot of TNR/rescue/adoption of "community" cats when we lived in a community about 30 miles from here. We built several small cat houses using readily available lumber, with sleeping/hiding/resting cubicles and "porch" areas for food and water dishes. We also built a modular "recuperation station" that abutted onto a house wall. It was a 2-story wood structure of about 5x5 and maybe 7' tall. There was a wooden ramp up to the 2-story sleeping cubicle which was furnished with 2 cat donuts from Petco; the litterbox was on the ground floor and accessible via a door secured with a hook and clasp, so we could slide it out to clean and back in again, with no risk of the cat escaping. The feeding station was right outside the sleeping cubicles, accessible by another door of the same design. We entered and left via a small screened, wood-framed door with a lock on it. All of the materials were bought at a home supply store. It was a few years ago, and I don't remember the cost, but it wasn't expensive for us. And it was designed to be movable if we chose.
Another idea is a dog igloo. They have them at Petco, but amazon, eBay and other venues sell them as well. They're very versatile and easily cleaned.
As for a double egress, none of our cat houses have had them.
You can also build a real catio if you're so inclined. catioshowcase.com may be open to view some; or you can just google "catios" to see some.
Wow, the setup you made sounds incredible and so smartly designed! Thanks so much for the advice and links! I so appreciate your help and will check all of this out.
 
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sceptr

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Hello S sceptr - - - SO glad this guy has you caring for him! And doing things VERY right so far it sounds like!!!! Even very caring people sadly believe you can just move a feral cat to a new spot and they'll stay - - -but doing it the way you're doing is the only way to get him to understand this is what his new home smells/sounds/etc is like.

This site is definitely the place to come for advice from people who've been there and done that, and willing to lend an ear and shoulder when it's needed. :) And you've gotten some good advice from tarasgirl06 tarasgirl06 (as usual!!!!) - - and I'll definitely weigh in tomorrow. I'm unfortunately working all evening/night, but I've done lots of TNR work, made lots of shelters (of all sorts and shapes - some the cats dug - - some not so much), and have helped move ferals when I worked for cat shelters. So I'd love to offer lots of suggestions - -- but I'll just need to do so tomorrow. But I wanted you to know I'll definitely be back on tomorrow soon as possible (you'll probably get lots more suggestions by then!). Hang in there - - - you're doing a wonderful thing for this guy!
Thank you so much and I’m looking forward to learning from your expertise (when your time permits)!!! I really appreciate it!
 
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sceptr

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If you want some kind of climate control in a larger building or catio, oil heaters (used in shops) are good and have thermostats; and there are portable swamp coolers that work well as long as you monitor the water containers. We installed a mister system on our compound roof that we'd turn on in the summer. It helped.
Thank you! I definitely wouldn’t have thought of either of those options but they are such great tips!
 

tarasgirl06

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Thank you! I definitely wouldn’t have thought of either of those options but they are such great tips!
Very welcome, S sceptr . Looks like a lot of great suggestions from other posters! Here are a few shots of our catio, and our barn compound. You'll see the oil heater in the second photo. We ran water into one of the barn stalls so I could wash bowls out there. It was a work in progress, as you can see.

IMG_0088.JPG
IMG_0205.JPG
IMG_0216.JPG
IMG_0225.JPG
 
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sceptr

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