# Feral kitty house



## GrammieGail (Jun 10, 2011)

It's getting cold here...so we made a "shelter" for our feral kitty. Not sure if he will go in it...but we lined it with Styrofoam, put flannel blankies in the bottom...and sprinkled a little catnip inside. We hope he will take the hint and get cozy!!! HUGS...GG


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## Aunty M (Jul 7, 2014)

He looks lovely. Thanks for looking out for him.


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## Niki-knitter (Jan 28, 2011)

Awww so nice you did this! I'm sure the cat will go into it for shelter when it's cold! Very thoughtful of you..


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## knitter73 (Nov 3, 2011)

This feral cat looks like one that spent a few days in my home two years ago. (Unintentionally! - a door was left open a crack and he took advantage of it.) This was in Johnson City, TN. We called him the Intruder cat. Last week I saw a miniature of him in the back yard.


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## Medieval Reenactor (Sep 3, 2013)

Our neighbor puts their food in his "winter feral cat house" to persuade them to come inside.


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## Punkin51 (Sep 3, 2012)

That is so thoughtful of you. 
Blessings,


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## dgid (Feb 3, 2014)

Before I moved to Ohio last year, I was known in my Pennsylvania neighborhood as 'the cat lady'. Had boxes and cat beds lining my porch, along with a daily meal, for up to 14 cats. 5 of my 6 in-house cats are babies that I was able to rescue from different litters that mamas brought to me. 
Since moving to Ohio I haven't seen any ferrel cats but was told by my kids that if I start taking care of any again, I was on my own!


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## MoMo (Apr 28, 2011)

Grammie Gail, We did the same when we moved into our house in 2006, wit a cat living int he yard.... WE found it neseaary to either tape or weigh down the lid of the Tub, since the wind is substantial here in the winter. We also draped the outside of the tub with a large sheet of black plastic to make it totally wind proof and rain-tight, and covered THAt with a beach towel to elimiate the crackling noise of the cold plastic. We found that made this skittish cat a little fearful. WE placed the box about 20' from the back door just beyond the deck, where he ( we assumed it was a he) could see us come and go., and left the sliding door from the laundry room to the deck open a foot. We closed the doors from the laudry room to the rest of the house so no one would disturn him, and before long, he came close enough to check it out. At that point we started placing his food in the doorway of the laudry room, while reducing the amount provided to him in the Tub. It took a while, but he eventually came into the house. Now, 8 years later, I can pat him at will, but cannot pick him up except under the most unusual circumstances... he has allowed that only about a dozen times in the past year. But that is enough. He lives indoors about 20 hours each day, has run of the house, the ability to be outside whenever he wants, has all his shots, is neutered, and is a truly sweet cat. He puts up with teasing and taunting from my 4 year old MinPin, whi is about the same size and not smart enough to know that the cat is a cat, not a dog....My husbad bought him ( I call him Splotchy, my husband calls him One-Eyed Mitch) a cat tree which he uses as a scratching post, but has not yet ventured to the "penthouse"... 

I will never believe that a feral cat cannot be at least somewhat domesticated through patience and love.... Good Luck!! With yours as close to the front door as in your poicture, I think you are well ahead of the game


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## Estee (Aug 17, 2011)

That is so nice...I was thinking of doing something similar for the feral family that comes to eat at my place...The lady(?) across the way has set traps and has caught two so far...She even had the audacity to ask me not to feed them...I will not stop feeding the crippled mama cat...She is such a good mother...I only feed her when I see her staring at my door...If she doesn't eat all that I put in the bowl then so be it...the others can feast too...


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## .79315 (Dec 5, 2012)

Little sis had a feral cat you could pick up and play with but it would not come in the house. She left her garage door open a few inches and put a cardboard box up high on an accessible shelf in her garage. She also put out food and a litter pan. It did not take him long to move into the garage. When they were ready to go to bed for the night they would call and he would come into the garage. He also had a cat heated pad in his bed in the winter and actually seemed to enjoy the security of the closed door. When they moved they took him with them. Beau is a house cat now.


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## Ronie (Jan 21, 2011)

We had a Feral cat out on the ranch.. the neighbors said she had been around for a very long time. She was huge and I would see her in the Mud Room where we fed our cats and dogs.. I knew the hunting was real bad when she would come in and eat but that was only about once or twice a year.. I would talk to her a little then give her the space she needed.. I'm not sure if she wasn't part Bob Cat!! if that is even possible..


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## blessedinMO (Mar 9, 2013)

Bless you.


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## hgayle (Aug 22, 2011)

The best thing you can do for feral cats is to trap them and take them to a no kill animal rescue. They will be spayed/neutered, given a rabies shot, and have the tip of their left ear clipped off so they can be identified as having been "fixed." 

Female cats can go into heat 3-4 times per year, which means you could have a lot more feral cats running around in your neighborhood in the near future. Its not fair to future cats or your neighborhood.

We live in a small subdivision of only 12 houses, and one of the neighbors moved after her husband passed away because she couldn't take care of their big house. She left behind 13 feral cats that she had been feeding. I asked for donations and help from our neighbors to get these cats taken care of. We were able to trap 5 of them and have them fixed. Afterwards, we released them back into their colony. My DH and I kept 2 of them. We have only seen 2 of the others and haven't been able to trap them yet.

The two we kept are becoming social. They are "living" in a spare bedroom and will let us pet them. They're still pretty skittish, but have come a long way in the month we've had them.

This posting was not meant to criticize, just to inform.


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## hgayle (Aug 22, 2011)

Ipad glitch.


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## frankie2963 (Mar 25, 2012)

I have 6 kitties all started as wild cats...it took time and patients to teach them that we are not going to hurt them but two are still so frightened I have a hard time getting them to come to eat...but if I sit quietly on my porch swing they will jump up beside me and "ask" to be petted...usually that is when I will pick them up and take them in to get a meal...I acquired these little guys this way: 1 just showed up on my doorstep...2 I found up a tree when they were kittens...1 came from the vet... 1 was live trapped at the local truck stop as he was really getting in the way down there and last but not least the one my other cat brought home half starved to death cause he knew we could help her...I love them all...They are my "Babies" and they know it too...they get into a lot of mischief and are a riot to watch Play...4 of them are indoor & outdoor cats and the other two we found as kittens are indoor only cats...we do have one more wild one that comes around but won't come close to the house...he sleeps in the barn and I leave food and water there for him and in the cold weather he just curls up in the bedding hay with the chickens to keep warm...


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## willi66 (Aug 30, 2012)

Aren't you lovely to do this!


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## hgayle (Aug 22, 2011)

Estee said:


> That is so nice...I was thinking of doing something similar for the feral family that comes to eat at my place...The lady(?) across the way has set traps and has caught two so far...She even had the audacity to ask me not to feed them...I will not stop feeding the crippled mama cat...She is such a good mother...I only feed her when I see her staring at my door...If she doesn't eat all that I put in the bowl then so be it...the others can feast too...


She probably just wanted you to stop feeding them so she could tempt them into the trap.


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## mama879 (Jan 27, 2011)

You are a good fur mommy. Have patience they will come around. We took one in many years ago I just had to put her down we think she was 19 or there abouts it took a lot of time to get her to sit with us or even get a scratchy behind the ear or the but button to work but she finally came around.


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## GrammieGail (Jun 10, 2011)

hgayle said:


> The best thing you can do for feral cats is to trap them and take them to a no kill animal rescue. They will be spayed/neutered, given a rabies shot, and have the tip of their left ear clipped off so they can be identified as having been "fixed."
> 
> Female cats can go into heat 3-4 times per year, which means you could have a lot more feral cats running around in your neighborhood in the near future. Its not fair to future cats or your neighborhood.
> 
> ...


Hi hgayle...Yes, I am in total agreement, and will get him to the vet as soon as we can. Our name is on the "list" for animal control to bring the humane trap...and we will get his "little surgery" done!!! Thanks for your concern and caring note. HUGS...GG


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## Medieval Reenactor (Sep 3, 2013)

GrammieGail said:


> It's getting cold here...so we made a "shelter" for our feral kitty. Not sure if he will go in it...but we lined it with Styrofoam, put flannel blankies in the bottom...and sprinkled a little catnip inside. We hope he will take the hint and get cozy!!! HUGS...GG


If you can trap him and take him/off to be fixed, will be a good thing for his health (no more fighting) and for lessening the feral cat population in your area.

In some areas, there is an organization that will alter feral cats for free or really cheap. then one can let them back out if they are really unhappy being inside.

Your kitty at the door almost behaves as if he was once someone's pet kitty who got lost or abandoned.


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## Medieval Reenactor (Sep 3, 2013)

Estee said:


> That is so nice...I was thinking of doing something similar for the feral family that comes to eat at my place...The lady(?) across the way has set traps and has caught two so far...She even had the audacity to ask me not to feed them...I will not stop feeding the crippled mama cat...She is such a good mother...I only feed her when I see her staring at my door...If she doesn't eat all that I put in the bowl then so be it...the others can feast too...


If she is a "good mother", you need to help your neighbor trap her so she can get fixed and stop producing more unwanted kittens. Stop feeding until they can be trapped, please!


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## Takara (May 20, 2013)

It looks really cosy so hopefully kitty will use it.


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## Alto53 (Jan 26, 2012)

How nice of you. This brought back memories of my parents doing the same things for the "visitors" that would appear every night. Thanks for reminding me of this!


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## jeannietta (Mar 14, 2011)

I bet he will love it. That is so nice of you.


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## safepethaven (Nov 1, 2011)

Most cats are not feral, just homeless - due to no fault of their own. This one at your door is definitely not feral; he/she is clearly telling they want IN where it is safe and warm.


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## chubs (Nov 5, 2011)

I think it is saying that it would like to come in......


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## dotcarp2000 (Sep 5, 2011)

A friend of mine had to have her dog put down because of a rabid skunk who bit her dog. Now in my neighborhood we have so many feral cats and the possibility of some rabid animal scares me. We could have a run on rabies should that happen. They are such cute little cats but someone should own them rather than letting them run wild. There are too many for anyone one person to try to catch them.


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## berlauk (Dec 25, 2013)

Bless your heart for helping this baby! I have been involved in rescue for over 10 years and, although our winters aren't as cold as our northern neighbors, we still get a bitter chill every now and then.


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## Woodsywife (Mar 9, 2014)

My now 2 year old baby showed up on my steps one night. Tried to ignore him since I already had 2 (down from 4) and the 2 I had were finally happy (tormented by #3). But he would not leave and there was something special about him. Since we have only one neighbor who has no pets, this baby had to be left in the woods or on the road. He was estimated to be about 8 weeks old and had some trauma to his tail. He is long hair, was "clean" no fleas, worms was not dirty at all. So had to be someone's pet who just didn't want him. They don't know what they are missing. He loves laps, kisses and hugs. He plays fetch. Full of mischief. He gets along very well with the 16 yr old cat (now he has someone who will play with him) I rescued from my parents (in May) who was sorely neglected and never been around other animals. They are best buds. You never know what you get with a stray.


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## Estee (Aug 17, 2011)

hgayle said:


> She probably just wanted you to stop feeding them so she could tempt them into the trap.


That's exactly it...She has caught two of the older kittens, and I saw her set the traps last night...I intend to feed twice a day now to keep their tummys full so they won't wander over into her traps to eat...I have been buying canned food from Aldi, as it is inexpensive and has no grain...When I run out, and have no way to the store, I feed dry food (Purina Beyond) which also has no grain...I buy it for my cat, for when she gets finicky with the Aldi canned...


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## Madelyn (Aug 16, 2014)

Replace the blanket with straw as it will not hold the moisture.

Check neighborhoodcats.org for ideas to keeping this kittie comfortable.


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## Estee (Aug 17, 2011)

Medieval Reenactor said:


> If she is a "good mother", you need to help your neighbor trap her so she can get fixed and stop producing more unwanted kittens. Stop feeding until they can be trapped, please!


As far as helping the lady(?) trap her, I don't think that will happen...This mama has been around for at least seven years and hasn't been trapped yet...No one can get near her, however she trusts me enough to come eat when she sees me, but one move and she backs off...


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## Grandma11 (Jan 21, 2012)

So kind of you.


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## lucky-susie (Sep 29, 2014)

God bless each and everyone of you!! We took a young cat from a neighbor

they were going to let her die. The vet said she wouldn't have lasted 12 hours longer. She is all fixed up. She had a severe cold and stunted her growth and she kept her kitten fur. So cuddly. We also rescued a kitten from the middle of a road. So young we had to bottle feed it. He was so scared I had to pry his little claws from the pavement. He was a little evil devil for the first 3 years. He was so traumatized he couldn't help it. It ended up being a dominance issue between us. Now he is 11 and a lover and 20 pounds. We found out through the web that the male (lucky) is a white mountain cat from Europe. How he got in wisconsin is a mystery. Our female (Susie) just puts up with him.


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## Medieval Reenactor (Sep 3, 2013)

Estee said:


> That's exactly it...She has caught two of the older kittens, and I saw her set the traps last night...I intend to feed twice a day now to keep their tummys full so they won't wander over into her traps to eat...I have been buying canned food from Aldi, as it is inexpensive and has no grain...When I run out, and have no way to the store, I feed dry food (Purina Beyond) which also has no grain...I buy it for my cat, for when she gets finicky with the Aldi canned...


Why ever do you not want her to catch these poor kitties so they can either find homes or at least get fixed, get their shots and let go again? I should think if they are used to your feeding them, YOU should set a trap, catch kitties, get them to a vet and then turn them back loose if that is really what you choose. I really don't understand your motives.


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## knitnanny (Feb 28, 2012)

People that care for animals are very special.....thank you!


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## hgayle (Aug 22, 2011)

Estee said:


> That's exactly it...She has caught two of the older kittens, and I saw her set the traps last night...I intend to feed twice a day now to keep their tummys full so they won't wander over into her traps to eat...I have been buying canned food from Aldi, as it is inexpensive and has no grain...When I run out, and have no way to the store, I feed dry food (Purina Beyond) which also has no grain...I buy it for my cat, for when she gets finicky with the Aldi canned...


But they need to be spayed/neutered so they don't produce more unwanted cats. What your neighbor is doing is a GOOD thing. You can continue to feed them when they are brought back.


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## mollyannhad (Feb 1, 2011)

Ohh I sure hope he uses his new home! Poor thing looking in! You did a great job on his outside home! Its a great idea!


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## Roses and cats (Apr 17, 2013)

Bless you!


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## illinigram (Dec 17, 2012)

I belong to an organization called the Sterile Feral. They suggest ways to trap, take to vet for care, shots, and neutering, usually at a pretty reasonable fee if you go to a participating vet. They do suggest using straw for the house because cats often come in wet, and the flannel will stay wet and freeze. The straw will allow the water from the "thawed" cat to drain off and the top will remain dry. We need more people like you to help our furry friends!


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## Medieval Reenactor (Sep 3, 2013)

illinigram said:


> I belong to an organization called the Sterile Feral. They suggest ways to trap, take to vet for care, shots, and neutering, usually at a pretty reasonable fee if you go to a participating vet. They do suggest using straw for the house because cats often come in wet, and the flannel will stay wet and freeze. The straw will allow the water from the "thawed" cat to drain off and the top will remain dry. We need more people like you to help our furry friends!


Thank you for all the practical suggestions.

Our neighbor trapped ferals, got them neutered, and turned the adults loose again. He has a cat house and still puts food out. The feral population has gone from about 12 to 2 in the ten years we've lived here and these 2 look like they are in pretty good condition.


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## GrammieGail (Jun 10, 2011)

Thank you...I will get a little bale of straw for him!! Yes, there is a "low-fee" spay and neuter program at our local shelter. HUGS...GG


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## mrsbee03 (Jul 31, 2014)

Bless EVERYONE on this thread who has helped poor homeless kitties! These babies are afraid and did not choose their circumstances, and they wish for love and warmth like all others, at whatever level they can accept it. 

I have a former feral baby who is the sweetest cat I have ever had. He is a bit skittish and afraid at times, but he is very loving and affectionate when he is able, and I love him dearly. He is strictly indoors now, and we leave him plenty of places he can tuck in and hide for a while when he's feeling insecure. He loves to run into the bedroom ahead of us when we go upstairs, and then peek at us from under the bed. When we get in bed he hops up on the end of the bad with the other two kitties and sleeps through the night. He loves a warm cat pile!


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## RuthieB (Jul 1, 2011)

What a neat idea! I will have to pass that idea on.


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## cattdages (Aug 3, 2011)

A friend of mine has done the same for some feral cats in his neighborhood. They have made themselves at home!


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## Nancylynn1946 (Nov 19, 2012)

Bless you!


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## MacRae (Dec 3, 2011)

We have a friend who actually puts out heated blankets on really cold nights for those traveling little balls of fur.


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## sandj (May 16, 2012)

GrammieGail said:


> It's getting cold here...so we made a "shelter" for our feral kitty. Not sure if he will go in it...but we lined it with Styrofoam, put flannel blankies in the bottom...and sprinkled a little catnip inside. We hope he will take the hint and get cozy!!! HUGS...GG


Love he is looking inside.


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## vemiller (Dec 18, 2011)

I have a feral cat that is now a member of the household. Last fall he snuck into in the house with my big black cat Matt. He is also coal black and was named Darth N. Vader (we call him Vader) He now loves to cuddle, eat treats, and purrs up a storm. Thanks for looking out for the feral kitty and providing him/her with a warm place.


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## jjaa (Feb 12, 2011)

I volunteer at a "no-kill cat shelter. It is wonderful for me to read of
all the kp people who will look out for feral cats! I do believe that
most of the time with love and patience most cats can become
socialized and become pets. Love the picture of your kitties on
the bed - they will make wonderful pets for you. I thank everyone
for helping these kitties in any way that they can. It warms my
heart to read the stories and do hope all will continue to help these
poor animals. Blessings to all!!!!!


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## StellaY98 (Nov 5, 2019)

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