Flower Design and TNR Class with Forget Me Knodt

Forget Me Knodt hosts sold out flower design classes all year at her shop. In celebration of National Feral Cat Day and our summer-long Feral Flowers Project, Janessa from Forget Me Knodt will teach a class on how to design with blooms specifically from our garden, including zinnias, cosmos, allium and solidago arranged in mason jars. Each student will learn all about design and go home with their own bouquets.

Afterwards, we’ll talk about TNR: Trap-Neuter-Return, and I’ll answer any questions you may have about cat rescue and caring for a feral cat colony in Chicago.

DESIGNING WITH BLOOMS FROM THE FERAL FLOWERS GARDEN

Forget Me Knodt, 1313 W. Wilson
Tuesday, October 14th, 2014
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm, BYOB Edition

Includes cheeses, meats and artisan breads from Baker & Nosh
$40 per student – limit 20 students

The majority of the proceeds will be used for food, shelter and medical care for managed feral cat colonies.

Call 773-944-1041 to sign up for your spot. $10 deposit required, and seats are first-come, first-served

I’m very excited about this event and I hope you can join us! It’s my way of being able to share the garden with you in person. I believe gardens and cats go hand in hand, and that feral cat colonies can be cared for in a beautiful way in our yards. The Feral Flowers Project would not exist without the help of the cats in my yard, including:

Bouncy Bear

Dash

Dice

Funny Face

And of course my very own pet cat Mooha, who was Chief Gardener, as she was chasing the butterflies and bees all summer long to make sure they pollinated every flower.

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Cat Colonies that Cuddle Together

I woke up today and it felt like fall. The animals felt it also.

My senior lady indoor cats Mini and Mooha put aside their lifelong feud of matriarchal jealousy and territorial domination, and snuggled up together on the bed.

Seriously. This is how they snuggle. If they got any closer they’d be hissing and clawing at each other. Here they’re actually warming themselves with the heat of their intense hatred for each other.

The outside animals were a little bit more obvious.

The finches flocked together on the sunflowers. sunflower finches

The James’ Gang Colony cats in my yard were too cute. They snuggled on top of the Feral Villa. Bouncy Bear watched carefully over the boys, Funny Face and Dice, while they napped. Ferals on top of the Feral Villa

Today’s weather was a great reminder that winter is coming, and this is the perfect time of year to start cleaning out the outdoor cat shelters.

Earlier this summer my TNR friends Anna, Ellen and Alex donated a truck-load of straw that’s been in my garage ever since. straw bales Straw is the ultimate insulator to keep colony cats warm during winter. The cats can snuggle together in it. It repels moisture and retains body heat. There’s way more straw than I need, so I asked if anyone wanted some on my Cats In My Yard Facebook page. People have already showed up for it, including my friend and neighbor Annamarie, who is currently fostering Indy, a very sick and friendly cat that was dumped outside on her block. Please visit her gofundme page to learn more how she is helping this local cat. And if you’re in the Chicago area, please let me know if you’d like some straw.

Annamarie Fadorsen says:

September 11, 2014 at 6:59 pm

Aw, thank you so much for sharing Indy’s story, and of course thank you again for the straw!

Vanessa says:

September 12, 2014 at 8:44 am

My pleasure, thanks for helping Indy!

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Growing the First Crop of Feral Flowers

Once the garden started growing, there was no stopping it.

I was very excited. This was my first attempt at being a Flower Farmer and I did not know what to expect. These Feral Flowers were grown specifically to be cut and available for purchase at my friend Janessa’s Forget Me Knodt flower shop. All proceeds are going to the care for colony cats. This project is also a great way to raise awareness of colony cats and Trap-Neuter-Return, TNR, the humane way to control their population.

I also wanted to show that you can have a beautiful yard and garden with cats in it. In fact, I think the cats make it even more beautiful.

First the perennial plants came back with a flourish. It’s as if they were also celebrating the end of winter as much as I was.

The hostas in the front yard were HUGE. Hosta explosion

And there was lots of yellows and purples.

We planted annual cutting flower seeds for the Feral Flowers project. The first seeds to grow were the sunflowers, especially this lemon yellow variety. Sunflowers - lemon yellow

Not to be outdone, the other flowers started growing.

And growing. A view from the deck

There was cosmos, forget me nots, larkspur, snapdragons, dill, basil, catmint, magnolias, and zinnias.

Lots and lot of zinnias.

Zillions of zinnias.

This was my favorite view all summer.

This was Dash’s favorite view. Garden catio

It was fun to see the cats in my yard enjoying the garden. After all, this is THEIR yard. Bouncy Bear really likes to sit on this round table. Bouncy Bear on her favorite table

Funny Face prefers the shade. Funny Face's favorite spot

Dice likes to hang out on the stepping stones. Dice on the stepping stones And Mooha is chief gardener.

Mooha is my indoor cat, but she comes out with me while I’m in the garden.

She loves chasing bugs, and you can usually find her on the “hunt” right by the catmint. Mooha huntingbugs

Or hanging out on the cat path in-between the flowers.

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Growing the Feral Flowers Garden

Once I planted the Feral Flowers Garden it was time to hurry up and wait.

The perennial plants around the Feral Villa were already growing strong. Dice and Funny Face on Feral Villa Dice in the perennials

The cutting flowers garden is all organic and planted straight in the ground from seed. All it took was lots of spring rain, careful weeding and transplanting, and time. So much time that I was pretty impatient.

The colony cats were enjoying the new spring weather and the bare garden didn’t seem to faze them at all. Dice and Funny Face in the catio Dice on the table Funny Face on the Alley Cat Allies house Dice doing yoga And then, finally, you could see little plants.

Amaranth!
Bouncy Bear on Feral Villa

Zinnias!

Sunflowers! Funny Face in crosswalk

And more!

A LOT more.

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The Feral Flowers Garden was well on its way to success.

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Feral Cats and Flowers are the Purrfect Match

Blogging in my garden today is pure bliss. I’d like to share the Feral Flowers Project from the beginning.

Summer is my favorite season, especially since we converted the backyard into a full garden. Every year I like to change it up and experiment. You can see the different garden configurations we’ve tried on my Flickr page.

This past winter was brutal. B-R-U-T-A-L. The polar vortex gave me the worst case of seasonal depression. I worried about the outdoor cats all of the time, despite the heating pads we installed in their outdoor shelters.

Spring was also slow to start, and some of the colony cats were showing up sick. The vet bills were racking up.

During this dark time, I started planning my garden to cheer myself up. And decided to focus on flowers this year. My friend Janessa owns her own flower shop in Uptown called Forget Me Knodt, and we talked about cutting flower gardens. Somewhere in that conversation, we agreed to plant a garden here, and sell the flowers at her shop to help raise money and awareness for the colony cats.

The Feral Flowers Project was born. And has been growing ever since.

We had to wait until almost June, but as soon as we could, we bought cutting flower seeds.

It was clear from the very beginning that my cat Mooha was in charge. Which makes sense. She was born in my co-worker’s flower pot in 1999, and has been with me ever since. Mooha and the seed packets

Time to start planting! Mooha and the seed packets

So we did.

This is what the garden looked like when I prepped it in June.

JUNE.

No wonder I was depressed. bare garden

Anyways, Janessa started digging. Janessa digging

And dug some more. Janessa digging some more

I helped.

And Mooha helped.

What’s with all of the sticks?

To start plotting out the garden of course.

This is what it looked like on paper. Mooha and the garden plan

Ok, so Mooha doesn’t want you to see it. Let’s take a closer look. Mooha and the garden plan a little bit closer Ok, forget it.

Anyways, put down the sticks. Mooha helping put down the sticks

And some more. Mooha and sticks

Mooha inspects the whole thing.

And here’s what it looked from my deck like all planned out.

We planted all of the seeds, including these awesome Chinese Forget Me Not seeds.

I have no idea what makes them “Chinese.”
Forget Me Not seeds

Mooha didn’t help us plant seeds at all. She found the tiny bit of catmint growing out of the ground, and decided she was in love with the garden hose. Mooha and the garden hose Like, REALLY in love.
Mooha and the anemones

After we finished messing with their yard, the colony cats came to take a look.

Dash was first.

Bouncy Bear followed.

Funny Face and Dice checked it out next.
Funny Face and Dice in the spring garden

Janessa and I celebrated with cocktails, and have been watching the garden grow all summer. cocktails in the garden

To be continued…

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Acclimating Cats to Traps

Here is Dice and Funny Face bonding for a looooooooooong time before their dinner for two in a Tru-Catch Trap that I kept zip-tied open for a few weeks. They’re so cute together – after their love fest, they both went in the opposite ends of the trap (at minute 1:25) to eat the food I placed in the middle. It’s like the spaghetti dinner scene from Lady and Tramp, only for feral colony cats!

Keeping the traps zip-tied open helps acclimate the cats to them and they stop noticing the difference. In this case, I wanted to re-trap Dice because he was drooling and I was concerned about his health. When I was ready to take him to the vet, I was able to re-trap him within a few hours of setting everything up.

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How We Made Heated Outdoor Cat Shelters

There’s a lot of quick and easy outdoor cat houses that you can make to help keep your TNR’d feline colony warm during the winter.

Years ago we purchased the Feral Villa and it has always been a big hit with the colony cats.

Then we made another wooden, insulated cat shelter, kind of like after the style of a dog house. The cats use it year-round. Since Jim made it, we called it the Jim Villa.

This year there was a lot of new construction in my area. A lot of abandoned homes were torn down, and a new park is being built. The cats used these buildings and land for shelter, and I got worried they would have nowhere to go. So we decided to add another outdoor cat house and include heat in all of them.

I am so thankful for this decision, as this winter is also the year of the Polar Vortex, and I live in Chiberia. The winter has never been this cold since I started caring for and TNR’ing outdoor cats a decade ago. We’ve been having our own problems as the pipes have burst in our basement this year for the first time.

But I digress.

First, Jim made a new insulated cat house, using these directions from Alley Cat Allies. He modified a few of the measurements, and we call it the Alley Cat Allies Villa. Here it is in progress. We have outdoor electric outlets and decided to take a step further this year. We ordered outdoor heating pads for all three of these houses from K&H Pet Products. The heating pads are activated by weight, and come in different sizes. We also purchased Thermo Cubes, which are plugs that make the heating pads turn off once the temperatures reach a certain level.

I love this company. I also bought their Thermo Kitty Cafe bowls to use for wet cat food and water. They’ve been a huge hit with the feral cats. The directions say not to leave them plugged in outside, but they’ve been outside working ever since I purchased them.

Bouncy Bear loves to eat and drink from all of the heated outdoor bowls. We placed the outdoor heating pads into all three of the wooden cat shelters.

Here is the heating pad fitting nicely in the new Alley Cat Allies Villa. That little shelf is for them to go up on, but I’m not sure how necessary it is. It’s not a waste, by any means, because they can also fit under it.

I put some straw around it to add warmth and cushion for the colony cats, but honestly, they push it to the side. They are more interested in keeping warm.

We drilled a hole for the electrical cord to go out of the villa, and then plugged it into our outdoor outlets. I had to use a few extension cords because my outlets are actually up on the deck.

You can see the hole drilled here. The Alley Cat Allies Villa was also taken over almost immediately by Dice, my James Gang Colony cat in my yard.

When it gets really cold, he lets Bouncy Bear in there with him.

The entrance hole is about six inches across, and seems to be the perfect size.

Now on to the Jim Villa.

Every year, it gets cleaned out, and we add new straw and insulation. The front can be easily removed with a power drill.

We use the old insulation pieces as templates to cut out the new insulation pieces.

And here is the Jim Villa drilled closed, with the outdoor heated cat pad inside, added straw, and a drilled hole for the outlet. You can see the cats pushed the straw to the side again.

Dice also loves it.

And so does Funny Face.

Now on to the Feral Villa. This was the biggest success because even the Doggy Woggy, the opossum, approves.

But really, this is Dash’s house. Dash is the O.C.C. – Original Colony Cat. He was TNR’d in 2007 and he loves the Feral Villa. He just keeps his a low profile.

This is the inside of the Feral Villa with the heating pad and straw in it. Again, the straw is pushed to the side. I’m pretty sure Dash doesn’t share it with any other cats, and leaves if Doggy Woggy the opossum is in there, and vice versa.

The cats come and go as they please, but with this extra added heat in this brutal weather, they don’t seem to be going anywhere as much. This is the scene that usually greets me when I come home.

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Kat says:

December 7, 2014 at 8:41 pm

I was reading your post because I wondered if I could use the straw, which I do use now with the new K&H extreme weather heating pads I just bought. I was concerned about fires but it seems you use both straw and the pads. I have ‘doors’ also on my shelters to help keep the drafts and cold out and they are find with them. I am getting cat doors to install to give even better protection. Where did you get that large black plug connecter? I need to plug in 3 things in a 2 thing outdoor outlet. I also bought a heated water bowl since water is already freezing here. Thanks for any info.

Vanessa says:

December 8, 2014 at 7:51 pm

Hi, Kat, yes, I use straw with the heating pads, but if you’re really concerned, just forget the straw.The cats push it to the side anyways, since they want to get to the heat. The large connector and outdoor extension cords all came from Home Depot. Links for heated water bowls can be found in this post: http://www.catsinmyyard.com/outdoor-heated-water-bowls-847

I’d love to see photos of your own set up for the cats if you’d like to share. Thanks so much for caring for them! Vanessa

Tammy Blankenship says:

January 22, 2016 at 6:21 pm

When your cats get up off of the heated pads in the winter, do they get cold because of where they were lying on the pad and got really warm? How do I know that the pad won’t to be hot for my cat to lay in? People are not susposed to lay on hearing pad long so would it be okay for my cat to lay on? Thanks for your help.

Vanessa says:

January 23, 2016 at 12:09 pm

Hi Tammy, I have been using those heating pads for a few years now without a problem for the same cats. They do not seem to get too warm. You can test the heat and see how they work for yourself by placing a heavy book on the heating pad – they are weight-activated. Thank you for caring for the cats!

Cat lady says:

September 29, 2016 at 6:58 pm

Tammy Blankenship

There is an attachment that you can buy for that heating pad which turns it off when it gets to a certain temp, so it regulates the temp using your cats body heat.

Louann says:

September 24, 2016 at 9:46 pm

I love your ideas! Thank you for sharing. I have 3 cats that have shown up as kittens are are probably 3 – 4 months old. I have 2 jobs, so I am gone most days, when I get home in the evenings around 10 – 11, they are waiting on me to feed them. I talk to them and feed them, but have only been able to get within a couple of feet of them. I have a friend who is going to build me houses like yours and I will add the heating pads and the heated food bowls. My question is how did you trap them for TNR? Did you have a safe trap? I worry about stressing them out. Do you have any suggestions? I don’t want to freak them out or have them get hurt, but I do want to have them fixed and healthy. Thank you!!

Donna says:

November 14, 2016 at 11:48 am

Luann, if you call the local humane society they will place traps for your kittens and take them to the humane society to be spayed and/it neutered. They bring them right back when they’ve had time to heal. Sometimes there is a small fee but sometimes PETA will pick up tab.

sharon j chamberlain says:

November 19, 2016 at 5:24 am

I guess its because I rescue homeless cats too but this this the most beautiful page of info I have seen in a long time. Their little faces looking out of the warm homes are a picture of real love, thank you for being a caring human.

Vanessa says:

November 21, 2016 at 5:57 pm

Thank you for your kind comment, and for all that you do for the cats, Sharon!

Jason says:

November 23, 2016 at 2:16 pm

My cat shelter inside dimensions is 30.5×17. I am wondering if the Extreme Weather Kitty Pad would be sufficient enough being it’s measurements are only 12×17 or should I go for something like the Deluxe Lectro-Kennel which offers a medium size, but it has a user controlled thermostat, so I am unsure which way to go. Could you offer advice? Thanks.

Vanessa says:

December 2, 2016 at 9:13 am

Hi, it depends on how many cats are using the shelter and will be sitting on the heating pad. The straw and their body warmth together will also heat the shelter. I like the K&H heating pads because they’re weight-activated, but I know there are many products out there. Please feel free to let us know what you decide and how it works out. Thanks for all that you do for the cats!

Jason Mulkey says:

December 6, 2016 at 1:55 pm

I ended up going with K&H medium lectro kennel pad. It was the perfect size and came with a soft cover for the cats to lay on inside the shelter. It is body weight activated, which is terrific for the application at hand. I live in southern part of Georgia, so it doesn’t get that cold very often, but on those night the temperature drops really low I can rest easier now knowing they have some heat. Thanks for the great ideas here on your site that inspired me!

Leah says:

December 9, 2016 at 12:41 am

Aw wow, it’s really uplifting to see that there are people like you who will spend their time and money to help homeless felines. I currently foster 2 lovely indoor orange cats and live in a rental basement suite (in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan where winter Temps can reach -40 Celsius and worse). I’m just looking into what kind of outdoor shelter I can make for neighbourhood cats, if you have any suggestions. And thank you for assisting the furry ones😊

Vanessa says:

December 20, 2016 at 6:59 pm

This post shows how all of the shelters I have were made, with links. This other post also shows how to make simpler shelters:

http://www.catsinmyyard.com/quick-and-easy-ideas-for-low-cost-outdoor-cat-shelters-1843

Thanks for all that you do to help the cats!

Jeanne says:

December 11, 2016 at 11:07 pm

Hi Vanessa!
I love reading about your kitties, as I am a cat lover who recently lost my 20 year old Mr. Paws. Had him since he was a baby so I have many great memories of him. I have 8 outdoor feral cats that I provide food, shelter and after 2 years they are starting to trust me more and waiting at the back door every morning for breakfast. I make the Rubbermaid Tub houses and plan to buy the K&H pads for this winter, here in Virginia it can get very frigid!! Can u suggest if I should cover the outside of the houses with anything, such as old blankets. They are under a large carport with lattice siding so the cold still blows thru there. I put the white insulation panels inside the tubs but may try the kind you used in your pictures, it does look a bit more thicker and more solid.
Thanks for any and all suggestions!!!

Vanessa says:

December 20, 2016 at 6:57 pm

Hi Jeanne, blankets can get wet and cold. But plastic tarps can help hold in heat and block the wind. It also helps camouflage the shelters if they’re out in a more open area. Here are some photos as an example: http://www.catsinmyyard.com/introducing-the-kitchen-colony-4277

Thanks for all that you do for the cats!

Ronald Thompson says:

December 20, 2016 at 11:09 am

If you make the floor of the house larger then the heating pad, the cats will adjust their position on the pad based upon the temperature. If they’re too warm, they will put more of their body on the unheated parts of the floor. This occurs in the Fall and Spring when the weather fluctuates. In NY, the Winters are generally cold, so they spend most of the time on the heat.

Vanessa says:

December 20, 2016 at 6:53 pm

This is a great observation, thanks, Ronald!

Joann Asta says:

January 5, 2017 at 9:43 pm

Appreciate all the great info! I am now the caretaker of two strays, mama and baby. Have made a temporary shelter but will build better one in summer. Worry bout the cold weather coming. We seem to do what we can.

Vanessa says:

January 13, 2017 at 11:09 am

Thanks for caring for those cats, Joann!

Beth Mann says:

December 12, 2017 at 11:18 am

I have one stray cat in need of a small heated shelter. Your piece was VERY helpful and well-written. Thank you. (Kitties silently thanking you too.)

Vanessa says:

December 28, 2017 at 3:55 pm

Glad I could help! Thanks for the kind words, Beth, and for all that you do for the cats!

art says:

December 22, 2017 at 8:03 am

Hi everyone,
I was led to believe the heat pad I have was designed to keep my cat’s body temp. normal. It seems like the heat pad doesn’t heat the rest of the shelter. I checked the temp inside the shelter but it is the same as outside. the shelter is well insulated, out of the wind and just big enough for the cat basically. Our temp. is about to drop down to -20F. I guess I’m asking should I have extra heat or just maintaining the body temp. enough.

Vanessa says:

December 28, 2017 at 4:02 pm

Hi Art, if you could provide extra heat somehow, I’m sure the cats would appreciate it. This is what I’ve been able to provide the cats since the Polar Vortex of 2013/2014 and it kept them warm even during those plunging temperatures. In fact, wildlife like opossums moved into the shelters as well since those cold temperatures were unprecedented. If you come up with even more solutions, I’d love to hear about them and share! Feel free to email me at [email protected] Thank you for all that you do for the cats!

Kathy Williamson says:

December 28, 2017 at 5:12 pm

Since I have people in my neighborhood I have decided to make heated houses for the cats and I have a doggy woggy opossum. They don’t seem to mind each other but sharing living space may be pushing it too far. This winter seems to be brutal and
he worst of it hasn’t hit yet. I’m hoping to set it up on my front porch since this is where food and heated water dish is at. So happy to see that you care for others disposable pets also. I used a heat lamp last year I was wanting a warm area to draw the cats near hoping to entice them with warmth

Karen says:

January 1, 2018 at 10:44 pm

Hi, I’m new at the cat thing. Never had a cat, ever, just dogs. But, last Feb. I found my “Buddy” as a kitten living in a culvert while walking my dog. After 4 days of feeding him sardines ( I had no cat food), he followed me home. According to the vet he was around 6 mo. old. But, he won’t stay in the house but a few minutes. He gets weary, and frets at the door. So, I got him a cat house and put a K&H heating pad in it, and put in in my garage, and he sleeps in there at night, and stays in the cat house on the porch if it’s cold outside. But, I am worried about the temp in the garage right now, (12 degrees)! He seems OK and is snug in his house, but will this heating pad do the job? Will he be warm enough?

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This View from My Basement Window Brought to You By the Power of Outdoor Electric Outlets

Yesterday was -11 degrees Fahrenheit in Chiberia. Dice enjoyed drinking water from his heated water bowl, next to his heated water dish, behind his heated cat house.

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Feral Cats Enjoying the Sunshine

Last night the James’ Gang Colony feral cats feasted on holiday ham and chicken. Today they stayed in my yard and followed the sun.

This is how Funny Face checks out the action in the alley while keeping a safe distance.

: Bouncy Bear stayed on the heating pad and near the food in the heated bowls.

Dice sunned himself on the Feral Villa rooftop.

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The Feral Feeding Station Has a New Friend

We made a new feral feeding station using these instructions from Neighborhood Cats. Normally I put food out daily in a controlled amount so as not to attract wildlife, but we were out of town at the same time so I put extra dry cat food out for them.

Then this happened.

I’m sure this opossum was more scared than I was. He hissed like a cat at me because he was cornered, so I took the photo and left.

The cats seemed to care less about the whole thing. Bouncy Bear is looking at me for more food, Dice is huddled up in the cat house, and Dash has no problem dining in front of this new visitor.

I don’t wish this new guy any harm so we’ll just have to keep controlling the amount of food we leave outside. He should move on without a problem. There’s a lot of construction going on in our neighborhood, including clearing land and cutting down lots of trees for a huge city project. It’s no doubt that some of the wildlife is currently losing their habitat and looking for other places to go.