Catville Sanctuary Inc

01/01/2026

How to Make a Simple Outdoor Cat Shelter

You don’t need anything fancy. A few simple choices can keep a cat warm, dry, and alive.

What you’ll need

A sturdy box or plastic storage tote (thick plastic is best)

Straw (not hay, not blankets)

A utility knife or scissors

Optional: duct tape, a piece of wood or brick

Step 1: Create the entrance

Cut a small opening on one side, about 5–6 inches wide

Keep the opening a few inches above the ground to help block rain and cold

Step 2: Add insulation

Fill the shelter loosely with straw

Straw repels moisture and traps warmth

Avoid blankets or towels — they hold dampness and make cats colder

Step 3: Protect from weather

If using a box, place it inside a second box with space between, or line the walls with foam if available

Put a lid on top and weight it with a brick or board so it won’t blow away

Step 4: Placement matters

Set the shelter in a quiet, dry spot, out of the wind

Tuck it under a porch, against a wall, or near shrubs

Face the entrance away from prevailing wind

Step 5: Add food and water nearby

Place food a short distance away

Use a heavy bowl so it doesn’t tip

In freezing weather, check water often

A gentle reminder

Feral and stray cats may not approach you —
but they will use the shelter when it’s quiet and safe.

You don’t have to rescue.
You don’t have to tame.
You just have to offer warmth.

Catville Sanctuary.

01/01/2026

01/01/2026

People who love cats are a special breed.

They don’t need constant applause.
They’re okay being ignored… briefly.
They understand that love sometimes looks like a creature sitting three feet away, facing the wrong direction.

Cat lovers appreciate earned affection.
They know that if a cat chooses their lap, that’s not luck — that’s status.

They respect boundaries because cats will enforce them.
Swiftly.
With teeth.

They’re patient.
They can wait six hours for a cat to decide now is the moment for cuddles — and feel honored when it happens.

They don’t confuse chaos with connection.
They value calm companionship, quiet humor, and shared naps.

They understand that being loved by a cat means:

You are safe

You are trusted

You have been judged… and approved

And honestly?
Anyone who wins over a creature that can walk away at any moment has excellent relationship skills.

30/12/2025

Farmily Field Update:
Operation Self-Release

We prepared carefully.
A sturdy metal crate.
A proper latch.
Soft bedding.
Post-surgery quiet.

PiP had other plans.

While the house slept and his body was supposed to be groggy,
our resident hacker assessed the structure,
tested the mechanism,
and calmly unlatched his own containment.

No panic.
No scrambling.
No dramatics.

When I found him, he was stretched out on the floor —
loose, relaxed, unmistakably pleased with himself —
looking up as if to say,
“Oh, hi. You’re awake.”

Same day as surgery.
Metal crate rated for dogs.
One latch.
One small black cat with a mind wired for systems.

Conclusion:
PiP was never groggy.
He was merely delayed.

Status report:
• Free
• Comfortable
• Pain-managed
• Supervised
• Very proud

Commander Oliver is reviewing security protocols.
Judge Max is reserving comment.
The hacker remains at large.

— The Farmily

28/12/2025

PiP

28/12/2025

PiP, on the threshold — growing into himself.

24/12/2025

One of the quiet miracles of being human
is that we reach beyond survival.
We make marks where none were required
a line of charcoal, a melody hummed into the dark,
a sentence shaped carefully so another heart
might recognize itself inside it.
Art is how we remember we are more than function.
Music is how we speak when words are too small.
Prose is how thought learns to breathe.
Love is not efficiency.
Empathy is not advantage.
And yet we return to them again and again,
as if some ancient knowing lives within us,
whispering: this matters.
We soften for one another.
We ache when others ache.
We create beauty not because the world demands it,
but because something within us insists on it.
These are our perfections
not because they are flawless,
but because they are generous.
They spill outward.
They leave traces of warmth.
And long after the noise fades,
it is these things
the song, the story, the shared silence
that remain, quietly holding us together.
Helyn

22/12/2025

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=122290101362210863&set=a.122123356904210863

This winter, YOU are making the difference between life and death for wildlife families.
What YOU'RE doing right:
✓ Leaving accessible food sources — Unsecured compost, fallen fruit, accessible trash = lifeline for nursing mothers
✓ Not calling animal control — Understanding that winter daytime activity = normal survival behavior
✓ Providing water — Keeping birdbaths unfrozen = hydration for everyone
✓ Tolerating "mess" — Scattered trash, disturbed gardens = small price for saving lives
✓ Creating shelter — Brush piles, unsealed sheds, spaces under decks = warm dens for families
The impact of YOUR compassion:

One mother raccoon needs 3x normal calories while nursing in winter
Babies born in late fall struggle most (first winter = deadliest)
Your "annoying" trash can = 8 baby raccoons survive to spring
Communities that coexist = healthier ecosystems for everyone

How to help even more:
✓ Leave pet food out overnight (high protein = nursing mother fuel)
✓ Don't seal under-deck spaces until spring (dens may be active)
✓ Plant native fruit trees (natural food sources)
✓ Spread the word: winter wildlife activity = NORMAL, not rabies
You're not being "too nice." You're being human.
Wildlife doesn't need perfection. They need compassion.
Thank you for choosing kindness over convenience.
You're saving entire families. 🦝