My mom and I have rescued & finding homes for most (with the help of kind friends and a fabulous vet!) over 100 cats, found owners of 8 dogs, found fur-ever homes for 4 dogs, took care of several spayed / neutered (all our stray pets, feral or not, were fixed, before they went to their fur-ever home) received testing and vaccinated cat colonies, took a baby deer who had a broken leg to a wildlife expert along with several usually baby opossums and raccoons, one swan (they're beautiful but are really freaked by people but this one seemed to realize we were helping it) and even a fox pup. We used many plastic tubs and anything we could find to help the colonies which were too feral to be adopted out. We came up with some of the most unique and unusual but successful homes in which the cat's could be warm, safe and out of the elements. My mother was in a rehab facility after a fall and a massive infection. I'd go to visit her every evening while I was staying at her house, cleaning it out for when she came home. Then my husband brought over a little kitten who he found trapped in a wood pile. I had been upset at the thought that I wouldn't be able to visit her that day, but she was important too so she was fed she got her fleas taken care of with a Dawn liquid bath in which she played like a human baby. I decided to cheer Mom up a bit by taking her to see Mom on the way to the vet to get a new fur-ever home . The kitten let no less than 30 people from staff to clients at the rehabilitation center, hold, cuddle and enjoyed her. It was then that I was told in the elevator (two whole floors on the elevator) by a doctor, that they would be sending her home for hospice care. My mom was going to die. All too much to take in. But then there was "Amazing Little Gracie". It was a really inconvenient time for me to take a kitten in, or so I thought. Blessings sometimes come in the most unexpected ways and that little kitten was one big blessing! One of my most treasured videos I have, was because of the little kitten who came to me at an inconvenient time, whom I'd have to take to the vet after I stopped in to see my mom, whom I found that very day was coming home to die. It became worth more than I could imagine. Mom passed away last year, but her love for animals was extraordinary! To see the miracle of that kitten, go here, Amazing Gracie - "How did a baby change your life..." czcams.com/video/eRUU6VYsDd4/video.html. A rescue can be a special gift, and with in such a short time that little baby made a huge difference to me, 30 other people but especially my mom.
If everyone just neutered and spayed that would start the ending of unwanted, homeless, pets and suffering. It breaks my heart but as long as it does, I think that will keep me trying to make at least a small difference somehow.
Putting a piece of firewood or a scrap piece of board or a fair size rock will do the trick. At 4:10 in the following video you can see a board with a brick weighing down a Styrofoam shelter: czcams.com/video/g6pnUUhGV0U/video.html
Although he looks like a CH kitty, that's not actually his issue. CH is a birth defect, but this cat was born a normal kitten. He survived parvovirus as a kitten and it had the unusual consequence of damaging his coordination. He is disabled, because he's wobbly, but rest assured he has much quality of life. I'm guessing Junior made adaptations to his CH, and my cat figured out how to do the same, fortunately. He actually taught himself how to run, if you can believe it. Where there's a will, there's a way! :)
Vladimir Kitten Project Yeah Junior was born with it but not all animals r born with it they can get it after birth from a bad head injury. You know there r humans that have CH too. Sometime I think that Junior can't feel much pain in a way it's like God protecting him from pain cause of this horrible condition. It's really heartbreaking & Junior is bout 7 years old now I've had him everyday sense day1 of his birth I knew something wasn't rite the moment he was born.
What's the issue with wool? The navy for a very long time used real wool for watch sweaters because wool has the property of still being warm when its wet (unlike synthetic materials). What's the issue in a cat shelter? My parents' indoor cats seem to love a wool shawl in their bed and our cat never seems to object to curling up on our wool afghan. Also, do cats in shelters usually pee/litter elsewhere? I'm assuming if they pee or mark in the shelter, it'll get pretty smelly. In that event, whatever you have in there will need cleaned or replaced I'd think and the container cleaned. The shelter designs using two bins (one nested inside the other) cost a few more $ and take a longer time to build, but this allows the insulation layer to exist between the bin walls and thus be safe from scratching by kitty. I notice nobody is putting a door flap on the entrance. Most litter closed litter boxes feature that sort of entrance. Would that not make sense? (Might have to make it of a clear material so the cat can see in or out. Take your cut out (make a square top to the cut-out) and put duct tape as a hinge. This might also help a bit to serve as a wind break. I do like the idea of a lip over the entry hole to prevent water entry.
If fabric, such as wool, is placed in a shelter, it gets wet when a wet cat sits on it, and it doesn't get a chance to dry out, in my experience. Then it gets mildew, and rots, and then once it's gross the cat will only go to the bathroom on it and the shelter isn't used as a shelter anymore but might only be used as a bathroom. I have cleaned out some truly vile cat shelters that people had put fabric inside with good intentions, but which turned into rotting messes (this video at 2:09 czcams.com/video/ICKb1wu44yM/video.html). I do know of people who have cat shelters on their porch and they put wool blankets in them for their pet cats. But the key difference is that they launder those wool blankets frequently to keep them clean and dry. That could work fine for a shelter that is going to be attended to frequently; however, very often shelters for feral cats are not attended to often after they are situated. If I am going to place a pair of barn cats at a barn home, and the homeowner will accept a shelter for the cats and will promise to feed them once every day and make sure they always have clean water to drink, I'm probably pushing my luck if I also require them to launder the shelter bedding frequently. Since I wouldn't want to miss out on a viable barn home (because there is always a need to relocate feral cats that can't stay where they are), I need to make the shelter as low maintenance as possible so that the cats stay warm and the property owner isn't required to do more for the cats than they are willing to. Feral cats won't use their shelter as a litter box if they are indeed using it as a shelter. So long as they want to use the shelter for sleeping, they will do their other business elsewhere. They might spray the outside to mark their territory, but remember that spraying should decrease or stop entirely once the cat is fixed. I haven't found that the spraying of shelters frequently occurs, but I do remember one or two instances where I had to wipe down a shelter because of it. Making some kind of a cat door entrance is a possibility. It would be good for heat retention. (I used a cat door on this shelter: czcams.com/video/AL0DWI3nsEM/video.html). If used, though, I'd recommend the feral cats' feeder put in the effort to train the cats to use it (probably keeping it propped open at first). An open entrance hole to a seemingly safe cubby is enough enticement to get the cats into the shelter the first time (because everyone wants a warm place to sleep), but if there is a door flap and it is closed, I'm not sure that the idea would occur to the cats that they are looking at a shelter and can access it by pushing the door open. One thing that the builder of a cat shelter has to be really careful about is not to use a flexible flap over the entrance that could possibly end up in a position inside the shelter (like if the cat enters the shelter and the flap is left angled inwards, or if the wind can blow the flap inwards). If that happens, and it rains, water will run down the flap, drip inside the shelter, and flood it with water, making it useless to the cat.
could I possibly use the recycled rubber tire chips? If you know what i'm talking about. It's like wood chips, but softer, and it might possibly insulate more? Thanks!
Hmm, that's a good question. If it's non-absorbent, non-toxic, and soft enough not to be lumpy and uncomfortable to sleep on, then that could work fine for the cat, I'm guessing. Maybe do some reading to check about toxicity, and if you think it's safe, experiment with it as bedding and watch if cats use the shelter? Good luck!
He was born a normal kitten and was rescued from the wild when he was a couple of days old. Unfortunately he contracted feline parvovirus (a.k.a. panleukopenia) when he was a kitten. He did not present the usual symptoms of parvo, so the vets were stumped about what was happening to him. One of his symptoms was ataxia (fancy word that means his coordination sucks), and it is a rarer symptom of parvo. Eventually, a blood test showed that he was highly positive for parvovirus, and that solved the mystery of what had happened to him. So now, although he's not sick anymore, he's left with the permanent damage that the virus did to his coordination. It's not painful to him, and he has quality of life - being able to eat by himself and use the litterbox by himself and play and explore. His walk is lousy, but he's actually very good at running/leaping. A video about him is in progress, but first I need to buy a new computer because for some reason some viewers have trouble hearing the sound on my videos (others say the sound is fine), so I want to do my best to make sure the sound is top quality for everyone on my next videos.
My mom and I have rescued & finding homes for most (with the help of kind friends and a fabulous vet!) over 100 cats, found owners of 8 dogs, found fur-ever homes for 4 dogs, took care of several spayed / neutered (all our stray pets, feral or not, were fixed, before they went to their fur-ever home) received testing and vaccinated
cat colonies, took a baby deer who had a broken leg to a wildlife expert along with several usually baby opossums and raccoons, one swan (they're beautiful but are really freaked by people but this one seemed to realize we were helping it) and even a fox pup. We used many plastic tubs and anything we could find to help the colonies which were too feral to be adopted out. We came up with some of the most unique and unusual but successful homes in which the cat's could be warm, safe and out of the elements.
My mother was in a rehab facility after a fall and a massive infection. I'd go to visit her every evening while I was staying at her house, cleaning it out for when she came home. Then my husband brought over a little kitten who he found trapped in a wood pile. I had been upset at the thought that I wouldn't be able to visit her that day, but she was important too so she was fed she got her fleas taken care of with a Dawn liquid bath in which she played like a human baby. I decided to cheer Mom up a bit by taking her to see Mom on the way to the vet to get a new fur-ever home .
The kitten let no less than 30 people from staff to clients at the rehabilitation center, hold, cuddle and enjoyed her. It was then that I was told in the elevator (two whole floors on the elevator) by a doctor, that they would be sending her home for hospice care. My mom was going to die. All too much to take in. But then there was "Amazing Little Gracie". It was a really inconvenient time for me to take a kitten in, or so I thought. Blessings sometimes come in the most unexpected ways and that little kitten was one big blessing!
One of my most treasured videos I have, was because of the little kitten who came to me at an inconvenient time, whom I'd have to take to the vet after I stopped in to see my mom, whom I found that very day was coming home to die.
It became worth more than I could imagine. Mom passed away last year, but her love for animals was extraordinary!
To see the miracle of that kitten, go here, Amazing Gracie - "How did a baby change your life..." czcams.com/video/eRUU6VYsDd4/video.html. A rescue can be a special gift, and with in such a short time
that little baby made a huge difference to me, 30 other people but especially my mom.
That is such a wonderful story and video! Thanks so much for all you do for the animals! It's tiring, I know, but satisfying too.
If everyone just neutered and spayed that would start the ending of unwanted, homeless, pets and suffering. It breaks my heart but as long as it does, I think that will keep me trying to make at least a small difference somehow.
Great shelter and easy to do. Tthanks, I have alot of work to do.
I suggest a square tunnel, three or four feet, leading to the box opening.
How do you keep a Styrofoam shelter from blowing away? I want to make some and I don't have a place to put them where the wind won't blow them around.
Putting a piece of firewood or a scrap piece of board or a fair size rock will do the trick. At 4:10 in the following video you can see a board with a brick weighing down a Styrofoam shelter: czcams.com/video/g6pnUUhGV0U/video.html
This poor cat has Ataxia Cerelbellium Hyphoplasia I know has my lil boston terrior Junior also has it.
Although he looks like a CH kitty, that's not actually his issue. CH is a birth defect, but this cat was born a normal kitten. He survived parvovirus as a kitten and it had the unusual consequence of damaging his coordination. He is disabled, because he's wobbly, but rest assured he has much quality of life. I'm guessing Junior made adaptations to his CH, and my cat figured out how to do the same, fortunately. He actually taught himself how to run, if you can believe it. Where there's a will, there's a way! :)
Vladimir Kitten Project Yeah Junior was born with it but not all animals r born with it they can get it after birth from a bad head injury. You know there r humans that have CH too. Sometime I think that Junior can't feel much pain in a way it's like God protecting him from pain cause of this horrible condition. It's really heartbreaking & Junior is bout 7 years old now I've had him everyday sense day1 of his birth I knew something wasn't rite the moment he was born.
What's the issue with wool? The navy for a very long time used real wool for watch sweaters because wool has the property of still being warm when its wet (unlike synthetic materials). What's the issue in a cat shelter? My parents' indoor cats seem to love a wool shawl in their bed and our cat never seems to object to curling up on our wool afghan.
Also, do cats in shelters usually pee/litter elsewhere? I'm assuming if they pee or mark in the shelter, it'll get pretty smelly. In that event, whatever you have in there will need cleaned or replaced I'd think and the container cleaned.
The shelter designs using two bins (one nested inside the other) cost a few more $ and take a longer time to build, but this allows the insulation layer to exist between the bin walls and thus be safe from scratching by kitty.
I notice nobody is putting a door flap on the entrance. Most litter closed litter boxes feature that sort of entrance. Would that not make sense? (Might have to make it of a clear material so the cat can see in or out. Take your cut out (make a square top to the cut-out) and put duct tape as a hinge. This might also help a bit to serve as a wind break.
I do like the idea of a lip over the entry hole to prevent water entry.
If fabric, such as wool, is placed in a shelter, it gets wet when a wet cat sits on it, and it doesn't get a chance to dry out, in my experience. Then it gets mildew, and rots, and then once it's gross the cat will only go to the bathroom on it and the shelter isn't used as a shelter anymore but might only be used as a bathroom. I have cleaned out some truly vile cat shelters that people had put fabric inside with good intentions, but which turned into rotting messes (this video at 2:09 czcams.com/video/ICKb1wu44yM/video.html).
I do know of people who have cat shelters on their porch and they put wool blankets in them for their pet cats. But the key difference is that they launder those wool blankets frequently to keep them clean and dry. That could work fine for a shelter that is going to be attended to frequently; however, very often shelters for feral cats are not attended to often after they are situated. If I am going to place a pair of barn cats at a barn home, and the homeowner will accept a shelter for the cats and will promise to feed them once every day and make sure they always have clean water to drink, I'm probably pushing my luck if I also require them to launder the shelter bedding frequently. Since I wouldn't want to miss out on a viable barn home (because there is always a need to relocate feral cats that can't stay where they are), I need to make the shelter as low maintenance as possible so that the cats stay warm and the property owner isn't required to do more for the cats than they are willing to.
Feral cats won't use their shelter as a litter box if they are indeed using it as a shelter. So long as they want to use the shelter for sleeping, they will do their other business elsewhere. They might spray the outside to mark their territory, but remember that spraying should decrease or stop entirely once the cat is fixed. I haven't found that the spraying of shelters frequently occurs, but I do remember one or two instances where I had to wipe down a shelter because of it.
Making some kind of a cat door entrance is a possibility. It would be good for heat retention. (I used a cat door on this shelter: czcams.com/video/AL0DWI3nsEM/video.html). If used, though, I'd recommend the feral cats' feeder put in the effort to train the cats to use it (probably keeping it propped open at first). An open entrance hole to a seemingly safe cubby is enough enticement to get the cats into the shelter the first time (because everyone wants a warm place to sleep), but if there is a door flap and it is closed, I'm not sure that the idea would occur to the cats that they are looking at a shelter and can access it by pushing the door open. One thing that the builder of a cat shelter has to be really careful about is not to use a flexible flap over the entrance that could possibly end up in a position inside the shelter (like if the cat enters the shelter and the flap is left angled inwards, or if the wind can blow the flap inwards). If that happens, and it rains, water will run down the flap, drip inside the shelter, and flood it with water, making it useless to the cat.
could I possibly use the recycled rubber tire chips? If you know what i'm talking about. It's like wood chips, but softer, and it might possibly insulate more? Thanks!
Hmm, that's a good question. If it's non-absorbent, non-toxic, and soft enough not to be lumpy and uncomfortable to sleep on, then that could work fine for the cat, I'm guessing. Maybe do some reading to check about toxicity, and if you think it's safe, experiment with it as bedding and watch if cats use the shelter? Good luck!
Vladimir Kitten Project Ok, thanks!
it might think it's a litter box.
I wouldn't use tires because they're made from oil & have other dangerous chemicals in them.
I think not. How would you like to sleep on rubber tire chips?
whats up with vlad?
He was born a normal kitten and was rescued from the wild when he was a couple of days old. Unfortunately he contracted feline parvovirus (a.k.a. panleukopenia) when he was a kitten. He did not present the usual symptoms of parvo, so the vets were stumped about what was happening to him. One of his symptoms was ataxia (fancy word that means his coordination sucks), and it is a rarer symptom of parvo. Eventually, a blood test showed that he was highly positive for parvovirus, and that solved the mystery of what had happened to him.
So now, although he's not sick anymore, he's left with the permanent damage that the virus did to his coordination. It's not painful to him, and he has quality of life - being able to eat by himself and use the litterbox by himself and play and explore. His walk is lousy, but he's actually very good at running/leaping. A video about him is in progress, but first I need to buy a new computer because for some reason some viewers have trouble hearing the sound on my videos (others say the sound is fine), so I want to do my best to make sure the sound is top quality for everyone on my next videos.