Moved Shelter Cats to Warmer Location

The two neighborhood stray cats that have been hanging out in my yard all summer have entered my shed and are using it as a shelter from the cold. The shed has heat lamps and a space heater and it provides the cats with a windbreak, protection from the rain and snow but it is not insulated and is cold.

 Last night we used a space heater and heat lamps and the shed was 56 degrees. The cats had cozy self-warming beds but with tonight's low in the single digits, we decided to move the shelter cats to a warmer location.

cat tree

It is not a good idea to leave a space heater unattended so I stayed awake last night to check on the unit hourly. I did not get any sleep so my husband and I decided to move the shelter cats to our attached sun porch.

The sun porch is insulated but has no heat. It also has an exterior door that leads to our fenced in patio and dogs kennel. The sun porch is primarily all windows and this room is quite enjoyable during the daylight hours. The sun from the south keeps the room warm and cozy but at night it does feel chilly to cold.

We like that the stray cats can go outdoors during the day and come into the sun porch at night. Overall by allowing the stray cats access to this room we will save on energy because we will not have to use the space heater during the day and I will not need to check on the heater all night long because the room is insulated and we will not have to set the heat thermostat at a high setting.

Another benefit to moving the cats to this warmer shelter is ease of access for my husband and I. We will not have to get dressed, put on rubber boots, coat, hat, and gloves to walk 150 feet to the shed. Now we can walk across the house and look in the glass panel on the door that is located at the entrance of the sun porch. It is a room that was added onto the house that is closed to us and our other cats by a door. An ideal shelter for stray cats during the cold winter months.

About the Cats

The stray cats have homes two blocks away but their people put them outdoors when they got kittens. The older cats did not get along with the younger cats and when the cats were not allowed to go back into their home the cats found their way to my yard.  The owner knows they are in my yard, know that we feed them and give them shelter.  The owner never came to get the cats.  So they are now neighborhood cats, they visit my yard and my neighbors yard, busy being social during the day but come to my shed for shelter at night.

Getting the Room Ready for the Cats

The only thing that we did was remove the drapes, and the furniture and replaced it with self-warming cat beds, cat toys, litter boxes, a cat tree and food and water bowls. We also added a Feliway Multi cat diffuser to the electrical outlet as this will help the cats to adjust to their new shelter without feeling stress.

garden shed for stray cats

* We would like to buy a window unit heater for our shed in the yard.  Because I think it is a better shelter for the neighborhood stray cats.  But in the meantime, the sun porch will have to do because it is too costly to run a space heater 24/7.

Ornamental Grass Garden Attracts Cats in Winter

In winter when the outdoor cats are seeking shelter the ornamental grass gardens if left in a natural state will attract cats. These cats will burrow under the grass leaves and will gain a comfortable resting spot where they are not noticeable.

Today while I was in the back part of my garden I had the feeling that I was being watched. I looked into the woods expecting to see a cat watching me but saw none. Then I looked at the feral cat feeding station and again there were no cats there or hanging around.  I suspected that it was just a feeling that I had of being watched so I let it go and continued with my garden needs. Then I heard movement and heard leaves cracking and there was no doubt I was not alone in the garden.

So I moved toward the grass garden as the sound that I had heard seemed to be coming from that location.  I looked for the animal and again saw nothing.   My ornamental grass garden is thick and anything could take up residency there and would go unnoticed. 

Instead of going in for a closer look I walked back to the house and got my camera with the telephoto zoom lens. This is when a zoom lens comes in handy. My grass garden rather large and nestled behind is a private brick patio and a small pond. 

While viewing through the camera lens I passed over the garden rather quickly and saw nothing. Then I sat and listened for sounds of movement. Sure enough, I heard the leaves crack and pointed my camera in that direction. There at the base ornamental grasses close to the karely rose border grass and Karl Forester grass lies a large gray tabby feral cat, that we call Fatty Boy. This feral cat has boundaries and if I had crossed them he would have lunged at me, hissing and showing me his claws. 

So very thankful that I found the whereabouts as to where cat was and learned what was watching me in the garden today.

Fatty boy is the in the photo that you view above.

My Garage Keeps Outdoor Cats Warm in Winter

 Feral cats and outdoor cats need protection from the winter weather.  One way to keep the cats warm in winter is provide them with a section in your garage for shelter. 


As a colony caregiver to 10 feral cats, I provide the cats with igloo cat houses and insulated kitty tubes that are overstuffed with straw.  I set the cat houses in my garage shelter  

Straw Cat bed in Heated Garage Shelter

 
Tonight's weather forecast is calling for two feet of show and I need to set up the garage shelter so feral cats will be warm.  I will provide extra straw bedding for the cats and heat the garage during the night hours when the temperature drops to the single digits with a wind chill of -5.  

To heat the garage overnight we are setting up the kerosene heater in the center of the room.  The cat igloos are off to the side a good 7 feet away from the heater. 

The feral and stray cats have been coming into the garage through the kitty door that I installed and are accustomed to the heater as I use it often during the winter when I am doing hobbies.   The cats will sneak in and hide while I work in the back of the garage.

What I like about this kerosene heater is that it heats up a 1000sqr foot room and it is easy to ignite the 1.9 gallon fuel which provides heat for 10 hours.  Whenever we light this heater either my husband and I will spend the night in the garage,  We will work on crafts or I will tend to my greenhouse garden but we never leave this heater unattended.


Tonight the cats in the garage will be warm and cozy. I will ignite the heater at 11 pm and it will heat the garage until 5 am. My husband is working in the garage during that time frame to make sure that the cats are safe.  Then the sun will come out and the rays will heat the southern side of the garage. 

Feral Cat sleeping in straw bed inside garage shelter

During the day we will use an electric garage heater. The heater is mounted to the wall and it provides heat to the back section of the garage. The heater has a built-in thermostat and will turn off when it reaches that temperature.  

This garage heater will take the chill out of a space of 500 feet. I can work comfortably in the garage as long as I have a polar fleece jacket on and the cats are comfortable in their beds of straw.

Garage Ceiling-Mount 5000 Watt Electric Heater

Note from Author:

My husband and I are feral cat colony caregivers, we feed, trap, and get the cats medical care.  Some cats are socialized and adopted into forever homes and the other wild feral cats live in a colony.  We watch over the cats and we protect them from harm.  We work together to save the feral, stray, and abandoned cats in our community.