Shelter and support feral cats this winter

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/02/2021 (1872 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winter is a vulnerable time for everyone, people and pets included. We hear every day about the plight of homeless people and how these conditions present special challenges but we don’t often hear about the plight of homeless pets, especially cats.

Feral cats do have a place in our city, and there are many heroes who do their best to help these furry waifs survive our harsh winters. Easily found through internet searches for “feral cat sanctuary Winnipeg” or the like, you can see what these people do for our free-range felines, and also how you can contribute with either time, money or resources.

Shelter is one of the biggest winter needs for anyone. Cats have fur coats but they only go so far in keeping them warm in the winter. Shelter from wind and snow helps the fur do its job much better. Something as simple as a Rubbermaid bin with a hole cut in it  and some straw inside can be the difference between life and death for a cat.

Sometimes, in seeking shelter, a cat may find a warm spot under the hood of a car that is plugged in.

If you have a block heater, make sure that when you unplug it, bang on the hood or fender. This can startle a cat into leaving its hiding spot and prevent you from starting your engine with the cat in a dangerous position.

Even if you don’t have a block heater, you might want to bang the hood anyway, in case a cat was just getting out of the wind.

Most areas of the city have a person or group that works on controlling the feral population. They do this with trap, fix and release programs. Some of these are 100 per cent privately funded and there are some that the city may contribute to through the funds raised by licensing cats. These methods are very effective in keeping the feral population under control.

Why do we want to keep a feral cat population?  

Ferals are an important part of the city ecosystem, especially with the city’s regulation on not allowing domestic cats to freely roam inside the city limits. Feral cats help control the rodent population, especially along the creek and river areas where they can flourish.  

Many feral cats would never be candidates for adoption, so the only alternative to being part of the feral population is death. Being antisocial is something no one appreciates, but it shouldn’t carry a death sentence.

A large number of kittens from the feral population are captured, cleaned up, socialized and adopted.

These kittens go on to be valued family members for years and years. When they are captured, the mother cat is usually fixed and if not sociable, released as part of the capture, fix and release program, where she will no longer contribute to the feral population.

Demand for kittens is pretty much a year-round thing, but there is a distinct breeding/birthing season for cats. It generally lasts from February to September in general, but mainly in the spring. With gestation at just about two months, we see the first litters of kittens starting in April, with shelters flooded by May or June. This means many shelters are desperately looking for homes for eight- week-old kittens through the summer, when demand is at its lowest, owing to summer vacations, etc.

So there you go; if you want to help, you can contribute in many ways. And if you want to open your home to an independent little furball who might just work its way into your heart, plan for it this summer, when the need is greatest. There is lots of time to make arrangements before then.

Contact Jeff with your questions or ideas at thrivepetfoodmarket@shaw.ca or visit www.thrivepetfoodmarket.com