I need help thinking something through, please? Baloo and Smokey (almost) always stayed close to home. So (knock wood) it makes sense that letting them explore the property is going well. They return in the afternoon, I am able to put them in their cages and close the tent at night. But at the RV park, no one else stayed close - usually. I never knew where Khol slept. She did use a straw-filled shelter at times over the winter. And Froggie used the feral villa for a while. Treebie wasnt even around last winter (Bean either). We TNRd Treebie in August of 2013. He bolted out of the trap like no cat Id ever seen. Figured wed never see him again. He showed up at the end of February - and never left. (He may have found his way back to the feeding stations over the winter, but I never saw him). Since returning, he was gone a total of maybe one or two days. Otherwise hes been there every meal, and he loooooooves being petted by me. Heres the question: wildlife is a problem. Before I tied up the zippers with twisted wire, a racoon got into the tent and made a huge mess - and that was with the cages closed. When a kitty doesnt return home for the late night meal - which is going to happen, and likely sooner rather than later - what do I do? Inside the tent is home. But if I leave the tent open, with cages open, I risk unpleasant cat-raccoon encounters, and an incredible mess. (The ferals and raccoons never had issues - but nothing was contained or had restricted access before). But if I close the tent - what happens to the kitty(ies) that return late - and find their home inaccessible? How do I handle this? Do I put several shelters along the tent, and one of their feeding stations next to the tent door? Or.... ????
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 02:11:41 +0000