11/08/2025
🐈⬛🥶 TIPS to get cats to use winter shelters 🥶🐈⬛
In most cases, cats will figure out how to use shelters on their own. Here are a few things you can do to attract them if it doesn't seem like your cats are using the shelter:
▪️Be patient. Some cats need a lot of time to get comfortable with a new shelter.
▪️Loosely fill the shelter ½ to ¾ full of straw, NOT HAY. Replace the straw as needed if it gets wet, as it will become moldy. STRAW ONLY! No blankets or fabric of any sort as they hold the moisture and can lead to hypothermia. 
▪️Remove any door flaps on the shelter until they get comfortable with the shelter. While doorway flaps help keep cold air out and warm air in, they should not be added until after your cats are used to going in and out of the shelter.
▪️Some cats prefer a shelter with two doors on it, so they have an exit door if a predator or another cat were to show up trying to enter the shelter. 
▪️Do not place food in or near the shelter. Cats instinctively avoid sleeping near food as it attracts other cats and wildlife (predators).
▪️Location is important. Place the shelter where your cats are already hanging out. More feral/less social cats typically want to shelter farther away from humans. The more secluded the shelter, the more likely cats are to use it.
▪️Place the shelter near natural cover, as opposed to out in the open where your cats may not feel safe. Cats prefer to move along walls, hedges or other natural barriers and boundaries. Place the shelter under or up against a building, fence, tree, porch, bush or some type of overhang.
▪️Place the shelter with the entrance facing away from the wind, rain and snow.
▪️Make sure the shelter is on a flat surface. A wobbly shelter could discourage cats from entering.
▪️Raise the shelter up off the ground if possible, on boards or even a pallet.
▪️Try adding some catnip inside the shelter to attract them to check it out.
▪️When all else fails, try a new location, but only after giving your cats plenty of time to explore and get used to the current location.
▪️ If the cats will absolutey NOT use the shelter, it is possible they may already have a shed, crawlspace or some other shelter they sleep in where they feel safe.
THANK YOU to the caregivers who have taken the time to build a feral cat shelter. Protection from the elements is critical, especially during the cold months, and your thoughtfulness will no doubt save many lives this winter. 💙
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