Cats Part Three

I promise this is the last cat-centric blog for a while

Here is a picture of the cat houses after I primed them.  Yes, I primed two Styrofoam boxes that are going to sit outside for feral cats.  I know that seems excessively detailed, but I believe in a good primer coat.

I used latex drywall primer.  I'm not sure I needed to,
 but I had it and it seemed like a good idea

After a few days I painted both of them with a quart of mistinted latex paint I bought at Lowes for $2.50.  I got one coat all over and a second coat on all sides.  I also realized how soft the Styrofoam was and that I should have put something harder on the floor so the cat claws wouldn’t rip it up. If you are thinking of making one of these, I would suggest you put some old vinyl tiles or flooring down before you put the top on.  Just make sure it is something hard.  Don't use carpet.  I got something in there, but it isn’t pretty.  Of course the instructions warned me about this, but I just hadn't read them closely enough.   

Actually, this doesn't look too bad.

After the paint had dried I sealed all cracks with more silicone.  We filled one with dry straw (only use dry straw – any rugs or fabric will absorb moisture and will actually make the cats colder) and set it by where we feed them.  Since these are so light weight, we used bricks to keep them from blowing away.  It is still pretty warm but we want to get them used to it before it is absolutely freezing.  We’ll put the second one in a more sheltered area, and eventually move this one next to it.

This is Mr. Tom's look of pure hate.

As exciting as the houses are, the biggest excitement came last weekend when we actually caught Mr. Tom, the neighborhood alpha male responsible for a lot of feral kittens.  After setting four traps away from the house but near his favorite territory, he took the tuna bait.  He was big and fierce and angry, but I managed to drive the 10 plus miles to get him neutered even though he spent the whole trip thrashing and fighting and hissing.  His "proceedure" was uneventful, and after the 24 hour waiting period, we released him yesterday. He wasn’t moving as fast as he had, but I’m sure we’ll see him strolling around the neighborhood in no time.



Why is Mia pointing?  Beats me, but Will does it too.



In less than a month, I’d accomplished what I’d wanted.  I’d trapped and had neutered the three cats living in our yard as well as the big tom cat responsible for our feral population boom.  I’d planned pretty well for their safety this winter.  I also have a plan in place to help our neighbor get his colony under control next spring.  Not a bad way to spend a month.

The Butcher

Below is a diagram of how you cut up a 4’ x 8’ 2” Styrofoam to make two cat shelters*.  If you have any questions, please ask and I can direct you to some wonderful resources if I can’t answer.

*cut 6" wide by 5 1/2" tall holes for doors into 2 of the 12" x 20" pieces for entrances.

Cats Part Two

Well, the cats have been home all week and we are finally on some kind of feeding schedule.  I'm pretty sure they have forgotten or forgiven me for having their you-know-what's removed.  I suppose regular food and water help ease their troubled minds.  We even settled on names.  Since they are the Feral family, they are Will, Colin, and Mamma Mia.  I can usually resist a pun, but this time I could not.  Our task this week is to begin building them shelters for the winter. 

Armed with plans from the fine folks at All About Animals Rescue, one 4' by 8' by 2" thick mylar coated sheet of styrofoam from Lowes, my husband (who is game for anything that involves power tools) and I set out to build two shelters for our new family.

1 - It is easiest to use a table saw with this material.  There are plenty of other plans online for other styles of shelters if you don't have the tools or skills or someone who can take care of this for you.  Luckily my husband has found out that as long as I benefit from the use of his tools, I won't complain when he buys more.

2 - Mia is intrigued*. 

3 - Caulking gun?  Check.  Tubes of silicone?  Check.

4 - Run a wiggly line of silicone along two sides.  Do the same along the back and up the sides of the walls you've already put up.  Make sure they have maximum contact.

5 - Measure 2" in on the front (the side without a styrofoam wall yet) and run another wiggly line of silicone down each wall and across the bottom.

6 - One more line of silicone around the top and then place the roof. 

7 - Fasten the "feet" on the bottom, weight the structure with something that is not too heavy (I used an inverted card table with some books) and let it set up over night.

8 - Almost ready for painting.

*FYI the printed film on the sides should have been removed before I started gluing.  Also, I should have sealed the inside joints with silicone.  I tried after the fact, but it took way longer than had I done it before the roof was added.

Next post: Cats Part Three - Actual plans for your very own cat shelter, our finished product, and the hunt for the elusive daddy cat.

The Butcher