When temperatures drop, Alyssa Masten, Anderson Humane’s Intake and Community Feline Coordinator, starts receiving a lot of phone calls. The callers are worried about the feral cats in their community. “They don’t know how to help, and feel so bad for the cats,” Alyssa said.
“These are feral cats that are not owned and live almost exclusively outside,” she said. “While we are unable to help them via intake or adoptions, we can offer some helpful tips.” If you’re concerned about the feral or stray cats in your neighborhood, read on for a few practical ways to help them survive the harsh winter weather.
Shelter. While bringing feral cats indoors might seem like a solution, it’s not a good idea. “These cats would rather be cold than forced indoors,” Alyssa said. Because feral cats are scared of people, being brought indoors would cause them a lot of stress, no matter how compassionate your intentions are.
Instead, Alyssa suggests providing shelter for the strays in your community to protect them from the elements. You can purchase outdoor shelters online, but you can also create one fairly easily. Take a storage bin, cut a hole for a doorway, and stuff it with straw. “Straw is best because it doesn’t absorb moisture, which can then freeze,” Alyssa said. You can also buy outdoor heating pads, which have protected cords, and put them inside or underneath the shelter to help keep the cats warm. Hay and blankets are an example of bedding materials that would not work due to moisture absorption.
Food. “Keeping warm burns extra calories, so outdoor cats need extra food in the winter,” Alyssa said. While wet food is easier to digest and provides a bit of hydration, it can also freeze. So when temperatures really drop, consider switching to dry cat food.
Be sure to place the food in a place that’s protected from wind and snow, keeping the cats out of the elements while they eat.
Hydration. Natural water sources for stray cats often freeze in winter, so an extra water source from you would be helpful. A heated water bowl, with a protected cord, can keep that water drinkable all winter. A rubber water dish can also help prevent the water from freezing.
“Check the water more often than you would in summer,” Alyssa said, knowing that the resource is vital for feral cats.
Prevention. “There are thousands of feral cats in our area,” Alyssa said, explaining that kittens born outside and not brought inside or socialized by three months of age become the next generation of feral cats. The best way to help feral cats survive the winter is to help curb the feral cat population.
Anderson Humane, like many other shelters, will gladly refer you to Trap, Neuter, and Release (TNR) services for feral cats. When a cat receives TNR, those performing the services usually tip one of its ears. So if a stray cat in your community doesn’t have an ear tip, consider contacting Anderson Humane so we can refer you to a TNR partner. The best time for TNR is late winter before the spring litters. For now, focus on keeping these cats alive.