Cats For Dummies. Gina Spadafori

While there are ready-made cat shelters on the market, the DIY route is probably cheaper and works just as well. You’ll find all kinds of ideas for community cat shelters with a simple internet search.

      A very basic and very warm shelter can be made from an old cooler chest, which you might be able to find at a tag or garage sale or even just ask around for free ones hiding in the garages of friends and family members. Cut a cat-sized hole in the side, put some bedding material inside, and you’re all set. Dog houses can also be picked up cheaply and repurposed for cats, as can large, lidded plastic storage boxes. With the latter, if you live in an area with cold winters, you may need to put one box inside a larger one with insulation between the boxes.

Alley Cat Allies is the most prominent group advocating for care-in-place for ownerless cats. On their website (alleycat.org), they offer all kinds of tips for caring for cat colonies, and they have lots of info on ready-made and DIY shelters.

      Taming the ones you can

      Because of the sheer numbers of cats available for adoption, you’ll be doing what’s best for feral cats by making sure as few as possible are born. But what do you do with the kittens? And what about the cats themselves? Are there homes out there for them?

      Adult cats are a hard sell, and not enough homes are out there for friendly, tamed cats, much less wild ones. For the most part, any feral adults you trap will be neutered and released back into the colony. The same is true of any kitten past the “adorable” stage. Once they get leggy and lose that kittenish appeal, you’ll find it nearly impossible to place them, so you probably ought to neuter and release even these youngsters.

      

If a cat suddenly turns up and seems well fed and in good health, chances are that he is a stray or has been dumped. Many of these cats are friendly — they were pets, after all — and may be the exception to the rule. Even if a little skittish when trapped, these strays will likely settle down quickly and relish a second chance to be a loving pet. By all means try to find an owner through flyers, online ads, lost-and-found groups on social media, and so on, but don’t be disappointed if no one responds.

      

Young kittens have the best chance of being tamed and placed. If you catch them young enough and take your time, many will tame quite nicely.

      Patience is the key

      Feral kittens have been taught by their mothers to be wary of humans, and it takes some time to counter that training. The younger the kitten when she’s removed from the wild, the better — an ideal age is from 5 to 8 weeks old.

      

You may end up with a kitten who’s younger than 5 weeks, sometimes because the mother has been killed and other times because that’s when you were able to trap the baby. Your veterinarian can help you determine the age of your kitten. If the kitten is too young for solid foods, your veterinarian can provide you with formula and show you how and how often to bottle-feed.

A wild-born kitten may not react in the same way a kitten who has been born to a pet cat will. You have to know that up front. Your kitten may hiss and spit in fear, and she may well try to bite you if you come close. You must be willing to take your time and help the kitten adjust gradually. Kittens born wild may never be sociable with large groups of people, but many form a tight and loving bond with the one person they trust.

      

While you’re gently getting a wild-born kitten used to the idea of human contact, he’s thinking of contact of a different variety. Even the littlest cats have formidable teeth and claws and will use them when they think they’re in danger. Cat bites and scratches are not to be taken lightly. Wear long sleeves and protective gloves around feral cats and never try to grab a cat who’s wriggling free. Let him go. (This applies to fully domesticated cats as well.)

      Gentle handling over time

      Before you start taming your kitten or cat, make a trip to your veterinarian. You want to make sure the animal isn’t deathly ill, and you need to have him treated for any problems and vaccinated as your veterinarian recommends. Discuss neutering as well — the procedure is now done on pets as young as 8 weeks of age.

      When you get your kitten home, set her up in a cage or carrier with food, water, and a cat box, preferably located in a quiet, lightly trafficked room with an easy-to-clean floor and a door you can keep closed. And then let her be. She’ll need to chill for a while.

      

At this stage, visit the kitten frequently, but resist the urge to handle her. Talk to her and leave a radio playing when you’re gone, but stay strictly hands off for the first two days. After a couple of days, an easy way to socialize a wild one is to bring the animal’s carrier into a corner of the busiest part of the house — like the kitchen. Cover the entire carrier except the front grill to make the cat feel more secure while she gets used to the sights, sounds, and smells of a human household.

      When the kitten seems to have settled down some, use a towel to gently catch and hold the animal, getting her used to being handled. Watch those teeth and claws: A scratch behind the ear probably won’t be too objectionable to the youngster, but one beneath the chin will likely get you bitten.

      

All wild animals can potentially carry rabies, so if the kitten doesn’t seem normal in any way, don’t risk a bite and instead call your veterinarian. Dr. Lauren knows of a case when an outdoor kitten was treated for trauma and turned out to be rabid, exposing a number of people to this deadly virus. Such an event is rare, certainly, but knowing the risk and protecting yourself is just good sense.

Keep petting sessions very short. Better to build on a small amount of trust than to scare a kitten and have to go back to the beginning.

      After the youngster seems more comfortable around you, let her graduate from the carrier or cage to a small room. Leave a carrier with the door propped open as a “safe haven” that can provide security and a warm place to sleep. Let her come to you. Don’t try to pull her from the carrier or from behind a favorite hiding place. Make use of her natural playfulness to help forge a bond: Use a toy-on-a-string to lure the kitten into a chase game. Treats are another way to convince a kitten that you’re a friend.

      Your kitten will do best if placed fairly soon into her new home. We include tips on how to find a good home for a cat or kitten in Chapter 13, and the same strategies work for the formerly feral. Just be honest about the animal’s past and shortcomings. Some people relish the opportunity to take on the challenge of a cat with special needs!

      CAN YOU ADOPT A BARN CAT?

      One place where community cats can find a really good home is in a barn or stable, or an industrial building such as a warehouse. These cats are called “barn cats” since seemingly every agricultural shelter since the beginning of time has welcomed the rodent-killing ability of a cat.

      Not all barn cats are born wild, we need to note. Some are cats who have ended up at the shelter because they could not live successfully as indoor cats, perhaps because they were chronic urine sprayers, wouldn’t use a litter box despite all efforts to retrain them, or perhaps didn’t get along with another cat in the home.

      Gina