Providing a Safe Outdoor Cat Shelter

With the cold weather here, many are kindly helping wildlife with food and shelter.  It’s good to remember that healthy animals need minimal care, as they’re naturally equipped to stay warm but often need food that is scarce in winter.

Shadow Cats TNR (formerly Best Friends in Harford County) receives many requests for help in caring for community cats.  We recommend feeding at set times during daylight hours and only enough to satisfy, not free-feeding since that will attract rodents and other animals such as raccoons.  For shelter, cats need just a dry spot, preferably out of the wind, which is why many take up residence under sheds and other outbuildings.

If you want to provide a cat shelter, nothing expensive is required.  Any sturdy waterproof container that opens away from the wind will work.  Don’t add blankets that will collect water, freeze, and hurt paws and skin; the best, cleanest, and most effective bedding is straw.  The animal’s body heat and winter coat will keep it quite warm in a straw bed.  You can place a shelter against the base of your house for added warmth if you wish. 

Our organization builds cat shelters from plastic totes lined with Styrofoam and straw and also provides instructions on how to build your own shelter.  You can find shelter ideas in our resources section here. For information on how to obtain a shelter, you can call/text 443-390-6676 to request help. 

 If you see community cats needing spay/neuter (without an ear tip, or cut across the top of the left ear), contact us.  We have “fixed” and vaccinated over 8,000 cats since our non-profit organization began in 2015.  You can help reduce unnecessary suffering by reporting cats needing spay/neuter.

 Thank you to all who care for the animals!  We are here to help.