There has been some adjustments made to the tube-house. I have witnessed one of the black cats from the neighbourhood investigating the new shelter but, so far, no one has entered it. At least not fully - someone wet on its entrance, twice.
Though the tube-house was not utilised previously, other cats did examine it at various times, and may have left their smells. Perhaps this caused a more recent cat to deposit his or her mark there. In any case, I was afraid that this would deter its current use, so I disassembled the tube-house and removed the offending part. It was merely a form-fitting piece of Styrofoam covered in very thin felt. In its place, I laid out a soft and, hopefully, warm blanket. The ceiling of the tube-house’s interior is lined with a curved, removable cushion, and there is another rectangular cushion under the blanket. I washed the entrance, as well. With luck, this will be enough to eradicate the offending odour. I sprayed a small amount of catnip within and, for added incentive, put a small bowl of treats inside.
As you can see from the accompanying photographs, the apartment doesn’t have the space - or the basement - of my former house, and so, when I don’t want to work in -25° temperatures (which would soon render my hands inoperative anyway), the bath-tub must suffice. A good cleaning afterward should set all to rights in terms of hygiene.
I think straw may be coming next week, so that will be added to the comforts of the tube-house when I have it.
In the meantime, the water-bowl remains a good investment: though ice has been creeping around the inside of the bowl, there remains enough unfrozen water, even at -25°, to satisfy an outsider cat’s thirst.
Temperatures are supposed to rise soon (though not above freezing). That, I think, will be good news for cat and human alike.
Thank you for what you do for the possible boarders at large. I hope they are able to see and discern a difference in odor now and come calling again--- but with facial scents on it instead. They are so fortunate that you have a room and board hotel for wayfarers to see and make good use of.
ReplyDeleteThe tube house looks cosy and I hope it is soon in regular use. I think the straw may encourage more use. Most of the horses are bedded on wood shavings now, but back when mostly straw was used I would often see visiting cats snuggled in it.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the house, I hope the adjustment helps! I used straw for the home-made feral cat shelter I had made for "Toby" years ago, and he certainly used it, so maybe there's something to that.
ReplyDeleteOur ferals have never gotten the hang of flaps, so we've worked around them by making long entrance 'hallways' and wind-breaks. I use a spray bottle of water and baking soda mix to neutralize any 'pee-mail' left by roving cats who are bold enough to venture onto the deck. And it's freaking cold here too!
ReplyDeleteI feel so bad for all ferals in the cold. How kind of you to have food, water and shelter available.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful house. My friend has made a feral cat house out of a storage box with straw and the kitties seem to like it. - 25! We were complaining yesterday at - 22. I feel for all the feral cats trying to survive in these temperatures.
ReplyDeleteThat is a wonderful house and I hope it has many visitors!
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