Posted: 2/13/2015 2:49:34 AM EDT
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It's currently 5* outside and is going to get down into the -15* area this weekend. There is an adult sized cat outside who's been around the last few nights, as I see his tracks in the snow around my garage in the morning. Last winter I set up a live trap to catch strays when it got super cold, to take them to the shelter, however I'll be out of town until Tuesday and would be unable to monitor my trap, so that's out. I have a soft spot for animals and would like to keep this dude from freezing to death before I can get home and trap him.
What can I put out while I'm gone to keep him alive? I have a shed behind my garage, but his tracks don't go too close to the door, so I'm not sure if he'd see it. How do I give him a water source without it freezing immediately? I can build him a box with Mylar covering and blankets inside, to put in the shed, but how do I get him to find it? He looks pretty well fed, but I haven't really seen him around before, so he's not one of the neighborhood strays. Curious if he escaped someone's home, as he's much more plump than the other feral cats this time of year. Cat. 
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A heated water bowl would solve the water source. For a shelter, maybe a pet bed or a pillow in a cardboard box someplace where it would be dry and less windy. Most cats love boxes.
ETA: They make a heater that goes in a 2-5 gallon bucket that could also work. Do you have a Co-Op or local feed store close? They most likely would have a couple of options. |
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My wife and I are active in feral cat rescue work. We've tried quite a few outdoor cat houses; and we have learned from experience that in either warm weather, or cold there is no better insulated outdoor cat house than this one.
KITTY TUBE INSULATED CAT HOUSE! We set one up at the end of our backyard. It can hold as many as three feral cats; (If they get along!) and the door isn't large enough for a predator like a coyote to get his head through. So far it's been a great find for the feral farm cats that hang out around here. (Much better than having them try to stay warm in the barn where there's a real danger of having them trampled by one of the buffalo!) Tonight it's - 2 degrees in the backyard. The house has a fresh pile of straw inside; it's highly windproof; and warm enough to be quite livable for any our regular visitors to use. Here's some pictures: 
'Kitty Tube' houses are a little expensive; but, they come with a lifetime guarantee on the exterior shell, have thick fully-replaceable interior liners, and offer excellent protection. The tube has operable vents, and is warm in the winter and cool in the summer. There's not a week goes by that one cat or another doesn't stop by to rest in there. I highly recommend this product. As for keeping the water from freezing in less than a minute, or two? The only way to do that is to go onto Amazon.com and get an outdoor extension cord - with a plug and coupling protector, if needed - and use a bowl with an immersion heater in it. Nothing else is going to work; and, just so you know, Amazon sells several of the best outdoor electrical cords and plug covers that you'll find anywhere. |
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.22LR Classy The cat will be fine. That cat is fat---well fed---and likely has shitheel owners who let him wander the fucking neighborhood instead of permanently keeping him inside. The owners should have their asses kicked and their schlongs taken for letting any pet wander the neighborhood. |
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The cat will be fine. That cat is fat---well fed---and likely has shitheel owners who let him wander the fucking neighborhood instead of permanently keeping him inside. The owners should have their asses kicked and their schlongs taken for letting any pet wander the neighborhood. Quoted:
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.22LR Classy The cat will be fine. That cat is fat---well fed---and likely has shitheel owners who let him wander the fucking neighborhood instead of permanently keeping him inside. The owners should have their asses kicked and their schlongs taken for letting any pet wander the neighborhood. Yep. Plus if it is feral, it might bite you and give you cat scratch fever or something as I recently learned that cat bites are a serious thing. |
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Yep. Plus if it is feral, it might bite you and give you cat scratch fever or something as I recently learned that cat bites are a serious thing. Dog bites are usually a lot more serious! (I'm a retired dog breeder/trainer; and I know, but, yeah, cat bites can take a long time to heal. Anytime you're bitten by an animal the sooner and the more thoroughly you wash the wound out with plenty of soap and water the safer and better off you're going to be.) |
| Animals have everything they need to survive, if they needed more, they'd been born with a tool belt, opposable thumbs and the ability to build a fire. I should post a pic of my dog's handwork. He has a bunker dug under & between two round bails, on top he moved the hay around to make a papasan, around the perimeter he dug a series of pits making it look like the bombed out Ho Chi Minh trail. |
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You can make a shelter out of plastic rubbermaid containers with lids. Just need some insulation and straw. They're not as nice as the kitty tube posted above but they'll help, and they're pretty inexpensive. Since I live in southern California, I have no clue on keeping water from freezing.
Good on all of you guys for taking care of feral cats. I have two kittens born from a feral cat mother. |
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Lots of good resources for shelter and food here:
http://www.nycferalcat.org/info-colony.htm#winter You can make good shelters out of rubbermaid containers, styrofoam coolers, etc. More info at the link. |
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It's currently 5* outside and is going to get down into the -15* area this weekend. There is an adult sized cat outside who's been around the last few nights, as I see his tracks in the snow around my garage in the morning. Last winter I set up a live trap to catch strays when it got super cold, to take them to the shelter, however I'll be out of town until Tuesday and would be unable to monitor my trap, so that's out. I have a soft spot for animals and would like to keep this dude from freezing to death before I can get home and trap him. What can I put out while I'm gone to keep him alive? I have a shed behind my garage, but his tracks don't go too close to the door, so I'm not sure if he'd see it. How do I give him a water source without it freezing immediately? I can build him a box with Mylar covering and blankets inside, to put in the shed, but how do I get him to find it? He looks pretty well fed, but I haven't really seen him around before, so he's not one of the neighborhood strays. Curious if he escaped someone's home, as he's much more plump than the other feral cats this time of year. Cat. http://i60.tinypic.com/r1lt7d.jpg Why do people constantly think they need to save the animals? |
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Why do people constantly think they need to save the animals? Quoted:
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It's currently 5* outside and is going to get down into the -15* area this weekend. There is an adult sized cat outside who's been around the last few nights, as I see his tracks in the snow around my garage in the morning. Last winter I set up a live trap to catch strays when it got super cold, to take them to the shelter, however I'll be out of town until Tuesday and would be unable to monitor my trap, so that's out. I have a soft spot for animals and would like to keep this dude from freezing to death before I can get home and trap him. What can I put out while I'm gone to keep him alive? I have a shed behind my garage, but his tracks don't go too close to the door, so I'm not sure if he'd see it. How do I give him a water source without it freezing immediately? I can build him a box with Mylar covering and blankets inside, to put in the shed, but how do I get him to find it? He looks pretty well fed, but I haven't really seen him around before, so he's not one of the neighborhood strays. Curious if he escaped someone's home, as he's much more plump than the other feral cats this time of year. Cat. http://i60.tinypic.com/r1lt7d.jpg Why do people constantly think they need to save the animals? Better then saving the FSA. |
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Ive used the rubbermaid style totes before. Just glue on the lid (this keeps the water out) and flip it upside down so the lid is the floor. Now just cut an entrance in it with a drywall knife. You can put a heating pad in there on low or just a bunch of old shirts or a blanket. If you put it up on blocks you can use a light bulb underneath to keep it a little warmer. I've even used a strip of floor mat or rubber sheet for a little door. I rescued a barn cat from my uncles farm like this. She got to know me and I eventually brought her home. She was my best friend fro about ten years. |