[CAT] Food and water for the neighbourhood stray

[rfmcdonald]

I've seen this cat around my laneway a half-dozen times before, and I've seen its pawprints in the snow every night that we've had soft snow. It followed me to my door tonight as I was coming home; I didn't let it in, for fear of how Shakespeare might react to this neighbourhood resident he, too, has seen outside the apartment through my study window as this new one looked in, but I laid out some dry food and water. It ate something, at least.

Comments

[sovay]

but I laid out some dry food and water. It ate something, at least.

That's a good cat. I'm glad it took food from you.

[conuly]

What a doll! Do you know how to make a cat shelter?

[rfmcdonald]

I do not! I just leave the outer door open so it can shelter.

[conuly]

So you're going to want to get a cat-sized styrofoam cooler, a large plastic bin with a lid (larger than the cooler), a knife, a heavy object, and some straw.

Take the cooler, put it in the bin. Cut a door into both cooler and bin. Surround the cooler inside the bin with straw. Stuff more straw into the cooler - this will be both bedding and insulation. BLANKETS DO NOT MAKE GOOD BEDDING. They don't get warm enough. You want something the cat can burrow into. Put the lid on the bin. Put the entire thing outside, preferably with the opening facing a wall. Put the heavy object on top.

If you cannot get a styrofoam cooler, you can glue styrofoam to the inside of the bin for a similar effect. If you cannot get that either, you can put a little cardboard in the bin or do without. If you cannot get straw, you can use shredded newspaper, dried leaves, or, again, do without. NO BLANKETS. They really don't help. But you can drape a blanket over the bin (under the heavy object, naturally) if you want a bit more insulation.

It is better for the cooler to be pretty much the size of one or two cats - less is more, here, as it conserves more body heat.

Some people prefer to put two exits on the shelter so that if a racoon or opossum gets in, the cat can get out. Some people prefer to put a cat flap in front of the door. Some people swear by adding a layer of reflective blanket in between the bin and the cooler.

It's pretty inexpensive, and, barring the trip to the store, only about a half hour's work.

Every week or two you'll open the lid of the bin and cooler, dump out all the straw. This will help keep down fleas.

If you mix a little food grade DE in with that dry food, you'll also keep down worms.