Prepping For Winter For My Stray/Feral Cats
You may have noticed (especially if you follow me on Instagram) that I have a couple of stray cats that hang around my house. One of them is very friendly. The neighbors named him Tiger because of his markings.
The first time I saw Tiger, he was resting on my front porch, and he was so skinny. I can’t stand to see a skinny cat or dog, so I started leaving food and water for him, and he warmed up to me very quickly. Before long, he was running up to me each morning when I’d walk out the door. He was jumping on my lap when I’d sit in the chair on the front porch. And most incredibly, he was lying on his back, kneading with his front paws, purring loudly, and letting me rub his belly. He’s a very affectionate cat.
The other one isn’t so friendly or affectionate. He won’t let me get close to him or touch him. If I do sneak up on him when he’s eating or distracted, he’ll hiss and swat at me. So I’ve had a harder time getting a good picture of him since he’s always running and hiding when I’m around. But you can see him in this picture. He’s the one further to the right. He’s mostly solid dark gray with white feet.
I’m determined that he’s going to let me pet him and even pick him up before all is said and done, but for now, he keeps his distance. He comes running for food every morning when I feed Tiger, but he stops before he gets too close and then just meows loudly at me to let me know he’s also hungry. So I’ve started putting food out for both of them.
When I started parking the van in the carport, I noticed that Tiger started spending a lot of time on top of the van and sleeping up there.
I don’t mind that at all because being on top of the van keeps him safe from predators from the ground, and being under the carport keeps him safe from predators from the sky. So I like that he’s found a safe spot to nap. But cold weather is coming, and I want to give these cats a comfy and warm place to sleep.
We’re in central Texas, so our cold weather comes a bit later than other areas of the country. Right now, we’re still in the 70s and 80s during the day, but our nights are starting to cool off, with lows starting to get into the high 40s. So while it’s not cold, and we’ probably won’t have any real winter-like weather until January, I want to be ready and have a comfy, cozy place where these cats can warm up and sleep.
Whatever I buy or build, I’ll need two of them. These cats tolerate each other fairly well as long as there’s distance between them. I put their food bowls about a foot apart, and they’re fine eating next to one another. But if they’re just lying around, and one gets too close to the other, they start hissing and swatting at each other. So they’ll definitely need separate houses.
I’ve never cared for outdoor cats before, so what I’m not really sure what to look for. I’m guessing they would be more comfortable in something that can be heated, so this is one that I’m considering (affiliate link). The price seems reasonable considering that I’d need two of them.
But I also like this one (affiliate link). It’s a little more (but it does have coupons available), but I like that it’s up off the ground, and it also has an escape door in case a predator comes lurking around.
Anyway, like I said, this will be my first winter caring for outdoor cats, and I’m not really sure what’s best for them. I’m sure that some of you are way more experienced at this, so if you have any input and guidance, please let me know! And if you’ve found the perfect heated cat house that won’t break the bank, tell me about it. I want to be prepared well before they’re actually needed and the cold weather is upon us.
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
That is SO nice of you! I live in SW Florida, so it is never all that cold here. I’m sure they would love a warm spot to get in when the temps drop. I hope someone on here will know of the perfect thing for them! Love the new driveway! It’s perfect!
I have 4 of the K&H heated houses outside for strays, they’re great! I especially like that they don’t heat unless there’s weight on the inside pad. My sisters house burned down a few years ago because of a different brand outdoor heated house; that one was essentially just a heating pad so it was on all the time & eventually sparked & caught fire.
Oh wow, that’s awful about your sister’s house! That’s so scary. I’m glad to hear that you’ve actually had experience with the K&H houses. I really like those, but do they need to be up off of the ground? I just wonder about if it rains, and they get wet. I’d keep them under the carport, but if we have a rain with wind, they could still get wet.
My mother had a “stray” she fed and my son, who worked with animal control for a while told her if you feed them, they are yours and she was ok with that! Thank you for taking such good care of those babies. Mom’s would never get in anything she had for it to sleep in. Maybe yours will 🙏🏻
Hi Kristy, regarding the cat houses….I follow this guy on Instagram…he takes care of ferals in his yard (San Diego) and builds cat houses….Check him out…maybe you will get some ideas…and maybe some pointers. One of his ferals has recently become very friendly. I love to see his posts. domino.gardencat
I was going to mention him too! He’s built several houses for the cats in his yard, and he’s starting to offer them for sale: https://www.whiskersandmink.com/product/feral-stray-cat-house-midcentury
Oh my goodness, I love it!!
Oooh, girl. You could totally build that.
Have you considered contacting the local animal shelter about recommendations for outdoor housing for feral cats?
I haven’t. I always consider my readers to be my best resource. 😀 And y’all usually are!
I have never cared for outdoor cats so I don’t have any advise, but have you considered contacting a rescue that does TNR so that these two don’t contribute to the overpopulation of stray and feral cats?
Good point. Years ago we wound up with 14 ferals in our yard at one point – in just a few months! We didn’t mind feeding a couple of extra cats but because we worked long hours and didn’t catch the original few in time to get them neutered we soon had an abundance of them and it was overwhelming. The neighbors complained and threatened to poison them because they were peeing and digging in their flowerbeds. We didn’t find the kitten litters in time to socialize them and get them to a rescue. They fought. They got run over. They got killed by predators. We managed to rescue a few and TNR a few more but it was not a pretty situation. The lovey one should have a home. The other one may come around still but they both should be neutered – for your sanity, if nothing else.
I want to bring Tiger inside and keep him. But for now, Cooper isn’t on board with that idea. I’m hoping that with time, Cooper will get used to seeing Tiger and calm down a little. But if I brought him inside right now, I’m afraid Cooper would harm him. Cooper isn’t great with small animals. He and Felicity coexist in the house, and mostly just ignore each other. But when we first got Felicity, it was rough go for a while.
I have! It looks like one (Tiger) has already been neutered. The gray one hasn’t. The main reason I keep working with him to gain his trust is so that I can take him to be neutered. Otherwise, I’d just leave him alone. He gets a little closer every day!
I had a cat that came around like your wild one. I knew she needed to be spayed ASAP. I contacted a local rescue who put me in touch with a local TNR lady. She lent me a trap and gave me a quick lesson. I set a live trap out for her and she went in the first night to eat. I covered the trap with a towel and set it in the garage. The next day I took her to a vet who puts them asleep while still in the cage, fixes them, and puts them back in the cage before they even wake up. I picked her up, kept her in the cage another day and then let her out. She still comes around everyday to eat. But now I know she won’t be bringing me any kitties! I’d contact a local rescue and see if they can help you at least get Mr. Sassy pants fixed!
Wow. That was great! So much better for everyone if they get fixed.
What a kind thing to do. I’m an animal lover too, and always leave food out for any strays I see. I’ve left a box with cushioning in it away from the elements, but I’ve never been successful getting a cat to get in it.
Good luck. I hope those guys can give it a chance and have a warm winter.
An option that isn’t as pretty, but definitely rugged:
Cut a hole in the front side of a cooler, 3-4 inches from the ground, keep the plastic part that comes out to attach above as an overhang/canopy with glue or tape. Drill a hole in the back of the cooler, large enough for a cord to pull through and fill the gap with caulk. Insert an appropriately sized electric pet heating mat (they don’t get too hot, a little higher than body temp, to keep safe from burning the animal) and a couple of old small blankets or pine straw. Plug in and leave where the cats can find them.
We kept one for a stray we cared for, on top of our pop-up camper, under the carport for the same reasons you gave. We strapped it down to the pop-up with ratchet straps so it would be stable from any predator escape type commotion.
Here is a link I found with a video:
https://youtu.be/ht7efNutAi4?feature=shared
It is also worth noting if you are worried about electric, you can just put straw in the and leave it at that. The cooler shelters are super insulated and keep their body heat contained to help them stay warm.
Yes! We live in a cold area (Missouri) and the shelters here highly recommend making these for the feral cats from coolers, and sometimes you can find used coolers at garage sales or thrift stores. You can make them warmer if lined with rigid foam insulation panels, and straw for bedding. If you want to elevate them, you can easily construct a base from cedar or even PVC pipe. But do contact a local TNR group for a trap, and get him/her neutered!
No on the blankets. They hold water too well, and if it gets real cold, they freeze and can freeze animals to death. Straw is much better, needs to be cleaned and replaced every so often.
I live in Washington state, so winters are cold. My now ex and I fed a colony of ferals, and decided to provide shelter for them. We lived in an RV that had full cloth skirting, so we didn’t need to do a lot, just covered several styrofoam coolers with plastic and made a bed of straw in each one. The heat from above (the RV) was enough, and we didn’t lose any cats that year. It was in the mid 20’s most days in January, down to teens at night.
I was also going to comment about the straw or hay. Towels and blankets can get wet to easily.
No to the blankets or pine straw, the 100% best product for use in feral cat houses is Straw (not Hay). Blankets and other materials (inlcuding hay) can hod moisture, which can freeze to the cat or just freeze and retain the cold. Google Straw Feral Cat shelter or similar for lots of info.
https://friends4life.org/programs-and-events/project-warm/
https://www.bluemountainhay.com/blog/straw-for-cat-shelters-the-ultimate-guide/
You are such a good human and this post makes me love you more!
God bless you for helping outdoor cats!!
Alley Cat Allies is the world leader in helping outdoor cats. Check out all their fabulous resources.
Here’s the page for outdoor shelter ideas.
https://www.alleycat.org/resources/feral-cat-shelter-options-gallery/
😻😻😻😻
We live in the country and adopted some spayed feral kitties to deal with the mice around the property. We installed a kitty door to the heated garage. Could be an option for your shed if you don’t want the cat houses around. Our kitties are all tame now, but we did have a few males show up afterwards. One of which is very hissy. I made a few cat houses out of totes. One smaller one inside another slightly bigger, and then you put insulation in the gap. Use a hole saw to drill the entrance, and put a heating pad inside. I’ve caught him using it now that it is getting colder out (Iowa here).
I suggest you get in touch with either your local cat rescue or check the Alley Cat Allies website regarding proper inclement weather shelters for stray and feral cats in your area. I no longer live where it’s cold but when I lived in the midwest, I just had wood boxes lined with thick blankets in a sheltered area of my carport next to the house. They had a hole in the front and another on one side just large enough for them to get in or escape. I elevated them by setting them on my Igloo coolers so that cold air could not seep in from below. It was enough to keep them out of the cold, wet, and wind.
BTW, Tiger is a stray and “the other one” is a feral. The difference being that Tiger was either once someone’s pet then abandoned or was born to someone’s pet and dumped. That’s why he’s friendly. He should really be put up for adoption if you don’t want to make him an indoor cat in your home. The other is a feral born to a feral and unfortunately it’s at best 50/50 that they will ever let you near them. While it’s nice of you to try to care for them, please, either trap them both and get them spayed/neutered before you have more cats or get a local TNR program to do it. If Tiger is an abandoned cat, the vet will be able to quickly tell it he’s been neutered already; this is also true 95% of the time for female cats. The other one is highly unlikely to have been spayed or neutered unless you see that their ear has been tipped.
My son took care of some feral cats at his apartment. He was able to borrow a trap and got the friendliest one fixed, vaccinated and on flea medication. Fortunately it was a group effort at the apt., so that when he moved he knew they’d be taken care of. He would have kept the friendly one, but his cat was not having it!
I don’t know if anyone has mentioned this. When it is cold, before you start your car, give the hood a few good slaps to chase away anyone lingering inside.
My neighbours had a cat with a large shaved stripe down his back from being near the engine when it started.
I have the top house. The feral cats love it! If you build it they will come! I got the house for 1 cat. Last week there were 4 extra cats in there!
our local rescue told me to use hay or straw as it’s warmer than shavings for inside, and to make sure there is some sort of partition inside to keep the wind out, i think you can google for feral cat winter shelters
vi
I live in the Dallas area. The winters are mild enough here the majority of the time so I think a shelter with something like straw would be enough instead of having some type of heated shelter. I’d be worried about it getting too hot or the animals damaging the cord and sparking a fire. As long as it is turned away from the wind blowing directly into it, it should be fine. In a mostly enclosed space, their body heat will warm it up.
Someone posted the shelters made out of coolers. That would probably work great. I would just fill with straw and not be worried about heating it. If you’re worried about predators, you could build a stand to put them on that is off the ground.
Thank you for your daily posts! It’s definitely one of my daily highlights. I so admire you..all the projects you have accomplished and the list of future projects. So very sorry your husband is dealing with health issues. My husband is a retired and disabled VET. This year he has begun to show signs of dementia and trust me, it’s not the warm and
cuddly, “I love you” however, I know he does love me and our beautiful dog, Molly. My husband used to be able to fix or attempt any project for me, unfortunately, that has pretty much come to an end! It is so disheartening to have to search for repair or builder folks, especially when we’re not originally from this area! I love that you have the tenacity to forge on. Please keep us posted on your endeavors. OH! And the cats..please continue to care for them! I love cats, unfortunately, I have allergy attacks and can no longer own them….still love them! Have a great evening!!!!
We had an outside cat here in Katy, Tx. It was friendly enough to pet and everything. I could get in a travel pet container and bring it in right by the door every night that it was going to be to cold i thought. Let it out the next morning. I started by putting treats in the kennel so it didn’t think it was a bad place. And left it out for a few weeks. Then it was easy to get her in and she started just coming at ten when i wouldn’t out to get her.
Straw is the best bedding for animals. Fabric and blankets can get damp and freeze. We have a hobby farm with chickens, horses, dogs, and cats (a lot of barn cats). They all do well even when the temps get below freezing (we usually have at least a couple weeks of -20° or colder). Thanks for caring for these sweeties ❤️
Tiger may be someone’s pet. Cats can jump in cars and end up miles from home. You should maybe take him to a vets office where he can be checked for a microchip. They could also recommend someone to contact for help with trapping and sterilizing the feral one. You definitely don’t want to inadvertently contribute to the over population problem. Thank you so much for helping them!!
I have a little house like the green one (just a single house – not double) with no heater. Our cats never really liked it. If you are ever in the Bryan/College Station area – swing by and you can have it!
Hi Kristi,
First of all, a heartfelt thank you for looking out for these kitties. I have a great solution for your outdoor kitties. Can you put a kitty door into your new workshop? That is probably the best solution. Also, with our feral kitty, Stomper, we had a heated bed that had a weight sensor, they are made so it would only come on when he was on it. It was also washable.
Our sweet boy lived here for 13 years, we fed him everyday, he would follow me all around as I worked out in garden, but being feral he would never let us touch him and he never came inside more than 2 feet. He was well taken care of by us, and our neighbors who are both vets. He passed away last year in the after developing cancer, and we miss him terribly, no different from our 7 previous kitties. They leave sweet memories and imprint our hearts forever.
All the best to you and Matt-
Consider that you buy these cat houses, but the cats won’t sleep in them. A cardboard box put out of the wind with a towel in it will do just fine. They are furry cats.
Consider that you buy these cat houses, but the cats won’t sleep in them. A cardboard box put out of the wind with a towel in it will do just fine. They are furry cats.
Straw would be better.
Straw would be better.
Kristi, look up diy outdoor cat house made from a cooler.