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I work at a trucking company, and our terminal is in an industrial park in Meridian, and shared with many other businesses. There is a feral cat population in the park probably numbering about 10-15. There are many younger cats included, about 3-6 mos old. Thankfully somebody is feeding them, but they do not seem to have shelter. I tracked them, and they seem to stay in the bushes and inside of a culvert.
In the last two days I have made 4 shelters for them. I used 18 gallon storage totes, insulated them with 1/4 insulation on all four sides, plus top and bottom, and then put straw inside, and put the plastic lid back on. There is a 5 inch hole in front for them to get inside. When I checked on the shelters today, I was happy to see that the youngest ones are using them. The shelters are not too difficult to make, and I would like to make more and place them where they are needed. If you know of any other feral cat populations, please let me know. If you are interested in helping with the cost by donating a 18 gallon storage container, I would be very appreciative. The totes are the most expensive item. The insulation comes in a 4x8 sheet, and cost 7.79 at Home Depot. Each sheet will insulate 2 storage totes. The straw is very inexpensive at $7 per bale. Thanks. Mike.
Mike you sound like a very kind and caring man. Perhaps you should trap the cats and take them to the humane society. They are only going to keep having litters and become unhealthy. At least with the humane society they will get fixed and have a better life and perhaps be adopted to loving homes. I used to work at the Navy base in San Diego and they had a tremendous feral cat problem. Things get very bad for the cats when there are so many of them. There was a lot of illness in the kittens.
Thank you for being kind to the strays. I wish there were more people like you.
S
The Idaho Humane Society will spay or neuter them free of charge if I trap them and bring them in. But they recommend that I return the cats to where they came from. I don't think now is a good time to trap them, though, because then they will be afraid of the shelters I build to keep them warm. So in the spring I hope to trap them, and bring them in for spay/neuter. If you know of other feral cat populations, please post the location so I can make shelters for them.
It's a bit farther out, but I know there is a population of feral cats living around C.J. Strike Dam. I see them often eating scraps from the cleaning station when I go fishing there.
The Idaho Humane Society will spay or neuter them free of charge if I trap them and bring them in. But they recommend that I return the cats to where they came from. I don't think now is a good time to trap them, though, because then they will be afraid of the shelters I build to keep them warm. So in the spring I hope to trap them, and bring them in for spay/neuter. If you know of other feral cat populations, please post the location so I can make shelters for them.
Mike, you are a wonderful person to do that! I wish there was more people out there like you that care about animals.
Also good to hear the Humane Society out there will spay and neuter for free. That's great!
Mike you sound like a very kind and caring man. Perhaps you should trap the cats and take them to the humane society. They are only going to keep having litters and become unhealthy. At least with the humane society they will get fixed and have a better life and perhaps be adopted to loving homes. I used to work at the Navy base in San Diego and they had a tremendous feral cat problem. Things get very bad for the cats when there are so many of them. There was a lot of illness in the kittens.
Thank you for being kind to the strays. I wish there were more people like you.
S
Yes OP seems to be a very kind and caring person and helping to manage their population growth is greatly appreciated as they will continue to breed. Kindness to animals is ALWAYS admirable.
Years ago we tried to adopt a feral cat and her kitten. We were never able to make house pets of them as they were way to skittish and wouldn't/couldn't bond. Especially the mother cat, we could never get near her. The kitten was a little more friendly, but not what one would want or expect from a house cat. So, I'm not sure feral cats are appropriate for adoption and integration into a household. In our experience they didn't behave like house cats, they may not integrate well thus creating issues for adoptive "parents" and in the shelters.
Thanks for the compliments. The hardest part of being helpful to feral cat populations is the snarky remarks from other guys who work in the area where the cats live. They have been taught that cats aren't worth anything, and being kind to them is a sign of weakness. I drive a truck for a living, and I often appear scruffy, and I proudly wear my U.S. Army infantry hat, but that doesn't deter them from making snarky comments about "cat meat", or snickering. I have always been a dog guy myself til I started driving a truck, and got my first cat. I now have 3, and I can say without doubt, cats are every bit as loyal as dogs. It's not my job to educate these guys, I will just go about my business of trying to be kind to animals who have been dealt a bad hand.
Yes OP seems to be a very kind and caring person and helping to manage their population growth is greatly appreciated as they will continue to breed. Kindness to animals is ALWAYS admirable.
Years ago we tried to adopt a feral cat and her kitten. We were never able to make house pets of them as they were way to skittish and wouldn't/couldn't bond. Especially the mother cat, we could never get near her. The kitten was a little more friendly, but not what one would want or expect from a house cat. So, I'm not sure feral cats are appropriate for adoption and integration into a household. In our experience they didn't behave like house cats, they may not integrate well thus creating issues for adoptive "parents" and in the shelters.
It depends on how old the kittens are when they are first exposed to humans. Up to about two months old they are very easy to socialize, if you can catch them and keep them inside so they have regular and frequent contact with friendly people. After that it gets progressively more difficult up to about 6 months when that door closes completely.
One of my current cats is the offspring of a feral mom. I adopted him from Simply Cats on Victory View Way. He and his littermates were caught early enough that they grew up to be great pets.
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I wish there was more people out there like you that care about animals. 
