# Outdoor shelters for feral cats.



## Cat'sHouse (Apr 5, 2012)

On another post by Jeanie, she had a couple of links for making an outdoor shelter. I made one out of a pet carrier and covered it well with a rubber tarp, a large grass mat I found, and leaves. it sits in a corner where my porch meets my house and a stray 'Annie' began using it. I will now put straw in it on top of an old towel if I decide to keep Annie outside. Right now she will be in transition. i will be making a home within a large metal dog kennel I have (glad I didn't get rid of it). Inside will be a smaller pet carrier lined with straw, a litter pan (I found out she is not litter box savvy), and place for food and water. This will be on my balcony and accesible by our other cats via a pet door so they can get accustomed to each other as well as have a place to get sun as it is glass enclosed. I will need to heat her bed with a warmer of some sort as winter is setting in here in StPaul, Mn. I saw some on the links above. Hopefully, I can train Annie, who is about 2, a calico female, to be social and to use the litter box and eventually find her a loving home.

Next to my garage I have a rabbit hutch that I will also line with straw and it has two openings and I think other ferals will use it...maybe have already. They can come and go easily without being seen. And, I have a heated water dish ready to put into play in a sheltered area. I don't know why I didn't do this in years past...maybe too busy to think of our feline friends who have been abandoned by uncaring people once they get too difficult or costly to care for.......or their offspring.

Right now I am working with Annie and will post her pic when I get to my other computer.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Great job your doing for the ferals. Thank you. 

One other tip I heard used is, to put the solar tarps over feral houses. I think they use them on pools. You can find them used at thrift stores is what was said. 

Ive never had a feral which didnt know to use a litter box. I doubt that will be an issue for you.


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## Cat'sHouse (Apr 5, 2012)

well, I got one. Annie is lovable and seems to enjoy being inside but I keep her isolated yet with short intervals of being with a 12 yr old male and a 2 yr old female. she has a litter box in the room and hasn't used it yet........I have her sleep in a wire cage with a food dish, blanket, and small liter pan which I know is too small. Then, because we have a warm spell yet, she can be on a balcony with another litter box. I put some poop from when she went on the floor in that liter box. Also, she peed on an old sweat pants. I am going to wet them and extract some of the water from them and drip that into a liter box and get some more if I find where she might have went tomorrow. I thought she would naturally go for the clay litter but maybe I should try a different type.

Also, before I make her an indoor/outdoor cat that can come and go onto half of my balcony and be let in when we wish, I want to try a large dog metal cage with a heated bed....from reading I might have to leave her in it for long periods of time with only occassional 'outings' into our bedroom. Our other cats are indoor only except on leashes in the summer so I have to make sure they can't get out, hence the divided balcony.

Eventually, I would like to find Annie a nice home but I want her to be litter trained before I would do that.


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## Greenport ferals (Oct 30, 2010)

You are doing such a great job! 
I found that ferals take to litter boxes easier if you use dirt at first. Then you can transition to litter.


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## Cat'sHouse (Apr 5, 2012)

thanks...good idea....wish I knew where she had been going....most is now frozen but I can chip away and thaw it and try it .


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## Greenport ferals (Oct 30, 2010)

Yes, dirt is frozen here in upstate NY too. Potting soil works fine.


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## Cat'sHouse (Apr 5, 2012)

Ha...thought of that as I went for my spade and saw the bag of it next to my garden tools...it's inside thawing out.


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## Cat'sHouse (Apr 5, 2012)

It was either the dirt mixed with the clump litter or just Annie getting used to our community, but she started using the one I put in the medium cage I was letting her come and go from. Now, she has integrated into our home and has not had a problem with the others and uses any of the other litter boxes available.

We had one vet visit and all was good so far and decided in mid Dec to keep her. She seems to prefer my wife but still comes to me at times for petting and head butts or just laying next to me. I'm guessing that she may have had some issues with a male and acts different than I would expect. No problem, time will take care of that and I am glad that my wife has a new 'companion' and takes on the job of 'checking' on her and making sure she adjusts well. 

She and Eliza (21yrs) share an area in the community/common room and she found the bed on top of the radiator to be quite comfortable so she seems to have put her name on it. so be it. Eliza has a basket below it and don't seem to mind.

Marble is now the hall 'troll under the bridge' so to speak and Kermit...well, having to put up with another female was not exactly in his plans but he doesn't seem to mind as long as they keep out of his spot at meal times and his time with me.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

YAY!! Success! ! Love your descriptions of the kitties!!


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## Cat'sHouse (Apr 5, 2012)

Thanks, we are very fortunate to have had Annie accepted so readily by the others...we thought Marble would put up a fuss but they are both females, spayed, and about the same age, 3yrs. 

I have an electric water bowl outside and I just cooked a Bone in ham and trimmed a lot of the excess off and some good meat too and set it outside. Guess the new feral(s) hanging around in the shelters I made can use a good meal....I have to fill the bird feeders and suet baskets as the last snows have made it hard for them to forage. Winter is hard on all critters...too bad they can't all migrate to the warmer climates.


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## Greenport ferals (Oct 30, 2010)

Wonderful news, this is a great update. 
Do you have a photo of Annie?


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