My feral cat needs a shelter--not sure what to do!

Noelle_W

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Aug 13, 2017
Messages
36
Purraise
43
I've been feeding two ferals in my neighborhood. I live on an acre, and purchased an insulated cat house from Feralvilla, and then put some styrofoam coolers with a hole and straw inside. All three cat houses are situated in my back yard, not near my feeding station. From what I can see, the only house being used is the Feralvilla, and it is being used by mice! One of my ferals is a fat male, and I'm not too worried about him. When I check out my window to see if he is eating, he just looks at me and continues eating. The other cat is a skinny younger cat and he/she is the one I am worried about. I feed close to a window, so I can see who is eating and also discourage coyotes or racoons from partaking in the food. If the skinny feral even sees me looking out the window, he bolts and won't come back. It is supposed to be FREEZING COLD here in a few days (in the Midwest) and I am worried sick about this cat. He has not yet been fixed, and I was thinking about trapping him now and taking him into the clinic to get fixed. That would take up at least a day of the cold weather. I abhor trapping, but I know it is for the best. Any suggestions are welcome. I just want to get over these next few days of harsh weather.
 

FeebysOwner

TCS Member
Staff Member
Forum Helper
Joined
Jun 13, 2018
Messages
25,285
Purraise
39,738
Location
Central FL (Born in OH)
Hi. I suspect the skinnier, more skittish cat has seen you chase off other animals from the food and is concerned you will also do that to him too, so that is why he runs when he sees you.

As far as TNR, IMO, you might be better off to try to focus on and/or 'convince' him to use one of the shelters and put off the TNR right now. For one, you don't know how long it might take to trap him, so it could likely be past this cold spell you are worried about. Two, once he is neutered and released, he may not show up again (at least for a while) and then you would have no opportunity to try to provide shelter to him.

I am surprised that the mice don't entice/encourage the cats to go into the shelters, if for no other reason than to catch them.

Is there a particular reason you don't place the shelters closer to your feeding station? I don't mean right next to it, but perhaps in an area where the cats would be more inclined to check them out after eating. Gradually changing when you feed the cats can help reduce the odds of other wildlife getting to the feeding station and may help you to stop having to chase them away. Putting food out after dawn and then again before dusk, and removing it in between will discourage many others as most wildlife tend to look for food at night. If done gradually, the cats will learn the new feeding schedule.

You can also look into feeding stations that are on a higher platform that inhibits other animals from getting to it. Raccoons have a tough time jumping/climbing on to such stands, but not sure about coyotes. Feralvilla also offers a feeding station, which is essentially a small 'house' with an entry hole that likely isn't big enough for raccoons or coyotes to get into.

I am sure other members will come along soon and have some ideas for you too!
 

DeesCats

TCS Member
Staff Member
Forum Helper
Joined
Jul 21, 2023
Messages
1,005
Purraise
2,381
Location
Northeast Ohio
How long have you had the 3 houses out in your yard? How close together are they?

Are your cat houses setting out in the open, along a fence, near shrubbery or somewhere else?

Do you notice if either of the cats take a certain path on their way to your feeding station?

Any chance of posting some pics of your yard layout and where the houses are now?

Sorry for all the questions but sometimes the cats are picky about which house to use and where they are located despite the weather conditions. Some cats like the additional security of shrubs or other tall vegetation around the house, others not so much.

I have yet to have any ferals in my yard use a house with straw in it, whether it is a styrofoam box or a DIY plastic tote. I do have 3 fancy houses that we built that are elevated off the ground about 8 inches with a porch and use heated cat pads (electric) and I've found that the houses needed to be at least 50 feet apart from each other as the cats that come to my home don't like each other except for 2 of them.

Is there any chance your 2 cats are finding shelter somewhere else such as in or under a storage shed or other buildings?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4

Noelle_W

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Aug 13, 2017
Messages
36
Purraise
43
All--
Thank you for the responses. To answer some of your questions:
1. I do not shoo any other animals away. I just want to discourage coyotes and racoons from coming near my house (where the cats feed). I acutally set food very far back in my yard to feed the racoons and/or coyotes. I want the cat feeding area to remain for cats only.
2. The cat houses are not close to one another. I do have another cat house next to my feeding station, but no one likes it. It wasn't cheap, but I realize it is not a good cat house. It is basically a thinner type house with a heated cat pad in it--which I have plugged in. No one has ever used it, and I plan to get rid of it after this winter.

I would also love suggestions on the type of shelter to purchase. And do you both think I should put the next cat shelter I buy near the feeding station? It's not really a "station", its just an area under my roof easement where I put heated food bowls down. It's near my bedroom window, so I can look out and see who is eating there.
 

DeesCats

TCS Member
Staff Member
Forum Helper
Joined
Jul 21, 2023
Messages
1,005
Purraise
2,381
Location
Northeast Ohio
Thanks for the info.

I couldn't find a commercially made cat house that I really liked so the boyfriend and I built the ones we have and they look like the following pics:
Side view with window
Cat house pic window.jpg
Front view with 6 inch opening. I later tweaked the opening so it was square on the bottom edge of the hole so fat cats could get in easier.
Cat house pic front.jpg

Inside view with 2" thick styrofoam walls, I did end up adding an additional 2" of foam
Cat house inside front 2023.jpg

There are a lot of nice looking pre-made shelters available online so find one that appeals to you and is in your price range. If you are in an area that gets a lot of snow, consider getting one with legs (similar to my pics above) or you can place the house on an elevated surface above normal snow depths.

You could try and place the house near your feeding station, I have one of my houses 15 feet away from mine but everytime I go out to refill the bowls, the cat exits the house and runs into the woods. She is getting better though and usually returns within 15 minutes.

I also have to be very careful when looking out the window or making loud noises in the house when there is a cat at my feeding station as they will run away if they see or hear me inside the house. I ended up setting up a remote camera outside so I can view the cats from the comfort of my house.
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6

Noelle_W

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Aug 13, 2017
Messages
36
Purraise
43
Thanks, Dees. Your shelter looks amazing, and when I purchase another, I'm going to make sure it is off the ground. The Feralvilla is off the ground, in the sense that the cat kind of has to climb up to the insulated 2nd story of the house.
 

DeesCats

TCS Member
Staff Member
Forum Helper
Joined
Jul 21, 2023
Messages
1,005
Purraise
2,381
Location
Northeast Ohio
I had looked at the Feralvilla houses and considered buying one but was put off by the wood contacting the ground and worried about snow blocking the entrance hole during high snowfall.

Thank you for liking my cat house design. We put a lot of thought into it and I know at least 3 cats have used a couple of them over the last year.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #8

Noelle_W

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Aug 13, 2017
Messages
36
Purraise
43
Dee-
Yes, I have had to move snow away from the opening of the Feralvilla. And they do recommend you use a latex paint on them to help keep the wood from rotting.
 
Top