waterproof fabric for feral cat to lay on?

A cover for a grill or something else meant to be left outside. A small canvas tarp. Motorcycle cover. Entry way rug. Waterproof bag.

Keep the cat in your house. Better for the cat and the environment.

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com wrote in news:r4onpgdp2bmroukccucfqskjro2ghroifk@

Years ago, a feral cat adopted us, too. Feeding it outside and trying to provide a warm space was just impossible. The food attracted racoons, and heating was dangerous. The cat would trust us just enough to come in the house and run into every room, spending about 10 minutes inside, and then rushing back outside. Eventually, the cat slept inside, and wanted to be let out during the day. We never had to do the litter box thing. We had 'Kitty' for 10 years.

It might be more than you want to spend:

I bought it this time last year. It's held up well and the cat likes it. Sometimes he stays in at night if it's cold, sometimes he wants to go out, presumably to his house. In any case he gets evicted when I go to work.

Grab a lage styrofoam cooler and forget the fabric. Visit a drug store for a free one. Their insulin supplies arrive in that. Cut a small hole for entrance. Body heat will keep it alive. Rinse out a few time a year.

Isn't that funny, this cat is doing almost the same thing, wants to come in and examine every room, but doesn't want to stay in the house. I made the mistake last week of letting him stay on the screened in porch for a couple of hours while I came inside and closed the door. Unfortunately, this angered him, he couldn't wait to "escape" and then he ignored me for a couple of days. So, I definitely won't try retaining him again.

So far, my outside feeding has been timed. I put the food out and monitor him on one of my outdoor cameras. Once he finishes, and many times he doesn't eat but part of what I put out, I bring the food back inside until time for next feeding. Usually, he wants to eat morning and at dusk. Trying to avoid other ferals and critters that way.

I won't use any sort of standard line heating, like from 120 VAC as that's too risky even with built in protection, so I've been using a fused, overload, and short circuit protected 12 VDC pad that provides about 15 watts of heat. Just can't let the cotton cover get wet, otherwise everything is defeated. Was thinking of just wrapping a thin layer of fleece around the pad and let it go.

I didn't go that far, but a few weeks back I had a neighbor donate a fairly large sized cooler which I modified (basically just drilled a 6" diameter hole in one end) and added straw to the interior. Despite everything I tried, he wouldn't go in it. I also tried something more makeshift, a large plastic Walmart storage tote I wasn't using, also with hole cut in one end, and even with straw in that, he wouldn't go in either.

With the pad, he'll only lay on it if I place it in certain spots, otherwise he'll ignore it.

I'll have to look this up, thanks. I wore turtlenecks a few years back, which I couldn't stand and never use, so maybe i could track one of those down and wrap it around the pad.

Tried it. Even with food enticement, he'd go in just long enough to eat the treat, then exit. We had some pretty cold nights here too.

This one started out the same. He'd make a quick tour and leave. That was a couple of years ago. Right now he's curled up on my lap. He still doesn't like people or other cats. He's established boundaries and any cat that crosses into his domain gets the bum's rush.

This one is a nibbler. He eats a little bit, comes back for more. Other cats aren't a problem but this summer leaving the food out attracted a couple of skunks. I heard some noise on the deck, opened the door, and a skunk was chowing down. Luckily the skunk was focused on food and didn't mind me. The cat is smarter than the average dog and doesn't mess with skunks.

I bought a timed feeder but with his nibbling pattern it's hard to set a schedule.

The house has a door in both ends and I think that helps. He uses the end butted up to the deck but faces out the other end. It took a while but eventually he decided a heated pad was a good thing. It is a 120 vac pad but I installed a GFI receptacle and weatherproof cover.

Good idea. That would provide insulation, keep any water away from the heating pad, block drafts, etc.

Thanks. The cat will do better with a second escape route. Could flap it to keep out cross breezes.