Wheat Straw is Best for Outdoor Cat Houses

Fill your outdoor shelters for feral or stray cats with dried wheat straw, not hay and not a blend of straw that feels damp to the touch. Hay and a blended straw will hold moisture and will make the cat feel colder. Also the hay and blended straw will get moldy. So when you shop make sure you buy straw that is made from 100% dried wheat.

Feral Cat Sleeping in Winter Shelter Post Card

by Susang6

Normally we do not have a problem with buying wheat straw but this year the shops in town, Lowes, Walmart, and Home Depot are all selling a blend of straw, wheat, rye, and corn. This straw does not feel right, it feels damp to the touch so it would not be good for an outdoor cat bedding.

Cathouse in the barn filled with wheat straw

One of our outdoor cat houses..
We added mylar insulation and wheat straw bedding

The best bedding for outdoor cats or dog houses is wheat straw. The straw that is made from leftover wheat stalks will repel moisture and this is why wheat is ideal for keeping outdoor cats or dogs warm and comfy in their cat houses. Wheat straw is the best form of insulation, but I do recommend that you change out the straw weekly to remove any straw that is marked (urine sprayed by the cat)

I recommend that when you set up your winter cat houses that you put down dome cedar chips (mulch) or dried pine needles on the bottom of the bed then a hefty layer of straw on the top, Do not add blankets as they will retain moisture and make the cat feel colder.

A wooden cat house filled with wheat straw, you can see the cat made a bed from body imprint in the straw.  The top, walls, and floor of this house have Mylar reflective board which will keep the cat warmer in winter.

Update 12/30/2023

Many online retailers are promoting and selling barley straw for feral cat house bedding.  Barley usually costs less money than wheat straw.  I know in my city barley straw is not available whereas I can easily find wheat straw.  

Know that I prefer wheat straw because it makes a warm and comfortable bed for feral cat houses.  The straw is easy to handle and if it gets wet it drains well. 

I asked Bing what straw was best for feral cats 

 

.

Feeding Feral Cats at Colony

Colony cats live in thicket dens in the woods

This morning is chilly and rainy and I would rather stay indoors and watch the morning news under my warm down comforter but need to get up, get dressed and hike through the woods to feed the feral cats. 

Today is the first cool day in Autumn and it is supposed to rain all day but that is not an excuse as the feral and stray cats that reside in the woods depend on me for food and water.

I know that if I do not set the freshwater and cat food in the feeding station by a certain time the feral cats will get agitated, so it is important that I allow enough time to get up, get ready and hike down the nature trail, then cross the gully, up the embankment to the south bluff where the caves are located.

This cat colony is small so I don’t need to carry out many things; bowls for their food/water packaged dry kibble and water bottle. But I do need to dress properly, spray-on deep woods off, and must wear my hiking boots.

Right now the food station is set up under the overhang of a large rock but we will have to change that come winter. The overhang prevents a downpour of water from getting the food wet but when the wind blows the food does get wet. I am hoping that my husband can build me something that would be 4 feet off the ground so that we would not have to worry about snow or water runoff.

We have cared for this colony of feral and stray cats since 2008. All are part of TNR and we always watch out for the cats and will trap them if they are sick and are in need of veterinarian care.

So it is safe to say that no matter what the weather is, we take care of the feral and stray cats at the colony daily. Here are some photographs of our colony cats.

Why is My Cat Marking my Sofa

Normally cats do not mark the sofa however when a cat feels anxious or is under stress they will mark the sofa and other areas of your home.

I used to rescue cats that were abandoned and bring them through the house to my safe room. Well, that was enough for my pet cats to feel threatened. They would immediately start marking everything. They certainly got my attention and I knew they were not happy, It was their way of telling me that the cat was not welcomed.

Any changes made to the home can cause your cat to become agitated and feel stress. Your cat may roughhouse with the other cats or the family dog then feel stress or anxious. New visitors to your home may upset your cat. If you have a quiet home and the noise level has changed such as more people making loud noises, yelling, fighting, or even loud music.  If the environment of your home changes in any way it will have some effect on your cat.

When a cat marks the sofa, the door, the bed, or anywhere else in your house they are marking their territory. As if to say this is mine, mine, and mine. You can prevent territory marking by using Feliway room diffusers.

A new pet may cause your cat to feel anxious.

Buy Feliway and plug the diffuser into your electrical outlet 10 days before you bring the new pet into your home. This will allow your cat to feel the effects of the diffuser and will calm your cat. Cats will then be more welcoming to the new pets or people. Feliway is a great product to calm an anxious cat. For best results buy, only Feliway cat products, do not mix them with other products and I recommend shopping at Chewy.com (best price for this product)

NOTE: If there are no changes in your home that would trigger your cat to mark then your cat is telling you that it is sick, Cats will mark or pee outside of their litter box when they are ill, It is how they communicate with you. Don't yell at your cat for doing this as it will frighten them. I would recommend taking your cat to the veterinarian for a wellness checkup

Also, it is imperative that newly adopted cats go into a home that has a Feliway diffuser in the outlet.  All newly adopted cats suffer from stress/anxiety and the Feliway will help them to adjust to their home.

How To Care for Stray Kittens

Where I reside it is common for people to abandon their cats and kittens. Every spring we seem to find boxes of kittens left in the woods by my home. Some kittens are weaned others are not.

Photographs of stray kittens

Catching and caring for them are very important because baby kittens rarely survive. They do not know where to go for shelter, how to protect themselves from predators and do not know where to go for food or water.

When we find kittens in our woods we will bring them back home and feed them, hydrate them then check for fleas or injury, We keep all kittens in a room that is safe. This room is their sanctuary where they have all that they need. It is an area in our home that is away from people and other pets. A quiet room that has cat beds, litter boxes, a cat tree and food and water bowls.

This is where the stray kittens will stay until we take them to the veterinarian for a wellness check, dewormer, and vaccines (if they are old enough)

Stray kittens may or may not be people friendly. So it is important to interact with them daily, I like to go into the safe room to read my book or look at a magazine. I never approach the kittens first, instead, I will sit and wait for them to come to me.

Once the kitten makes the first move to be friendly, then I will hold them, pet them and love them. I always talk to the kittens with a calm and caring voice. This helps to not fear humans.

I work with the kittens so that they learn to use their litter box and to scratch on a tree. Spending time with the stray kittens is a way to get them ready for their next step. Being adopted and going to live with their forever family.