Winter Ready Cat House

 The fall season has been warm during the day and night but when the weather forecast called for winter-like temperatures I knew it was time to get the outdoor cat houses ready for winter.

Winter cat house with insulation and straw 

Today I gathered all of the cat houses and took them apart.  I then wiped them down with Dawn's antibacterial dish soap on a cloth that was wet with hot water.  The cat houses were left to dry. Then I sprayed them lightly with cat-friendly pest control to keep spiders, ticks, and fleas away from the houses. 

During the summer months, I collected styrofoam sheets from packages that I had received and from neighbors who saved this cheap insulation.  I used styrofoam as an extra layer to insulate the cat houses. 

We bought a bale of straw from the Tractor Store and used the dry straw to fill the houses.  I pushed the straw up onto the sides of the house and left a hefty layer on the floor. 

 Each in the shed house has a self-warming waterproof pet mat. Outdoor houses are all insulated with styrofoam or radiant insulation, and then covered with mylar.  The houses are either filled with straw, or they have an extreme weather heat pad by K&H.

All of the cat houses have p; plastic door flaps but have found that the feral and stray cats are afraid of the plastic doors.  So one plastic door covers the emergency exit but none on the front.

If there is snow or rain in the forecast I will set up a plastic container cover as an awning so that the straw will not get wet. 

Here are photos of my winter-ready cat houses.

bale of straw for cat houses

small wooden can house with insulation and straw

Cat house with waterproof self-healing mat 

winter ready cat houses

The house is elevated and overhand added to keep snow/rain from getting into the house.  The house is set up next to a fence that allows the cat a good escape if a predator is in the area 

Trapped Feral Tomcat for TNR

 In the summer a stray cat went into our garage and a few weeks later she had a kitten. We took care of the mother cat and her kitten and planned to trap both after the kitten was weaned. We would then do TNR for veterinarian care, sterilization, and release.

Our timetable was to get all of this accomplished by the first week of September.  But those plans went south when the 2022 inflation hit and the cost of living was too expensive and we could not afford to pay for the veterinarian care that was needed.

Normally I use the monies I earn from selling my product designs online at my Zazzle store but sales were not enough for the veterinarian care that was needed.  I  turned to my husband for support for my cat's cause.  

I communicated with our veterinarian about what was going on as they had expected me to bring in the cats for medical care.  To my surprise, they worked with me on the costs for FeLV and FIV tests, vaccines including rabies, and sterilization and I am happy to say that the feral tomcat was trapped for TNR.

The neuter went well but aftercare was 3 days in the garage before we could release to the cat colony that is overseen by caretakers. 

My photo of a feral tomcat on the day we brought him back for aftercare. 

The feral cat recovered and was transported to another colony and released.  He is doing well and the caretakers named him Church because he looks like Stephen King's Pet Cemetary cat.

Neighbor Alerted Animal Control about TNR

 Recently a neighbor alerted animal control that we were participating in TNR (trap neuter release of stray cats in our community)  In the last five years we have trapped approximately 62 cats for TNR. The cats were trapped in our yard and I have also trapped when people contacted me for help with removing stray nuisance cats in our community.  

These trapped cats were always transported to the veterinarian's office to be checked for cat disease, vaccinated, wormed, and sterilized. Then we released them to a colony that is located within 29 acres of woods.  The cats were away from neighborhoods and were cared for by people who love cats.

We thought we were being civic-minded, we were controlling the cat populations in our neighborhood and we were taking care of the colony cats twice daily.  But apparently, not everyone loves cats or supports the TNR of cats. Some people think stray cats should be left alone to struggle to survive, suffer in extreme weather, fight with other cats, mate, and produce hundreds of kittens.  The neighbor thinks that nature should take its course and that humans should not disturb cats with TNR and due to the neighbor's backward beliefs, he reported us to animal control.

The neighbor requested that I be arrested because trapping/TNR was against the law in my city. 

My photo of a cat that was trapped for veterinarian care

We were honest with animal control and told them that we only trapped stray cats on our property and when we had permission from people in our community. Only injured or sick cats were trapped in public or other private property (the woods).

TNR cat at woods colony

Below is a photograph of our yard. The photo shows that TNR should not bother anyone as the home backs up to 29 acres of dense woods and the home sits on 1/4 acre of land  

Animal control told me that I could only trap cats on my property. That I must have permission from the property owner to trap anywhere else. That I could no longer trap in the woods unless I had permission to do so. 

Photo of two kittens and queen feral cat in the woods

Orange tabby kitten trapped for medical care

What upsets me is the owner of the woods lives in another state and I have no way to contact them. It breaks my heart to think that in an emergency I cannot help the cat by trapping them for medical care if they are in the woods by my home. I cannot do this because the neighbor emailed me and told me that they are watching me and that it's their civic duty to watch and report me if I break the laws of the city.

Cats in woods colony and in thicket den

Yes, I am upset at the neighbor that alerted animal control about TNR and I don't think they understand how TNR helps cats and communities. We have thought about moving and have thought about buying the land by our home as that would enable us to help the cats that need to be trapped for medical care.

When Neighbors Don't Love Cats

 We have been providing insulated and waterproof shelters for the TNR cats that reside in the woods that is adjacent to our home. We have been caretakers since 1999 and honestly had no idea that neighbors were watching from afar and that they didn't love cats.

Recently we were made aware of the neighbor's concerns as animal control told me that all the cat houses had to be removed from the public woods and that I could only provide the shelters in my yard. (however, if the cats become a nuisance then I would have to remove the cat houses)  Animal control made me aware of a neighbor that was bothered by the cat houses and had reported me for providing a cat house in my yard (behind a privacy fence) and in the woods.

The cat houses could not be seen by the woods trail.  You would have to hike off the trail to find them.  I suppose they may have followed me one day when I went out to feed the colony of TNR cats.  The neighbor was not bothered by the cat feedings but certainly wanted the cat houses removed. 

Our weather can be brutal with extreme heat in the summer and bitter cold with snow in the winter. The cat houses may have saved the colony cats' life because they were insulated to keep cats cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

When neighbors don't love cats and put a stop to people that help cats, then they hurt cats by denying them shelter.   I know that going forward that I need to be more careful about what is said to neighbors and to change my time for feeding the colony cats as I don't know what the neighbors that do not like cats will do next. 

Here is a photo of what my outdoor cat shelters look like.  They are not cheap nor are they eyesores. Yes, I am angered at this neighbor for being so hateful toward the cats. 

The cat houses in the photos below are in my yard.  I bought 4 houses like this 2 for my yard and 2 for the woods cats.  These quality-made houses should not offend anyone.