DIY: Assemble a Cold-Weather Cat Shelter
As the temperatures take a dive, feral and stray cats are at risk for serious health complications. As a cat lover, there are some steps you can take to protect your neighborhood feline friends. Regularly leaving out food and water goes a long way, ensuring strays stay hydrated and receive proper nutrition. Beyond providing a food source, you can keep visiting stray and feral cats protected from frigid weather. Kitties need a reliable place to take shelter, and you can provide it! There are numerous ways to do this. Below we’ve provided instructions for a super simple DIY shelter, adapted from a CSM Stray Foundation project. You can act as a guardian for neighborhood cats by providing a safe haven during the winter months. Simple DIY Winter Shelter Materials: Large Rubbermaid storage bin 8×2 foot sheet of 1-inch thick hard Styrofoam Yardstick Box cutter Insulating material (straw, shredded newspaper, etc.) Directions: 1. Create a doorway in one of the long sides of the storage bin by cutting a 6×6 inch opening. The bottom of the doorway should begin a few inches above ground to prevent potential flooding. 2. Use the box cutter (or utility knife) and yardstick to cut out a piece of Styrofoam that will cover the floor of the bin. 3. Next, cover each of the interior walls of the bin with Styrofoam, leaving a 3-inch gap between the top of the Styrofoam wall coverings and the rim of the bin. This allows space for a Styrofoam roof to be attached. 4. Trace the “doorway” outline onto the Styrofoam that’s lined with the cut-out door, then cut to create an opening of the same size in the Styrofoam. 5. Line insulating material around the bottom of the bin to keep Styrofoam wall pieces in place. 6. Create a roof by cutting out an appropriate-sized piece of Styrofoam to rest on top of the interior wall pieces. Place lid on top of roof to seal shelter. Note: Bin is light and may need to be weighed down with a piece of plywood or similar heavy material on top. If desired, you can create a flap to place over the doorway. To initially attract cats, sprinkle catnip inside the shelter. Shelter is easy to clean—just take off the lid and...
Read MoreTail-Less Wonder
One day I took my goddaughter to a friend’s house that had a park behind it. She went to play on the playground with a bunch of neighborhood kids. About 30 minutes later she came running in the house crying hysterically and saying “The boys are being mean to it! Make them stop!”. She couldn’t tell me what “it” was but I gathered it was an animal of some sort. So off we went, running through the park. As I approached the playground I could see a group of boys standing around the slide, taking turns going to the top and throwing something down. I saw it go shooting to the end, I ran over to see what it was and have never been so angry in my entire life. A tiny, TINY kitten that was maybe 2 or 3 weeks old. They were having a contest to see who could shoot it off the slide the farthest. I grabbed the baby, put it in my sweatshirt pocket and informed them that boys, that hurt animals, all turn into serial killers and I was telling their parents immediately. They were young (about 8 years old) so the tears started pretty immediately. I ran back to the house and took the tiny little thing out of my pocket. She didn’t make a sound and just stared at me with the biggest eyes. She actually seemed fine but I obviously had to take her to get checked out. The vet said she had no injuries, was slightly underfed and just needed to be kept warm and safe. Then he said, she might be a pure bred Manx. I hadn’t even realized she didn’t have a tail because the only cat I ever had as a kid was a Manx and that was really quite normal to me. The vet thought that was hilarious. I never even considered not keeping her. I brought her home, introduced her to a new sister cat and named her Emma. It has been 15 years now and she is just the most delicious thing that ever happened. Rachel...
Read MoreAre you a Cat Person?
From that sky-high pile of cardboard boxes, to the permanent cat scratches you’ve inherited, to the number of little toys scattered around your house, they all point to one sign, YOU’RE A CAT LOVER! This is nothing to be ashamed of, rather it’s something to be proud of. Besides the quirks like endless hours of entertainment that comes with catnip or how pouncing at your ankles never gets old, our pretty kitties also bring much appreciated love into our lives. signs that you’re a cat person and proud of it Your windowsill is a hair-collecting basin, your wrist is perma-scratched, and the bathroom has a strange odor that never fully goes away. What could possibly be the cause for this assortment of oddities? All signs point to one thing: cats. Maybe lots of cats. Whether you have one or many four-legged furballs in your home, there’s no mistaking the telltale signs. And it’s not just balls of catnip and claw marks on the curtains. Kitties bestow furry tails brushing against our legs, warm purrs on our laps and years of happiness in our hearts. Click through to see more of the signs you’ve got a feline in your life....
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