Caring for Community Cats and Dogs Responsibly

• Neuter the animals so the group does not keep growing. This is the single most helpful step. See what TNR is and how it works.
• Feed on a routine, in one clean place, and remove leftovers.
• Provide water and shelter suited to the weather.
• Watch their health and act when an animal is sick, injured or new to the group.
• Be a good neighbor, so the animals are welcome in the area.

1. Feed at the same time every day, once or twice a day, preferably in daylight. Animals learn the routine and gather at the right time, which also makes them easier to count and check.
2. Pick up leftovers after 20 to 30 minutes. Food left out overnight attracts insects, rats, birds and wild animals, and it is the most common cause of complaints.
3. Adjust the amount. If all the food is gone within about 15 minutes, add a little more next time. If food is often still there after 30 minutes, give less. Our pet food calculator can give you a rough daily starting point for a cat or dog of a given weight.
4. Use proper pet food, wet or dry. Both can provide good nutrition. Do not feed leftovers from people’s meals: they can contain onion, garlic, cooked bones and too much salt or fat. Never give cow’s milk, which often upsets cats’ stomachs.
5. Choose a quiet, discreet spot, away from building entrances, playgrounds, parking areas, busy paths and roads. A simple covered feeding station keeps food dry and out of sight.
6. Let the animals eat in peace. In a group, some animals eat first and others wait. Stay back rather than trying to control who eats.

If the time changes in your area for daylight saving, move the feeding time gradually, about 10 minutes a day, so the animals can adjust.

• Use a heavy or wide bowl that will not tip over, and clean it often.
• In hot weather, put out more than one bowl, in the shade, and refill them often.
• In freezing weather, a wide, deep bowl freezes more slowly than a small one. Dark bowls placed in the sun and bowls sheltered from the wind also help. Check and replace frozen water often.

Winter

A simple insulated shelter can save lives in cold weather.

• Size: small is warmer, because the animals’ body heat fills the space. A box about 60 by 90 cm (about 2 by 3 feet) and at least 45 cm (18 inches) high can hold a few cats.
• Materials: a sturdy plastic storage box, an old cooler, or a wooden box. Insulating foam on the walls and floor makes it warmer.
• Entrance: cut one door about 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 inches) wide. This lets cats in but keeps most larger animals out. Face it away from the wind, or toward a wall.
• Bedding: use straw, not blankets or towels. Straw stays dry and lets cats burrow into it. Blankets, towels, newspaper and hay hold moisture and can become wet, cold and frozen. Straw is the dry, hollow stems left after grain harvest; hay is dried grass used as animal feed, and it gets damp.
• Placement: raise the shelter off the ground on a pallet or bricks, keep it level, and put it in a quiet place where animals already spend time. Cats may take days or weeks to start using it.

Other winter risks:

• Cats sometimes climb into car engines for warmth. Knock on the car hood or sound the horn before you start the engine.
• Antifreeze is a deadly poison that tastes sweet to animals. Clean up spills at once.
• Keep de-icing salt and chemicals away from feeding and shelter areas.
• Animals need a little more food in cold weather to stay warm.

See winter safety for dogs and cats for more.

Summer

• Make sure there is shade all day, from trees, bushes or a simple roof.
• Put out plenty of fresh water and refill it often.
• Feed in the cooler parts of the day, and remove wet food quickly, since it spoils fast in heat.
• Watch for animals that are panting hard, weak or unsteady; this can be heatstroke. See summer heat safety.

Look for:

• An animal that is getting thin, stops coming to eat, or eats very little
• Limping, wounds, or swelling
• Runny eyes or nose, sneezing, coughing or drooling
• Diarrhea or vomiting
• A new animal in the group, which may be a lost or abandoned pet
• A pregnant female, or young kittens or puppies

Contact a local veterinarian or animal rescue group for help, and handle animals only if it is safe (see how to approach strays safely). A cat with a straight cut across the tip of one ear has usually already been neutered and vaccinated. Friendly animals and young kittens are often better off being found a home rather than living outside. See what to do if you find kittens.

A note about community dogs

Dogs that live in groups outdoors need extra care. Keep feeding spots well away from schools, playgrounds and roads, feed quietly without drawing a crowd of dogs, and do not encourage dogs to follow people. Neutering and vaccination are just as important for dogs as for cats.

• Listen first. Ask what the problem is exactly: noise at night, smells, animals in a garden, food left out. Stay calm and polite.
• Explain what helps. Neutering greatly reduces fighting, loud mating calls, spraying and wandering. Removing animals usually does not work in the long run: new animals move in to use the same food and shelter.
• Fix what you can. Keep feeding areas clean, feed out of sight, and pick up leftovers and droppings.
• Offer humane deterrents for neighbors who do not want animals in their garden: motion-activated sprinklers, blocking gaps under sheds and decks with wire mesh or lattice, or setting up an area of loose sand or soil away from their garden where cats can dig.
• Respect private property. Get permission before feeding or placing shelters on land that is not yours.
• Keep your promises, and accept that you may not be able to satisfy everyone.

• Leaving food out all day or overnight
• Feeding without neutering, so the group grows every year
• Using blankets or towels as shelter bedding in winter
• Feeding in busy or visible places, such as building entrances
• Ignoring neighbors’ complaints until they become angry
• Assuming every outdoor cat or dog is homeless; some are lost or roaming pets