I live in SF bay area; nights are about 30 degrees F. I recently discovered a little kitty living beneath the bushes/trees of the back yard. I live in a suburb, but have had a skunk, doves, racoons, and now a cat in the backyard. She (or he) is afraid of me, but eats the cat food I leave out every afternoon. I can't get near her. I want to leave something under the bushes to keep her warm at night. A cardboard box and blanket? But how can I keep it waterproof and keep it from being blown over?
2006-12-28 05:17:23 · 9 answers · asked by Becky 5 in Pets ➔ Cats
Your best bet might be to borrow a humane trap from an animal rescue organization and try to catch her and get her into a shelter or keep her yourself if you want her.
Any sort of a dry wooden box with some straw and some sort of an entry will provide her with shelter. Her biggest risks aren't from the elements.
Traffic, dogs, parasites, and diseases are far more likely to kill her than a little cold.
If she's coming to food she should be fairly easy to catch in a Havahart or siimilar type trap and if she's still young or even if she's older but merely a stray and not a feral it's likely that she could make someone a nice housecat if she's brought indoors and socialized.
2006-12-28 05:24:34 · answer #1 · answered by Redneck Crow 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
go to a petsmart, or garage sales, or something, and look for a small dogloo - plastic doghouses that look like igloos. supremely waterproof. if a nearby nursery has it, buy a bale of hay and put it inside a pillowcase - hay is very good for warmth. finally, top off with a blanket. if the cat likes the house, the hay and his/her body warmth will heat the dogloo, which is designed so that heat can't escape. kitty will also use the blanket to block the door from wind.
i commend you on caring, too many people do not. a trick my husband and i use for feral cats is a regular feeding schedule. we did 5am and 5 pm, everyday. after a couple of weeks, linger a bit when you take the food out. back away, but don't go inside, a step at a time until kitty eats in front of you. then, each time you put the food down try to be closer. it takes patience, but you CAN come in contact w/ kitty. i have had it take anywhere from 2 weeks to 4 years.
2006-12-28 06:53:27 · answer #2 · answered by catsovermen 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There are many shelters you can call for help with this. Many have humane traps. If she's eating your food and is genuinely a baby, she might have a chance at a life in an indoor home. If she is feral (stray) and unable to be rehabilitated into a home scenario, there are organizations that will spay her at no cost and re-release her into the "wild." Do a search for no-kill shelters in your area and start calling.
She's probably comfortable sleeping where she is or she'd find somewhere else to go. That being said, a small dog house would probably do the trick.
2006-12-28 05:30:01 · answer #3 · answered by kimpenn09 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had a cat i had to keep outside, but when it was cold, I set up the following:
A cat carrier, with a clean, old towel in the bottom and some clean, fresh newspaper on top of the towel. (Cats love to sit on newspaper anyway). Along with the plastic bottom of the cat carrier, this provides alot of insulation from the cold ground.
Over the top, I put an old (but clean) bathroom rug, face down. That kept the wind out of most of the holes and the rubber backing on the rug was like insulation. I left the door open for the cat to go in and out as needed.
You could even put a bowl of food and water in there if you aren't going to have problems with other cats or bugs getting it.
2006-12-28 05:29:06 · answer #4 · answered by Stimpy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can buy a small igloo type house that they use for dogs, or you could buy a small plastics storage bin, turn it upside down, making sure that the lid was on tight. Then cut a small circle (or arch) off to one side and put some warm bedding inside and put it in a sheltered area . Maybe eventually it will make up with you and you could give it a good home, or find one for it. Good luck, sometimes it takes patience.
2006-12-28 07:43:04 · answer #5 · answered by Kitty Mom 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is what I do for the strays that come around my house...I bought a Rubbermaid tote and put an old towel in it. Cardboard won't hold up when it rains or snows. Eventually, I humanly trap them and then take them to a no-kill shelter in my area.
2006-12-28 09:45:02 · answer #6 · answered by November 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
tape some garbage bags around it and leave it a hole, put some towels in there and some dry food, may want to put something on the top to keep it from blowing away
2006-12-28 05:26:12 · answer #7 · answered by kat_luvr2003 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't do that! He's gonna get comfortable living there and rely on you. Call animal control to come and get him. No matter how good you treat him, he is still in danger living out there.
2006-12-28 05:25:36 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Well get a box ( i dunno where) and tape it all around with duct tape and put a plant on top! And yes but a blanket in there.
2006-12-28 05:22:04 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋