Searching For Feral Cats After Snow Storm

 The weather was bitter cold with snow and temperatures dipping to 22 below zero. Two feral cats were in my heated shed but four feral cats could not be accounted for. We have been searching for the cats for the last week but at this point, we fear that they have been frozen or hunted by the coyote predators in the woods.

I checked under neighbors' houses, in the woods at thicket and groundhog dens.  My husband removed the snow from all the sewer openings.  Another neighbor went door to door to ask everyone to check their garages as the feral cats could have gone inside when the doors were open.

Cleared the snow from the sewer opening

Today was the first day that the temperature went about 20 degrees and the snow has started to melt.  Two of our neighbor's cats came to visit, but the feral cats that live in the woods are take shelter in the sewer were not seen anywhere in our neighborhood.

My one neighbor was very upset at the thought of losing the cats. We have cared for them since 2008 and they are animals that we all love.   

For now, I am still searching for feral cats.  I haven't given up hope.  These are the cats that we are searching for after the snow.  There is a coyote in the area and I think the cat may be hiding and not willing to venture out. So tomorrow we are going to search every cave, thicket den, and groundhog den that we can find on the south side of the home.

 

About Feral / Stray Cats in Winter

 

Tonight’s low was eleven degrees and the weather advisory report said that the temperature outdoors felt like negative seven. This means that cats that live in your home need to stay indoors and stray/feral cats will need to find a shelter where they can be warm.

Finding shelter is not as easy as people think. Too many people think the cat has fur it is fine. That is the furthest thing from the truth. Cat will suffer when there is a winter advisory. Cats can die from the cold and even if the cat lives outdoors permanently they will suffer from hypothermia or frostbite or both.

Caring for the feral cat during a snowstorm

“Symptoms of Hypothermia

As body temperature continues to decrease, heart rate and breathing will slow down. Without treatment, affected cats will go into a coma and death becomes likely."

“ Stray cats do not have to freeze to death in winter as long as people care about them they can survive the cold.

To provide the stray cats with the shelter/ insulated cat house we bought a bale of straw at the Tractor Store (ask for it at the cashier as they keep the bales in the warehouse at the back of the store) We used the straw to fill the cat houses that are outdoors and the ones inside our shed. As long as the cat houses are not drafty and have a hefty layer of straw the cats will stay warm even on a frigid cold day or night in winter.

Straw on top of mylar reflective blanket

Another way to provide shelter for a stray or feral cat in winter

If you have a garage then leave it open a crack so the stay cat can enter. Once inside offer the cat a self-warming cat house or a cat house with a heated pad. Even a self-warming cat bed on the floor will help the cat to be more comfortable on a bitterly cold night.

Cat lying on self-warming pet pad in the garage

One of my cat-loving friends dug a two-foot deep hole under his enclosed and covered deck then encircled that hole with paving stone before filling it with straw. The stray cat that he took care of burrowed into 3 feet of straw. My neighbor also installed a Mylar reflective blanket underneath his deck to help generate heat for the cat.

The staff at our local Humane Society received a donation of Styrofoam coolers and they added a hefty layer of straw and cut two openings for the cat. (entrance and side escape) These cooler shelters provide insulation that will keep the kitty inside warm and cozy on a cold winter's day. They are not expensive to buy and easy to make.

Know if you intend on making the Styrofoam shelter for stray/feral cats in winter then make sure you fill it with wheat straw and not a blend with hay. Hay is edible, is moist, and will get moldy. Also, set a self-warming Mylar reflective cat pad on the bottom before covering it with the straw.

Set this shelter in an area where it is flush against a wall (wind block) and is hidden. A good place would be under or behind shrubs. Another good place would be on a covered porch or deck. Note that this Styrofoam shelter is light in weight and can easily be airlifted or knocked over. Prevent this by setting brick or a stone on top of the house.

A wooden cat house with Mylar reflective blanket inside and straw. This cat house was a donation from a neighbor.

Note if you have a dog house and you bring the dog in at night. Make sure that the house is not drafty. Use a chalking gun to seal any cracks in the floorboards or sideboards. Make sure the roof is not leaking. Insulate the house with Mylar self-heated blanket for cats. Cover the floor with this blanket then add a hefty layer of wheat straw. Add straw so that it's pushed up on the sides, and covers the floor. This will keep your dog warm during the cold days and at night stray cats will use the house for a winter shelter.

Shop for Mylar reflective blankets for cats at amazon and at chewy.com

Feeding Socialized Feral Cats CALM Cat Food

In August of 2010 I trapped a feral queen cat and her kittens for medical care.  All cats needed veternarian care and were in the animal hospital for 21 days.  The queen cat was released and the kittens were socialized and we adopted them.  

Know that even thought this kittens were trapped when they were six weeks old,  they were unlike other feral kittens because these kittens were high strung and anxious.  

Not sure if it was due to the medication they were given to heal their infections, but I always thought it might have had something to do with their behavior.

Charlie the feral kitten at 6 weeks old.

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Now five years later the kittens are grown but they are not what you would call socialized.  They still hide and occasionally will let me pet them.  I can pick them up but they are not affectionate.  

Recently the two of the kittens developed a a strange behavior.  They are plucking out their fur for no apparent reason.  Like a chicken plucks out their feathers, the feral cats are removing their fur and these once gorgeous cats are nearly bald.

I took them to the veternarian and was told that this is a common behavior or feral cats, that sometimes they can be tamed other times no.   The veterinarian said that there were three treatments; release the cat to live the rest of their life outdoors.   Medicate them or feed them Royal Cannin veternarian diet CALM.  Since releasing them and medicating them is out of the question we bought the cat food and also plugged in the feliway comfort zone.

The 8.8 pound bag of calm cat food was $50. not an inexpensive treatment, but is formulated with natural products. I started the cats on the food today. 

The cats like the food,  but I noticed they are still pulling their hair out.  So it is too soon to see results.  I will share with you all my finding in ten days.  I hope this cat food helps to calm my cats.

Birthday Party For Cat Caretaker

Tomorrow is one of the cat caretakers birthdays and we are going to have a small party for her. I had a cat made in the shape of a tabby cat, was not too expensive as I ordered it from the bakery at Walmart. Then we all chipped in and bought her a card that I designed from one of my photographs of feral cat in our care. Her gift is a PetSmart.com certificate. She will like that because she can buy what she wants for her pets.

We like to celebrate our cat caretakers birthdays because they volunteer their service to help out with the colony of feral cats in our care. They are cat lovers and have been very generous with their time and love for the cats. We could not do what we do if we did not have help from our cat loving community.

Here are some cat birthday cards that I have designed. If you are interested in buying them then click through to my zazzle shop.

This birthday card was designed from a photograph of Charlie, a feral kitten that came to our shelter after his mom had been wounded by a wild animal.  Charlie had been injured in the attack and we needed to trap and rush him  to veterinarian. Both  were under medical care for 21 days due to a bad bite wound and infection.  Charlie was then socialized and adopted into a forever home.

Grumpy Tabby Cat Birthday Card Card by Susang6

Happy Birthday From Your Cat Greeting Postcard Postcard by Susang6

Smile its your Birthday Maine Coon Cat Card by Susang6

To My Person From the Cat Birthday Card Greeting Card by giftsforcatlovers

Trapping Feral Cats in Parks

Feral cats come from a long line of abandoned house cats. Many of the cats are left in state parks, and in wooded or forested tracks of land.  The house cats that are left in these isolated areas seldom survive as they lack in foraging skills. Some get cat disease, others are hunted by wildlife predators, and a few are injured by fighting with feral cats.  

The fate of an abandoned house cat that is left in a wooded area is many times a fatality; however some house cats survive the harsh terrain and environment.  Woodland feral cats sleep during the day and awake at dusk to forage, socialize and mate. The night provides a safer environment for the cats as they are terrified of humans. 

 Periodically cats will be viewed in the morning hours, they may be seeking food, water or they may be injured.  Trapping feral woodland cats does take skills as one must locate the colony and then bond with the cats.

Locate the Colony

Locate the woodland feral cats in state parks by asking the park ranger if there are any feral cats in the area.    Park officials know if cats have been abandoned or they will know where cats have been viewed. 

Find out if the cats are being cared for by a colony caregiver.  If there is a caregiver then offer your contact information and ask the ranger if they would pass on your business card.  

Tell them that you would like to help care for the cats and trap them for spay or neuter and the necessary medical care. If there is no caregiver then you will need to locate the woodland feral cats.  Go to the location were feral cats have been sited. 

Winter Woodland Feral Cat by Susang6

Survey the wooded terrain with your field glasses.  Look for cat shelters; opening in a rock wall, hallow trees, thickets.  Hike to the area where you viewed the shelters.  Stop 15 to 20 feet away from the shelter and set up a feeding station.   

Set up Cat Feeding Station
Fill a bowl with dry cat food.  Food that is fortified with antioxidants will help in boosting cats immune system.  Fill a separate bowl with fresh water. If cats are viewed lurking in the distance, top the dry kibble with stinky fish flavored wet food like Friskies mixed grill.

Document Cat Activity:

Back away from the feeding station and stop twenty feet away.  Set up camp and watch the feeding station with field glasses.  Wait for woodland cats to appear.  

1. Take photographs of the surrounding area, the woodland feral cats, and write your notes on the cats and shelter.  Document their characteristics, mannerisms, sex, and keep your notes in a binder. 
2. Watch the food bowls; if there are many cats the bowl and water will need to be filled Do this by approaching the feeding station slowly, and do not make eye contact with the cats.  
3. Fill the bowls and then back away from the area slowly.  

If you have completed your journal on all of the cats then you may leave.  However you must return to the feeding station the following day at the same time and set up the feeding station in the same location.  You will do this on a daily basis; it is best to feed cats twice a day; 6am and 6pm.

Bond with Feral Cats

Being a woodland feral cat caregiver is a daily job, these cats become dependent on you for food and hydration.  Soon you will notice that the cats are dependent on you for their food source, they will sit in a line and wait for your arrival, or they will run to greet you when they see you approaching the feeding station.  

The cats may seem friendly, however you must respect them at all times and do not attempt to pet them. If you do so this will scare the cat and the cat will react by scratching you or biting you.  If a cat bites you then animal control will cease the cat and euthanize the cat because it is not vaccinated for rabies or other cat diseases.  Therefore respect the cat and keep your hands away from the woodland feral cat.

Communicate with Veterinarian

Contact your veterinarian and inform them that you are a caregiver to woodland feral cats and that when they are dependent upon you that you will begin trapping.  Make arrangement s to bring cats in for sterilization, feline leukemia and AIDS tests, rabies shots, cat wormer and application for cat frontline plus.  Also contact your local cat network, for assistance in a group trapping.

Trapping Feral Cats

Schedule a group trapping for the colony of woodland feral cats.  Omit feeding the cats for 12 hours, however do provide water.  Purchase a medium size live animal trap.  Line the trap with newspaper that is folded so that it fits securely in the trap.  Drop two teaspoons of Friskies tuna canned food in the back of the trap, and  drizzle the juice down the center of the trap (on top of the newspaper) the stinky food will lure the hungry cat into the trap. Next drape a twin size blanket or a fleece sofa throw over the trap, do not conceal the opening of the trap. Spray the inside of the trap; blanket that faces trap interior with Feliway comfort spray.  This formula will help to relax the cat, so that it is not so stressed out.  Set the trap close to the vicinity of the feeding station.   Stand at a distance and watch and wait for the cat to enter the trap and the door to close.  Wait patiently.

When the cat enters the trap and the door closes.  Cover the entire trap with the twin size blanket, this blanket will aid in comforting the cat.  Do not attempt to touch the trap or the cat.  

Move the cat in the trap away from the trap site and place in the transport vehicle, a van is useful when trapping a colony of cats.  Transport cats to veterinarians for medical care.  


Release the cats to the trapping site when the veterinarian tells you it is okay to do so. 

Tips:

• When cats are released to the colony resume feeding the cats at the station.
• Contact cat network in your area and ask for volunteer in your area to help with caring for the cats.
• Rehabilitate kittens for adoption, by socializing them in your home or with the other caregivers.
• Keep a current journal on all of the cats, that way you will know their medical needs and when they will need to be re-trapped for shot updates.

God Watches over Feral Cat with Kittens

The feral cat that I call Lucy arrived at my old shed the other day, she came with her mate a large Norwegian Forest cat that I call Bob. These cats are wild and live in the rock caves that are adjutant to my property. 

These wild cats occasionally join the other colony cats for a bite to eat or enter the shelter for protection when the weather is extreme. Most of the time they are deep in the woods foraging for their survival. 

Today Lucy came to the shed because her left paw is wounded. I suspect from a hunters leg iron trap or from an injury from a rock that may have fallen while she was on the ridge. Whatever the cause the paw was injured and she was walking on three instead of four paws. 

 The shed is always open for any cat that wants to come in out of the cold or the heat. I have a window air conditioner and a window heater that keeps the room temperature comfortable for the cats.  

 God watches over feral cats, and this is why Lucy came to me. I suppose she sensed that I would care for her and protect her from harm. She has been in my shed for one day and allowed me to stand close to her and to view her three very young kittens. Two are black stripes like a British Tabby and the other is a yellow stripe they are only week’s old and all are nursing.

My neighbor is helping me with Lucy, and the kittens. We cannot get close to Lucy to clean her leg wound and have decided to trap her for medical care.  We will trap the kittens also as they will need to be bottle fed.

Lucy's love for her kittens is very strong.  She is suffering in silence as she nurses her kittens.  She keeps them close to her in the bed of straw and protects them from harm.  I love cats and will do what I can to keep them safe. 

Here is a video of a mother cat that hugs her restless kitten and helps it to sleep comfortably.