TNR Supplies

Jim cleaned and organized my TNR supplies in the garage last week while I was out of town on a work trip. I am a lucky, lucky woman to have him in my life.

 

First, he bought these shelves from Home Depot and set them all up.

 

The shelves fit most of the supplies needed for TNR, including:

Tru-catch brand standard-sized traps, fat cat traps, and recovery traps

– various-sized pet carriers

– dog crates

– plywood pieces to elevate the traps off of the cement floor

– extra straw for winter housing insulation

Garage TNR supplies

 

And another set of shelves for:

– garbage bags and plastic sheets for easy clean up

– trap covers, sheets and blankets

trap dividers/forks

– newspapers to line the traps

– soft plastic lids and bowls to feed the cats with in the traps

– zip ties to close the traps

heated water bowls

heated food bowls

warming pads

– plastic and aluminum pan litter boxes

More garage TNR supplies
straw bales

Hey Hay!

There’s more that needs to be cleaned out, including an awesome winter cat house that my friend Dorota donated, and these huge bales of straw donated by my friends Anna, Ellen and Alex. I’ll write more about these supplies later when I’m in town to distribute them.While Jim was cleaning out the garage, he even took the time to take some photos of the cats. Here’s Funny Face sharpening his claws on the sunflowers.  Funny Face sunflower scratching post

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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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Conditioning Cats to Feed in My Front Yard

Last fall I noticed a few new cats on my block. The cats in my yard try to keep them out. So I made a Rubbermaid bin cat shelter and feeding station underneath my front steps, hoping to condition the new cats to feed there. The cat shelter was definitely used by a new cat who tried to mark his territory several times by spraying in there.

My colony cats also liked this new arrangement and I found Funny Face feeding from there.

Funny Face under the steps But the other day Jim saw an elusive black cat that I’ve seen for years dash out from underneath the steps. This makes sense, as I’ve put out twice as much food since starting this expansion and all of it gets eaten every night. So now the colonies have options from their Outdoor Cat Cafe: garden brunch on the catio in the back, or fast-food pick-up in the front. Hopefully I will be able to trap any new cats once I’m ready to do Trap-Neuter-Return, TNR.

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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. Cats on top of the Feral Villan

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. The Cats In My Yard Colony

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. Alley Cat Allies Villa 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. Thermo Kitty Cafe Bowls

Bouncy Bear loves to eat and drink from all of the heated outdoor bowls. photo-3 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. Alley Cat Allies Villa with heating pad

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. Alley Cat Allies Villa with straw and heating pad

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.  Allie Cat Allies Villa outlet

When it gets really cold, he lets Bouncy Bear in there with him. Dice and Bouncy Bear near the villas

The entrance hole is about six inches across, and seems to be the perfect size. Deice leaving the Alley Cat Allies Villa

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.

Jim Villa without the front

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

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. Jim Villa with straw and heated pad

Dice also loves it. Dice in the Jim Villa

And so does Funny Face. Funny Face in the Jim Villa

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. Dash and the Feral Villa

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. inside the Feral Villa

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. Cats in the cat houses in my yard

Kat says:

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:

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

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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

Jason says:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

This is a great observation, thanks, Ronald!

Joann Asta says:

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:

Thanks for caring for those cats, Joann!

Beth Mann says:

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:

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

art says:

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:

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:

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:

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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Apparently the Catio is Never Closed

Here is Funny Face enjoying the snow and driving me crazy because he decided to sit under the bench in the catio rather than use one of the heated cat shelters in my yard.  Funny Face by the bench

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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.

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

Dice sunned himself on the Feral Villa rooftop.

Dice sunned himself on the Feral Villa rooftop.

 

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Cat On My Compost Bin

Jim took this aerial view photo from our deck, standing above the cats in my yard. We’ve never seen Funny Face or any other cat sitting on the compost bin before.

Springy Sprungy on compost bin

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The Latest in Feral Fashion: Thick Winter Coats

I thought it was really cold out today, but the James’ Gang Colony stayed true to feral form and were not cooped up in their three heated cat houses. Instead they lounged in the sun all day and showed off their thick winter coats. They only moved when I came out with more wet food for them multiple times. The food froze if they didn’t eat it immediately, so I brought a little bit out all day. They have me trained well.

Dash and Funny Face lounge on the catio even in the winter.

Dash and Funny Face lounge on the catio even in the winter.

Dice even decided to nap on the roof of the Feral Villa, instead of staying in it.

I'm free, I'm feral, I'm not going to stay cooped up all day.

I’m free, I’m feral, I’m not going to stay cooped up all day.

Ear tips and puffy winter coats are always in style for colony cats.

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Feral Feeding Station Keeps Cats Dry

Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow will keep Dice and Bouncy Bear from lining up at their outdoor cat feeding station right on schedule.  Outdoor cat feeding station

Maybe they’ll hang out together in the chiminea cat house next.

Funny Face and Bouncy Bear share.

Funny Face and Bouncy Bear share.

 

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