How to make a homemade feral cat house.

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Photos with Santa in Ohio Dec 6 & 13

Photos with Santa: 


Bring your furry friend to meet Santa and receive a festive framed digital photo for only 8.95 plus tax. $5.00 from each photo purchase benefits homeless pets, at the Petco in Wadsworth this money is designated for Save Ohio Strays! Get pictures taken from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 6 and Dec. 13 at Petco in Williams Crossings, Wadsworth. There will also be dogs and cats to adopt and 2009 calendars for $5. The nonprofit group has rescued 1,022 animals over four years. Reach the group at 440-567-3585. www.saveohiostrays.org

Alternatives to rock salt to keep pets safe in the winter

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Freezing dogs and cats!

It is snowing outside this morning. Our first snow of the season. While it is barely an inch covering the ground, it is still unbearably cold out. I am anxious and worried about all of "my" chained dogs and feral cats. Although I need to be studying for finals and getting those last papers written, I am tempted to do my rounds and make sure they are warm. Most people won't even answer the door so I can give their dog some hay so it is probably useless to go out. I cannot enter a back yard without the owner's okay. If I do, I can be arrested. I might take an hour or two later this afternoon if I get enough work done for school. I am really worried about them.

Boy Scout Builds Five Feral Cat Houses to Help Kitties

A Boy Scout on his way to becoming an Eagle Scout has built 5 feral cat houses with the help of his father, a veterinarian, and some fellow boy scouts.  He has donated them to The Cleveland Animal Protective League who will distribute them to residents who feed feral cats. 

The elevated wooden houses have an entrance on one side that will allow cats to go around an interior corner to a compartment where body heat will help them survive the winter. Cedar chips or straw can be added to increase their comfort. The shelters have a removable top so they can be cleaned.
Harvey said, "Lending a helping hand to cats who can't be socialized and will never know the pleasure of a lap or the stroke of a human hand is surely a selfless and model act of citizenship for all of us."

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/11/cleveland_a_boy_scout.html

Consumed by thoughts of cats

I am becoming increasingly consumed by the thought of cats and chained dogs outside in the cold. I live in Kansas City and it is starting to freeze at night. During the day, I am able to push the thoughts of shivering kitties from my mind. As the clock ticks by and evening comes, I become anxious that I can't save all of them.

I already do a lot for cats the that are near me. I live in a third floor apartment. Each night I go downstairs and feed some strays and ferals that I only see evidence of. Usually, there are people getting home or going out for the night and I feel nervous. I don't want them to see what I am doing. If they see and disagree with it, they might tell the landlord. I already know that the landlord doesn't care for cats too much. The maintenance man has thrown away numerous makeshift feeding stations and styrofoam houses. People think that feeding cats somehow attracts wild animals or something. The cats eat all the food-there is nothing left. I do get them first thing in the morning, but I guess the risk of wild animals getting the food goes down once the sun is up.  I probably should go back down after an hour or so to get the bowls, but I am already doing my inside cat work at that point.  I have 3 cats of my own and 6 fosters. It takes a lot of energy to feed all of them and change their 10 litter boxes-twice a day.  I have 4 kittens of various ages with the youngest being 4 months. I have a feral kitten I am working with daily and it requires lots of patience. 

Outside, there is only one cat that actually comes up to me only occasionally, but I see numerous glowing eyes hidden among the brush and under cars and quick movements from between trees. The one cat that comes up to me isn't too thin, I think it's a girl, she is some kind of Siamese cat. She has a bob tail, too. I am not sure what happened there...hopefully it is a characteristic of her breed.

Two nights ago, it was raining. When she came up to me her fur was wet and she was shivering. I felt deeply saddened that I had to leave her outside. I am trying to lure her up to my little house I made for them. I have to keep it by my door, which is on the (inconvenient) third floor. Although I do have one feral cat who comes up for food every night.

I wish I did not have to deal with this problem. It would be so much easier on me-and my pocketbook-if I just ignored them all. I wish that people would be responsible and take care of the animals they have so that they are not having babies and not running around outside. It isn't safe for them. I just can't know they are out there and not do something to help them.

I can tell that it is weighing on my mind, I feel the stress in my body.  I can feel my anger building inside when I think of the chained dogs who have no house or are too thin and have no body fat to keep them warm.  Dogs who have frozen water and no hay to burrow in.  Cats who are left to go into hoods of cars to try to keep warm and meet a terrible fate in the morning.  I know I can't save them all but I just might die trying to do it.  

Sometimes, I really hate people!

I went to go check on these dogs yesterday and I could tell that something was different about the chained dog, whose name is Red.  I couldn't figure it out until I got home and really looked at the pictures.  I think he has lost quite a bit of weight.  The last time I was there, which was a long time ago, the woman acted as if they did feed him regularly and I believed her.  Red looked to be a good weight.  He looked fairly healthy.  I have to have a point where I can put the animals out of my mind.  I sometimes think about the cats and chained dogs who have to live outside so much that I feel sick to my stomach.

I needed to be able to not worry about him so I could go about my life.  It is incredibly stressful thinking about all of the animals who are suffering and you really can't do anything about it.  So, yesterday, I went to his house because I have some hay that I wanted to put in his dog house to keep him warm at night-and during the day.

Nobody answered the door even though two vehicles were in the driveway.  

So, I went to their backyard.  They have an alleyway bordering their fence line so I just parked my car there and went to help them.  I had food and two buckets.  I only had my own water bottle with me-so I gave them that water to drink.  I went to Target and bought a gallon of water and some clips to clip the buckets to the fence.