Cold Weather Preparations

It is getting cooler and the leaves are starting to turn their lovely fall colors. Kids are back to school,
and grown-ups back to work, with little vacation in site. What does all this mean to a feral cat colony
care taker? It means clean up and winter prep.

It's time to empty out those shelters; removing all the old straw, washing and disinfecting them
if you can. Maybe laying down some flea repellent under new straw, (be careful to only put down
safe repellent as cats do burrow into the straw and stir it up) and removing bugs. Shelters are great for all kinds of insects and other critters. Stink bugs love them, but a cat doesn't love stink bugs. Your
ferals will not use your freshly made up house if it is harboring smelly bugs. Also, the stink bug smell just attracts more stink bugs, telling them there is a nice cozy place to hibernate for the winter.

You can get rid of the smell by first scrubbing thoroughly with a mixture of 1 qt of peroxide, 1/4c
of baking soda and 1 tsp of liquid ivory, then rinsing well. And to discourage stick bugs from re-
inhabiting, mints are a natural repellent. This includes catnip and cat mint, so have at it, grow it like gangbusters around your shelters, use it under straw or wherever you want!

If you have wood houses with home insulation you need to check that there are no holes,
all insulation needs to be safely tucked away from digging and burrowing cats.
If you use styrofoam as insullation, you'll want to be sure that there are no holes and shredded foam laying around, sometimes cats try to eat it, and that causes digestion problems and blockages. Straw
is a great natural insulator, so you can pack those walls up with it and not worry about what your
cats are digging into.

Once everything is clean it's time to pack with your new straw. Please, use only straw. It wicks away
moisture from cats when it's rainy or snowy. It does not mold or harbor bacteria that can lead to
URIs.  Do not be afraid to overstuff your shelter! The cats do burrow and create little sleeping areas deep down where it's warm.

Now that everything is ready in your shelters, it's time to start thinking of feeding and watering. Please do not use heated water dishes; cats can chewor scratch the wires, and they become brittle in
winter, causing shorts or electrical problems. You may need to go out and replenish water several
times on very cold winter days, but it's better than accidently electrocuting one of your babies. If you can find a bowl with a dark interior, it will retain more heat and keep the water from freezing
so quickly. As far as food goes, add 10-20% kitten kibble in with your regular food, it gives the cats some extra needed calories to stay warm during the cold winter months.

Remember to always care for your cats to the best of your ability. They count on you and in return
give you so much more!