How to Keep Feral Cats Warm in Winter

Cats that live outside during the winter need shelter from the cold, snow and ice.  Many people believe that the cat’s winter coat will provide adequate warmth.  

The cat's fur will keep them warm, but if the temperatures dip below freezing the cat will be cold and if the cat is left outdoors, with no shelter or wind protection in extreme cold weather they will develop frost bite on paws, nose and ears.  

Feral and stray cats need an insulated shelter to stay warm and dry in winter. 

Winter is coming and I need to make sure my colony cats have a shelter to protect them from the cold and snowy winter.  The feral cats visit the feeding station that I monitor and occasionally they will come inside my shelter/shelter.  



Locating the Feral Cat Colony

Feral cats are terrified of humans and will go to the hallow trees and the thicket dens in the forest when the weather is bad.  My husband and I decided to fill the hallow trees and thicket dens with straw as it would provide more insulation.   

I decided to track the feral cat I call Bob in hopes to find the forest colony.  I followed each of my colony cats by walking 20 feet behind them into the forest.

 I found that the cats shelters, they were 107 feet south of my home; a hallow tree, a groundhog burrow, thicket den, shallow crevice in the limestone rock.  

The stray cats lived closer, they had leaf shelters that were located under my neighbors low to the ground deck. 

 I noted the cat’s shelters and returned to the areas the following day when the cats weren't there.  I brought insulation material; straw for their shelters.  I set a thick pile of straw inside the hallow tree, burrow and thicket den.

I spoke to my neighbor and informed him that the cat was using his deck for a shelter and asked if I could insulate it for the winter.   

Insulating a deck is a little tricky because you never know what is living under it.  I crawled under the deck and my husband handed me cardboard to set on the ground.  I then piled a thick layer of leaves on top of the cardboard and topped the leaves with straw.  

The top of the deck was covered with a plastic tarp that was secured tie downs. The tarp would provide a wind break and it would also prevent the water from getting the cats bellow wet.  The home owner had no problem with the tarp on the deck because during the winter months it was seldom used.  

About Sgolis, Feral Cat Colony Caregiver

When the temperature dips into the teens I will provide shelter for the feral or stray cats  by allowing  them entrance to my shed or garage. I  Installed a kitty door at the entrance.  The door allows entrance to cats only and does not allow raccoon, dog or fox. 

Inside the shelter I hang heavy blankets or insulated drapes over the windows and walls.  For added warmth I cover the cement floor with cardboard or old carpet.  

For cat bedding;  I filled dish boxes with straw and gave the cats a fleece blankets I also provide the cats with self heating cat beds, mats and igloo and other insulated plastic cat houses.

Insulated cat bedding inside shed:  Image by Susan Golis

Here is a video that will show you how to get your feral and stray cat shelters ready for winter:

Tips 

1. Keep cats warm by fueling their bodies with high protein food. The protein will give the cats the energy they need to keep them active during the winter months.  
2. Feed the cats daily and provide them with fresh water.  
3. To avoid freezing put cat's water in a heated bowl
4.  In winter season I feed outdoor cats dry food as the canned food will freeze.  If cats are in the heated shed/shelter I will leave canned food for them.   
5. As long as an outdoor cat is in an area that is dry, with some insulation, straw and a wind block the cat will adapt to living outside during winter.  The cats will sleep together and their bodies will keep them warm.
    

National Feral Cat Day

National Feral Cat Day, an annual feral cat awareness day.  A day to educate and to make others aware of Alley Cat Allies and their pledge to help control feral cat population by the trap neuter and release program.  For me it is a time for me to reflect on the year and the work that I have accomplished by being a feral cat caregiver.

The volunteer service  that my husband and I do for the feral, stray and abandoned cats in our neighborhood is done out of love for the cats.  

We oversee the colony of cats along with two neighbors and we work together to provide the cats with medical care, nourishment and shelter.  We pay for their needs out of our pocket and I design gifts at zazzle.com from my photographs to raise money for the cats.

Kitten at doorway of our shed/shelter

We provided woods cats with straw to walk on when snow too deep

Rescued 4 week old kitten for medical care

Cleared a path so cats in woods could come to feeding station

After blizzard cleared the sewer so cats could get out

Rescued wounded cat and kittens and took in for medical care

Hiked through 2 feet of show to feed cats in thicket dens

Provide warm beds for feral cats in winter

Care for cats at the shelter

Feral Cat Recuperating after Spay

Lost Cats at Shelter

Caring for Forest cats / 2 kittens and queen by den entrance

In the last year, we trapped many paid for their sterilization and vaccinations as well as preventative vaccines.  We also saved a feral queen cats life along with her three five week old  kittens.  

The queen cat fought off a wild animal that attacked her kittens, the orange tabby kitten need medical care.  I trapped her and her kittens and they all received medical care, however they needed to stay in the animal clinic for 21 days due to a serious infection.

Out of the 16 cats that we trapped, we were able to socialize and adopt five cats into forever homes, seven of the adult feral cats returned to the colony and the remaining four cats live with my husband and I.

I believe in the Alley Cat Allies cause and will continue to protect and improve the lives of feral cats in my neighborhood.  Any feral or stay cat that I come in contact with will be given a bowl a food, fresh water and if I am able to do so I will trap them for spay, neuter and for medical care.   

I will rescue and protect the feral cats from a life of hardship.  They will always find food and water and the door open at my shelter. My husband and I and the two civic minded neighbors will always care for the feral cats in our neighborhood.

View this video to learn more about Alley Cat Allies.

Feral Cat Released to Colony

Feral cat Lucy in Woods

On August 9th the feral cat named Lucy was released from medical care. Her attending veterinarian said she was healed and could be returned to the feral cat colony.  

The cat was released where I trapped her, inside the shelter. I assumed Lucy would bolt out the door and run into the woods but  Lucy was not ready to go outside and she hid in the back of the shelter.

During her stay in the shelter I treated her with a homeopathic healing.  My friend in Atlanta who is a gifted healer helped me with the treatments.  I also fed her a raw diet of lean meat, vegetables, sweet potatoes, and liquid vitamins.  Lucy grew healthy and strong and within two weeks Lucy the feral cat was ready to return to the woods.  

Released feral cat

Today Lucy walked outdoors and laid by my pond and then she slowly walked into the woods. I did not see her for several days and then one day I saw her go into the shelter.  I brought her some evolve maintenance formula natural cat food and fresh water. 

Lucy looks great, her fur has grown in and her coat is healthy and shinny.  She limps on the front paw that was injured and I suppose she always will.  She visited with me for an hour.

Feral cat Lucy resting on deck

I spoke softly to Lucy and told her of her kittens. Charlie the yellow kitten who was wounded was socialized and he was adopted.

Her other kittens Boris and Natasha were still under medical care, but would be coming home soon.  They would be socialized too and would be adopted.  

Lucy the feral cat need not worry because her kittens would have a better life than she.  Lucy was a good listener as she did not turn her head nor did she walk away. 

Lucy was reunited with the feral cats at the Oak Ridge colony on August 26th, 2010.  She will live the rest of her life in a wooded tract of land that is privately owned. My husband and I will watch over her with the help of the civic minded volunteers..

Feral Cat Needs Medical Care

Feral cats are smart and once they have been inside a trap they are not going to enter the trap again.  Normally after I release a feral cat they will live their life in a control colony and will only be re-trapped if medically needed.

 The feral cat I call Lucy was released three weeks ago after being treated for an injury that she suffered while nursing her kittens.  Since being set free Lucy has stayed close to the shelter, she goes inside the shelter and sleeps there throughout the day. 

In the evening around 6:00PM she will leave the shelter and venture out into my yard, sometimes she lays by the pond, other times she hides in the ornamental grass garden, and sometimes she sits on the back wall, rarely does she enter the woods to go to the cat colony by the caves.

I have been watching the feral cat named Lucy through the lens of my camera. She was wounded several weeks ago and I trapped her for medical care.  The wound on her paw is not healing. The 1/2 inch scab grow larger daily. 

Lucy has been chewing on her paw, as if she needs to drain it daily. I suspect that she has another infection. On Friday September 3rd, I spoke to the veterinarian and I told him my concerns for Lucy’s wound, he told me that she is chewing on her paw because it must have another infection.  I was told to re-trap Lucy the feral cat and to bring her in for a medical examination. 

I set up the trap inside the the shelter as that is where her feeding station is located. 

Both my husband and I have been watching the shelter, waiting for Lucy to go inside. Lucy did not spend the night in the shelter. She did come to my yard at 3:00 this afternoon and I noticed blood on Lucy's head and I thought that she had been in a fight. Then I noticed her paw, it was covered with blood. 

I quickly made up a bowl of Blue Buffalo chicken canned cat food and brought food and fresh water out to her.   I set the food in the back of the trap. I left the kitty door open and I waited for her to go inside. She did not enter the shelter; instead she hunted a salamander and ate it before walking out of my yard.

 I will continue to watch the shelter and have placed a baby monitor inside, that way I will be informed of any movement. I pray that she enters the shelter tonight and I also pray that God will watch over her and guide her to the shelter and inside the trap.

Saying Goodbye to a Feral Kitten

Saying goodby to a kitten that is only weeks old is the hardest thing that a colony caregiver can do.  There is always a reason why a kitten needs to be put down and even if you know it is the right decision it does not make it any easier.

I came to know this feral kitten whne the queen cat  brought her three young kittens to my garage shelter and that is where I trapped the mother cat  and all of the kittens for veterinarian care.  One kitten had a bite wound on his paw, another had a puncture wound on her head and one kitten had an infection in his eye.


the little Feral Norwegian Forest cat that was the last kitten to be trapped was rushed to the veternarians office and diagnosied with a serious eye infection. They administered antibiotics and he was kept at the animal clinic for ten days. Boris was released to go home for crate rest.

I put the feral kitten in the crate in new cat room and he was lyiing comfortably in the hamack, but he looked sad and lonely. His brother was in the other room and so brought the sibling cat crate into the cat room. 

The feral kittens; Charlie and Boris were so happy. They both talked to each other and then played paws between the slate of the crate before falling asleep. 

I left the room to make supper and whe I returned the little feral kitten with eye infection (Boris) was limping and his crate cracker brother Charlie had escaped from his crate and had climbed to the top of his brothers crate. 
   
I have no idea as to what occurred but I suspect that both brotheres were trying to get closer to each other, and the little kitten twisted his paw. 

We took Boris to the veterinarians and they took an X-ray to see if the leg was broken. They informed me that they did not think it was broken but it was close. the joint was twisted. Boris stayed at the animal clinic for 21 days and then they released him to me for home care.

The attending veterinarian was waiting for Boris leg to heal. Boris was to be confined to a crate and he needed peace and quite. I was the only one who entered his room and I spent 4-6 hours with him per day. 

Boris was so afraid of everything. I could not socialize him because of his leg however, in spite of his ailment he learned to trust me.

Today we took Boris for the check-up on his leg. The veterinarian took an X-ray and told us there was no change.  Boris had a very bad infection and the veterinarian said his immune system was weak.

I spoke to my husband as I did not know what to do, I needed to make a decision that was best for this little kitten that we called Boris. My husband suggested that we do what was best for the kitten. 

I contacted his pending adopter and she told me to do what was best for Boris. She did not want to see him suffer. What saddens me is this little kitten had an adopter who would give him a forever home.  He would have had a good life with his adopter.

Boris was 8 weeks old when he passed from this life to the next.  I have never had to say goodbye to a kitten and it broken my heart.

Here are few photographs of Boris.  They were taken in our garage cat shelter..
  

Wounded Lucy and her 3 feral kittens at my shed/shelter

Boris and Charlie checking out the litter box:  New territory for feral kittens

 

Boris on the bottom and Notti on the top:  Kittens playing

Notti on top and sweet Boris looking up

Boris comes out to visit Mom in the garden

Inhumanity Towards Feral Cats & Kittens in Joplin -News Report

Cat Cruelty in Joplin, Missouri – Inhumanity Towards Feral Cats & Kittens: Rights Radio™ with Dr. Joyce Starr

August 14, 2010

Joplin’s policy towards feral cats and kittens: Potential legal action against those who feed, neuter, and save them. My guest is a cat protector and feral cat expert, Lindsay Donzanti. Show Date: August 14, 2010.

Lindsay on Joplin Policy:

“Joplin has a feral cat problem and the powers that be are enforcing an ordinance forbidding the feeding and harboring of feral cats.

“If you trap a cat in Joplin, have it sterilized, and/or pay for shots, it’s now considered your cat.

“If you feed the cat after releasing it, you’re breaking the law.

“Rescuers are who own more than four cats are guilty of a misdemeanor.”

“But Joplin residents are not legally permitted to “own” or house more than four animals at a time. Those who keep four animals are not allowed to feed, catch, neuter, or vaccinate feral cats. Moreover, owners who release a cat back to the streets or to a colony are not allowed to feed them. If the cat is starving, you can’t intervene. Their solution is to starve these defenseless cats to death.

“I called the Director of Animal Services in Joplin and He confirmed this inhumane and misguided method of control, which has proven wholly ineffective elsewhere. It is SO cruel. We “colony caregivers” regard these cats as our pets" 

Homeless cats a Rights Radio Review with Lindsay Donzanti

View Letter to Editor Feral Cat Fight published by Dave Woods at Joplin Globe here

Cat and Kittens Trapped for Medical Care

A queen cat with her kittens came to our shelter.  The  cat had the good sense to realize that she needed our help as she had been wounded from fighting off a wild animal that threatened her kittens.

We needed to trap the injured queen cat and her kittens but this was not an easy task because this feral cat knew how to enter the trap without setting off the lever that closed the trap door.

After several days of trying to trap the queen cat and her kittens the trap door closed and we rushed mother cat and kitten to the animal clinic.

The injuries were extensive and the infection was terrible.  The veterinarian recommended putting both cats down but I said no, I asked them to try to save their lives.


I asked my veterinarian if she would heal and he said yes, that it would take time. The vet-technician who cares for both cat and kitten remarked that both cats were calm and showed no aggression to humans which is uncanny for feral cats.

Both cat and kitten underwent medical care for 21 days.  Upon release I cared for them at home for an additional 10 days by administering their treatments and feeding the cats grain free quality cat food with antioxidants to aid in keeping immune system strong. 

The adult queen cat was approximately two years old was released to return to the colony after she had finished her home care treatments. Orange tabby kitten that I called Charlie was socialized and I adopted him.  



Photograph of Lucy the feral cat at woods colony: 

Lucy in Thicket Den

Lucy at Feeding Station winter 2011

Lucy survives summer heat wave 2011

Lucy Late winter 2012