The population a feral cat seems to be on the rise all the time. As a pet parent who believes that pets should be kept strictly indoors for their safety, I find this to be very disheartening. Because of diseases, animal fights and auto accidents, the expected life span of a feral cat is only about four years. However, it is near to impossible to train an already feral cat to adapt to home life. At best, there are ways that you can help feral homeless cats to live a better life, especially during the winter months.

Over the years volunteers have worked to reduce the homeless cat population by trapping them in order to get them spayed or neutered and then returning them to the life that they know. Many people help them by providing food and water for them. The question is, can we help protect them from the elements that the winter season can put upon us?

If you have a homeless feral cat population near your home, you may want to call your local and state animal control officials to see if there are any limitations as to the care you can provide these animals. Some laws may ban you from feeding and protecting these animals while others may say if you feed the cats you own them. If you do help the homeless cat, they would never respond the same way as a house pet but it will at least accept your presence. These cats actually serve as a benefit in keeping the rodent population under control, eliminating the need for chemicals and poisons in order to do so.

If you are an animal lover and want to protect these creatures of nature, especially during frigid winter weather, there are ways you can do so. To begin with, most of these homeless feral cats know they need to huddle closely together for warmth. If you want to provide them protection, you can use just about anything to give them a safe haven from the elements. The cats do not need a huge area – just large enough to house several cats. If you make a shelter that is too large, it will not keep in the body heat of those cats, so it is not advisable to make the shelter too wide or tall. You can even use a cardboard box for this purpose. The opening should be only large enough for one cat to enter at a time. If you make the opening too large, wind and snow can enter as well. It would be nice if you could also place some type of sheathing or awning over the entryway for added protection. To provide extra warmth for the inhabitants, a little insulation can be added to the tops and sides as well as some type of bedding such as straw, since it does not hold onto moisture and does retain more heat. Avoid using blankets and towel which do hold moisture and mold.
Try elevating the shelter off of the ground as well.

Set the homemade shelter nearest to a wall facing away from the direction of the wind the best that you can. Placing the shelter in a concealed area will make  the homeless cats feel more secure from predators while being protected from the elements of the frigid weather. When providing this shelter for the cats, consider an area close by where they can have access to food and water. You may not want to provide these extras in the shelter but at least close enough so that they do not have to brave the wind and snow in order to eat and drink.

If you and your neighbors can get together in order to gather a donation of foods for the cats, these homeless animals can be afforded the necessary nutrients and calories needed during the cold winter season. Dry foods are probably better since canned foods may freeze before the cats can consume  it. These cats can survive much better with added fat and calories on their bodies in order to maintain their energy requirements. Clean fresh water is also a necessity, but you will need to check the water often to be sure it did not freeze.

The homeless cat population will not personally thank you for all you have done, but as an animal lover, you know in your heart you have done your best to provide food, water and shelter. Sometimes these cats will adopt you as their caregiver, not the same as a house pet, but will stick around even after the winter season while accepting your food and water offerings. In return, they vow to control the rodents around the home. In your own little way you may have saved a life or lives of the homeless cat population during the winter and beyond.