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Hey all! I’m sure there is a great feral cat forum out there and I’m all ears if someone has a suggestion, but I thought I’d come here first to get opinions from like-minded people I trust.
I have my garage door lifted just enough to let kitties it for shelter, food and clean water this Winter. I’m a believer in encouraging them to do their jobs when the weather is warmer and hunt for themselves, but I’m not ok with empty bellies in the Winter when prey is scarce and the temperature is miserable.
That being said, I have two points to this post. The first is that I was wondering what are some good ideas for increasing fat content so I can get these guys to put on some weight before it gets frigid? Im betting there are some known tricks out there for people who take care of ferals regularly. I have had this setup for 3 days now (was feeding on the front porch for a couple of weeks before this) and I’ve seen 3 kitties. The really hairy one I’m familiar with. Her name is Jasmine and she is very friendly. The other brown looks to be her daughter (I know she had kittens before a good neighbor caught her and had her neutered). Then there is what appears to be an orange male, very young.
Orange fellow is very fearful, as you can probably see in his face. I do wish I could make him feel safe, even if I wasn’t around. I’d just like him to not be so jumpy when he’s in my garage. I want it to be a safe haven for them.
The other other issue I’m having...is attracting different walks of life. The VERY FIRST NIGHT miss possum came by to say hi.
Then the SECOND night I got a raccoon.
Now, here’s the thing. I am absolutely not opposed to feeding a few wildlife. I’m a bleeding heart and the thought of any creature suffering hunger in freezing temps makes me sick.
Edit: as I’m writing this I went out into the garage to meet the possum. She hid, so I just sat down and waited. She’s now eating about 5 feet from me.
Back to the point...
The thing is, what I am not willing to do is feed the wildlife at the expense of the cats. Do you thing they will cause a problem?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
I have my garage door lifted just enough to let kitties it for shelter, food and clean water this Winter. I’m a believer in encouraging them to do their jobs when the weather is warmer and hunt for themselves, but I’m not ok with empty bellies in the Winter when prey is scarce and the temperature is miserable.
That being said, I have two points to this post. The first is that I was wondering what are some good ideas for increasing fat content so I can get these guys to put on some weight before it gets frigid? Im betting there are some known tricks out there for people who take care of ferals regularly. I have had this setup for 3 days now (was feeding on the front porch for a couple of weeks before this) and I’ve seen 3 kitties. The really hairy one I’m familiar with. Her name is Jasmine and she is very friendly. The other brown looks to be her daughter (I know she had kittens before a good neighbor caught her and had her neutered). Then there is what appears to be an orange male, very young.
Orange fellow is very fearful, as you can probably see in his face. I do wish I could make him feel safe, even if I wasn’t around. I’d just like him to not be so jumpy when he’s in my garage. I want it to be a safe haven for them.
The other other issue I’m having...is attracting different walks of life. The VERY FIRST NIGHT miss possum came by to say hi.
Then the SECOND night I got a raccoon.
Now, here’s the thing. I am absolutely not opposed to feeding a few wildlife. I’m a bleeding heart and the thought of any creature suffering hunger in freezing temps makes me sick.
Edit: as I’m writing this I went out into the garage to meet the possum. She hid, so I just sat down and waited. She’s now eating about 5 feet from me.
Back to the point...
The thing is, what I am not willing to do is feed the wildlife at the expense of the cats. Do you thing they will cause a problem?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro