Strangely, I did send it to them the same day I posted. I haven’t received a reply yet. I had sent them a suggestion previously about the survival blanket that I line the shelter with and they had put that on their website several years ago. I hope they follow up and post my new info.

Thanks!

Claudia - what a great shelter!!! Would you be able to send the instructions to Neighborhood Cats for inclusion in their feral cat shelter information?

http://www.neighborhoodcats.or.....helter.htm

Also, Allie Cat Allies has a section on feral shelters and yours would be a great addition:

http://www.alleycat.org/resources_care.html#5

Mary - the Snuggle Safe is a great idea!!!

I’m so glad to know that so many people understand how important shelter is for feral cats!

On warmer evenings, I have 3 “customers.” On these frigid nights, I have one. I have tried catching this one female (calico) a couple of times, but she is so quick. She bolts at the sound of any noise nearby if she is in the shelter. Not sure if she’s feral, but she is at least extremely wary of strangers.

She only spends the night in the shelter and usually gone in the daytime — but I wonder where. She doesn’t eat that much of what I have put out. Trapping in these temperatures is extremely dangerous because they can get stuck to the metal cage (humane society has seen a few of these cases and advises not to trap), so I only do it if the animal is injured (happened once before). I will, however, trap her in the spring in order to assess her condition and see if she is someone’s lost cat. If not, I will have her spayed and either return her if she is truly feral, or find her a home if she can trust us humans.

If anyone is interested in my little shelter, I have a step-by-step pictorial guide along with the story of how I came to build it in the first place. You can find it here:

http://www.winnipeghumanesocie.....r_cats.pdf

Also, here is the link to where I bought the heating pad. Strangely, I couldn’t find one here in Canada that was outdoor-rated, so I ordered it from the US. Great product.

http://cozywinters.com/shop/kh-3093.html

It just makes me sad that ANY animal is out there in these temperatures, but at the same time, I am in awe that they are so smart and can survive with a little help.

http://www.pacthumanesociety.o.....helter.htm

We have found a way to protect our pets from the horrors of winter weather.

Our Cairn Terrier does not go outside when the temperature is below 20 degrees. Our cats NEVER go outside and my Chihuahua Mr. Caesar does not go outside when the temperatures are below 40 Degrees.

We have “Pee Pads” that we buy from Sam’s Club by the case (Actually they are called “Member’s Mark” Comfort Shape “Underpads”); in a case there are 120 Pads, each made of a sturdy green plastic liner overlaid with several layers of absorbent material; (they do NOT leak through like others often do), for about @ $25.00. (Try to find prices like that at any pet store – good luck!)

We place two of these pads side by side in a commercially available (available in the plumbing section at Menard’s – for @ $25.00 each) lightweight plastic washing machine tray / base for a shower @ 30” X 32” X 3” in height (something you would place your washer in to prevent any leakage onto the floor). We fold the end of each pad over about 4” under to fit the tray.

We have two of these trays; one inside by the patio door entrance to the deck (Where the dogs are used to going outside in warmer weather) and the other in the basement.

The pads are changed probably twice a day in each tray. It took all of about 2 days for them to start using these alternatives. Other than an occasional accident (that can happen even when they go outside in the summer) it has worked out much better than anticipated.

All in all, we feel that it is a very small price to pay to insure your fur kids are not exposed to frostbite or any the other winter hazards such as rock salt (damage the pads on their paws), Ice melter (uses the heat it generates to melt the ice), and anti-freeze (also found in windshield washer solution in wintertime) that is toxic and 100 % Fatal to pets if swallowed.

One other consideration: We live in an area that is populated with rabbits, opossums and the occasional raccoon, coyote and deer. There are also several feral cats that are seen from time to time.

If you look closely at these outside animals, they are all well adapted for these horrid temperatures. Heavier fur, thicker fur on the underbelly, etc. These are animals (Like the Lynx and Snowshoe hare) that are created to live outdoors.

Mankind, over the years has taken wild dogs and cats and bred the outdoor protection out of them giving us much more domesticated versions of what still roams about outside.

For this nature exacts a price. The price must be paid. Nature does not fool around.

With more domesticated animals came less resistance to the elements, more dependence on provided food and shelter, and one helluva nice deal for us animal lovers!

I feel sorry for the outdoor animals that must fend for themselves in this inhumane weather, but also realize that this is where they were meant to be.

They could no more survive trying to live as our pets do than they could survive trying to live as their ancestors did.

Just a thought. Keep warm and give your pets an extra treat today just for being themselves.

Captn’Carl

I’ve been feeding what I thought was a feral cat for awhile. As close as I can tell now, he’s a stray, rather than feral. Very, very, very shy, but he will let me pet him and pick him up on a limited basis. He was skin and bones a month ago, but looks good now - he ought to the way he’s been packing away the groceries.

There have been some cold days recently where I was more than a little concerned about what you mention in the article. He won’t let me keep him in the house, but I can get him just inside the glass door for brief periods for a little bit of petting. I figured that’d get him at least a little bit warm, but it isn’t much in terms of the big picture. An unusually cold day where I am is in the mid to low 20s. That’s not as extreme as some places, so I don’t know how it compares to areas that get sub zero weather. Even so, I was surprised he tolerated it as well as he did. He has long, thick fur, which probably helped some. I doubt a new born kitten could have taken it.

I wish people had a better understanding of exactly what the consequences are of abandoning pets. I’m sure some of them are the kind of low lifes that would do it anyway, but at least some of them might have enough of a spark of humanity in them to understand just how cruel a fate they’re leaving their pet to when they just pack up and leave a pet that thinks it’s people behind.