Not fur-gotten: Winnipegger creates outdoor shelters for freezing felines

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This article was published 28/02/2024 (583 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In a small apartment in East Kildonan, Nick Merrells is trying to save animals in an unconventional way.

A hole is cut in a large plastic container that is stuffed partially with straw, then lined with Styrofoam blocks, before being packed to the top with more insulation and sealed with a lid and tape.

The last step is to mark the container with a paw print and the words “cat shelter.”

The makeshift refuge will be placed in someone’s yard or in the back lane of a residential street, to provide a stray cat with a place to keep warm during winter’s chill.

“I’m just seeing all the cats everywhere. I’m just trying to do what I can,” Merrells, 32, said Tuesday morning.

The project started a few years ago when he noticed an influx of stray cats in the yard of his former home in the West End.

He looked online for ideas to keep feral cats warm and eventually found a way to built a passable shelter. He proceeded to make a few every year for stray cats and kittens in his neighbourhood until he moved across town to East Kildonan.

Then, last October, Merrells shared a post on Facebook offering the makeshift dwellings to those who wanted them. The response was overwhelming.

To date, he’s made 130 shelters.

“I feel great about doing it; there’s really nothing better than helping animals,” he remarked.

The shelters are now scattered across private and public properties in Winnipeg, with some making it as far as Peguis First Nation, where Merrells says the stray-cat problem is out of control.

Since beginning his project, he’s had two shelters stolen, but he replaced them promptly and he checks those in his neighbourhood for strays that have burrowed inside.

If he sees a feline settled in the shelter, he’ll try to get a close look. If he’s able to read a tattoo or tag, he places a call to the city’s animal-services branch or the Winnipeg Humane Society.

“I’ve had tons of people send me pictures, some saying within half an hour there’s cats inside,” he said. “People are very, very happy with my shelters, which makes me happy.”

While he accepts donations, most of the cash for materials comes out of Merrells’ own pocket. He doesn’t charge for the containers, as he recognizes times are tough for a lot of animal owners.

“I’m just here to help the cats; I’m not doing this for the money in any way, shape or form. But I wouldn’t have got this far without other people donating,” he said.

Carly Peters, director of communications and marketing for the WHS, said shelter space in the city has fluctuated over the winter months, and the facility currently has about 213 animals in its care.

The shelter has seen its space at a “critical capacity” over the last year, but despite the warm temperatures this winter, numbers are on par with prior years.

“The main reason we’re seeing people surrender their animals to us is because they can’t afford vet care,” she said, noting that despite pet owners struggling to keep up with their animals, the Humane Society has performed more than 6,000 spays and neuters over the last year.

Of the animals currently at the Humane Society, 50 per cent of cats and 77 per cent of dogs were surrendered by owners because of the cost of vet care.

Leland Gordon, manager of animal services for the City of Winnipeg, said the agency has housed around 20 dogs in the facility per day over the last three weeks, which is nearly half of the average over the last three years.

The Humane Society still has a freeze on its ability to accept surrenders, owing to capacity constraints, and the only animals they take in are ones that are stray or sick.

The WHS food bank, which was in dire need of supplies in November, is still seeing daily use.

“We’re finding what we’re doing more is addressing the needs of the people actually caring for the animals in order to keep them in their home, so they don’t end up here in the first place,” Peters said.

Merrells is considering how to help animals in the spring and summer, but right now he’s focused on sheltering cats during the continuing cold weather, which is expected to see temperatures dip to -18 C in Winnipeg by Thursday morning.

“Wouldn’t you want to keep animals warm when it’s cold like this?”

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca