Colony Care

Food and Shelter

Long Term Care

Documents & Resources

Feeding Feral Cats

People like to feed animals, so food is generally the first step people take in colony care. But when that is all you do, your good intentions can go south quickly. You want to help the colony. Follow the steps below to ensure that your caring causes no harm.

Make a Plan

Make plans to get all the cats spayed and neutered. If you feed a couple community cats in the spring, there may be a dozen kittens there by summer. Remember, female kittens can go into heat as early as 4 months, so things can get out of control fast.
Confirm that they are homeless cats and not just lost cats, abandoned cats or even outdoor access neighbor cats. If they are tame and don’t have an apparent owner, scan them for a microchip to see if they are lost.

Feeding

Do you see other food left around? Put a note next to the dish and connect with other feeders. They can be a resource later on. Communication is also important because the other feeder may have different plans for the cats. I once started feeding a colony of cats left behind when a homeowner moved. One day, all 18 cats vanished. The other feeder had trapped them all and taken them to a kill shelter. We got them out, but it could have been prevented if I’d connected with her earlier.
Be respectful of property. Neighbors will be unhappy if they see dishes, food waste or empty cans around. This is the number one cause of landlords or property managers banning feeding. Dishes and feeders that blend in with the landscape work best. Keep it clean.
Feed just enough for them to consume it in one sitting. If you put out too much, it will attract rodents and predators that could harm the cats or become a nuisance to neighbors.

Don’t draw attention to the cats. Visible food containers or debris left behind after feeding put cats at risk. An invisible colony is a safe colony.

Feeding Stations

Creating a feeding station can help disguise the food and protect it from the elements. Plates on the ground advertise that you are feeding and they can be moved around by wildlife or the wind creating a mess. Choose natural colored bowls or bins that are heavy enough to stay put.

Well camouflaged feeding areas protect the cats by providing cover and escape routes. Predators are more successful out in the open. Fences, shrubs, blackberry bushes, sheds and other man-made elements can help keep your feeding station and the cats out of sight from people too..

Feeding stations can be made with storage bins, planter boxes, buckets, old dog crates or constructed from wood. If you are on computer, click the arrow to see the slide show of examples. For raccoon proof feeders, click here.

Shelters

When planning the shelters, here are some things to consider.

As with food, shelters are safest if they are invisible to humans. Unhappy neighbors are the single greatest risk to community cats.
Shelters need to be in a different location from the food. Placing shelters near the food puts them at greater risk of predation and of conflict with other cats in the area. Many cats will naturally avoid shelters near food sources.
Every shelter should have an entrance and an exit so the cat can’t be trapped if a predator or territorial cat comes in. Single entrance shelters are a death trap if a predator blocks the only exit.
Shelters are most effective if they can be accessed without crossing an open area. If the cat has to travel across an open area, he is more likely to be taken by a predator, ambushed by a territorial cat or noticed by humans.

Cats can travel along the fence line to get to these shelters, so this offers some protection. Improvements could be made by leaning plywood against the fence or adding potted plants, planter boxes, yard furniture or other obsticles. Moving them apart from each other could also reduce cat conflict. Cats like choices.

Storage Bin & Reflectex House

This is designed for mild Pacific Northwest winters. You can adapt it to colder temperatures by adding straw, fleece or insulation. Click the right arrow to view the steps in slide show format. For a downloadable PDF version to view on your phone, reader or computer, click HERE.