Email Address
elkhartferalcats@hotmail.com
Phone Number
(574) 214-7125
Our Location
Elkhart, IN 46514
elkhartferalcats@hotmail.com
(574) 214-7125
Elkhart, IN 46514
Warmer weather means special considerations for free roaming community cat care.
Please review the following to keep your feline friends cool and eating right.
Food Tips
When feeding feral cats in the summer, bugs can certainly pose a problem. Make sure you continue to follow the 30-minute “rule” for removing uneaten food. (Some cats may be slow to arrive at their meal so you may want to wait 45 or 60 minutes.) Also, maintain clean and neat feeding locations, and keep the food dishes in one place to facilitate cleanup by using a feeding station.
In addition to raising the food off the ground, other ways to deter insects from the cats’ food include:
Even if you’re not having bug problems with wet food, you could be having another issue—wet food can dry out fast in the heat. To counteract this, add water. It has the added benefit of providing extra hydration for the cats.
Water
This is a time of year to take the cats’ water needs seriously. Consider putting out extra sources of water during the summer months, and placing them in areas that will remain cool throughout the day. Water evaporates quickly in the summer heat, so keep bowls out of the sun.
A feeding station (see above) can help provide shade. A bowl with less surface area will reduce the evaporation rate as well, so use a bowl that is narrow, but deep.
Trapping Conditions
If you are performing Trap-Neuter-Return during the summer months, make sure to take into account the extreme heat and how it affects the cats’ safety. It is possible for a cat to die from heat stroke when confined in a trap for too long. A simple guideline: if it is too hot outside for you, it is too hot for the cats. Make sure the cats don’t remain in their traps for long by making your neuter appointments for directly after your trapping.
Also, don’t place traps on surfaces that can get extremely warm from the sun, such as asphalt. The metal trap can absorb the asphalt’s heat and burn the cats’ paws.
And as always – NEVER LEAVE A SET TRAP UNATTENDED!!
ECFCC cares about the over-all physical needs of the animals we serve. As important as spaying and neutering is, we reach beyond that to encompass all of their basic needs in order to ensure a good quality of life.
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