Need help making winterwear for my ferals.

Johnv713

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It’s about to get colder here in Houston and im quite worry about the rascals. Does anyone here make waterproof outerwear for their cats?
 

Willowy

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If they're feral, how will you dress them? :lol: Even my tame cats would object to that, I think.

Cats with fur usually do not need clothing. In fact, pushing their fur down with clothes can actually make them colder. Their fur is very insulating when it puffs out. It's better to provide a warm place to sleep. You can buy electric pet pads if there's an outlet nearby, or you can get microwavable hot packs if there's no outlet. But they aren't strictly necessary for healthy cats either. The most important thing is that the sleeping area is dry and out of the wind, and small enough to trap body heat. There are a lot of sites with instructions on how to make a feral cat shelter. Straw (NOT hay!) is the best bedding, because it wicks moisture away and the hollow straws are good at trapping heat. Wood chips are OK too, and fleece blankets are acceptable. Dont use towels or any blankets that aren't fleece though---they just trap moisture and make the cats colder.
 

MoonstoneWolf

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I'm knitting something to keep me warm as the cats, Shaman especially, needs me out there. Although with severe nerve damage in my one hand it's not going to be pretty but yea, I do need to have something warm for myself out there.
 
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Johnv713

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Well most of my ferals are quite tamed. They allow me to pick them up and often times asked for attention. As for building a shelter, my HOA would give me the stink eye :( They forbade me from feeding the cats but i found a way around it by sneaking them food at night where no one is around to report me LOL.
 

shadowsrescue

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I have a good friend who is in a similar situation. Her HOA does not want her feeding or caring for the feral cats. What she did was to take her outside patio furniture and put a large weather proof tarp over them. She had a table. She secured the tarp with bricks. She left a small opening on one side. Inside she had a nice wooden house stuffed with straw. After a few years, she changed it up and added a heater to the house and a outdoor heat pad. Her HOA never knew.

Are the cats you are caring for spayed/neutered? I hope so. If you feed...... they will breed.
 
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Johnv713

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The colony is spread out in my subdivision. Wish they would seek shelter in my back patio but they dont. I only have enough capitals to spay some of the females. The boys are still pimping hard :)
 

Willowy

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If they aren't clustered around your house, they're certainly finding shelter somewhere else. And Houston doesn't get super cold. They'll be fine.

The HOA woud definitely know you're caring for them if you put kitty sweaters on them ;).
 
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Johnv713

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Youre right it doesnt get very cold here in the winter most if the time. However there are days where the temp can dip to the 30-40s.

My HOA already knew about me caring for the cats. Theyve been harrassing me but i didnt give a flying BLEEP :) It didnt help my grade A jerk neigbhors turned me in. People are cold hearted sometimes.
 

moxiewild

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You are far less likely to get quite as much pushback if you ensure all are neutered. Even I take issue with people who feed without attempts to fix the cats, because it leads to even more cats than simply not feeding OR fixing.

This is very important. I live in Texas as well (SA area) and while we certainly have our cold days (Well... to Texans it’s cold, at least 😂), many parts of Texas do not sustain cold enough weather consistently enough for breeding season to end for many species. Cats are one of those species and your l area is one of those areas. We often say “there is no kitten season in Texas” to denote this harsh reality of living down here.

Houston has a lot of resources for TNR and low cost spay/neuter. We can help you track someone down to help you.

But you will never win a fight over free roaming cats with the HOA or any other organization or entity if you are not consistently making good faith attempts to have everyone fixed.

I have additional suggestions for shelters and HOAs, but you should be prioritizing having everyone fixed before spending money on materials for shelters, heating pads, sweaters, etc.

Your cat problem will become exponentially worse if you don’t nip this in the bud, and you risk causing your HOA and community becoming even more hostile to the cats presence. You very clearly care about these fluffballs quite a lot, so trust me when I say it is not a battle you want to be forced to fight!
 
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