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5. Food & Water<br />
Food forms the basic connection<br />
between humans and feral cats. They<br />
reside at a location because there’s a<br />
food source, usually supplied by us in<br />
one form or another. What kind of<br />
food is provided and how it’s set out<br />
can go a long way towards improving<br />
the health of the colony and keeping<br />
good relations with neighbors. That<br />
said, every colony is different and<br />
caretakers must adapt to the<br />
conditions at the site and take their<br />
own time and budgetary constraints<br />
into account. As is so often the case<br />
with feral cats, you do the best you<br />
can.<br />
• Feeding stations<br />
The <strong>Neighborhood</strong> <strong>Cats</strong> <strong>TNR</strong> <strong>Handbook</strong><br />
Location<br />
Location is the first factor to be considered when setting up a feeding station. Ideally,<br />
the spot will be easily accessible to the caretaker, but out of sight and not accessible to<br />
the public. This protects the cats best and allows them to feel secure about coming and<br />
going from meals. For example, if you live in a house and the colony is on your<br />
property, it would be much better to feed them in the backyard where nobody would see<br />
them than in the front driveway.<br />
This type of setup is not always possible, but aim for getting as close as you can. If<br />
your colony is in a lot that people walk by, feed as far away from the sidewalk as possible<br />
and hide the food and water behind rocks or debris. If the territory is behind a factory,<br />
pick a spot that’s little traveled and shield it from view behind some old boards.<br />
The visibility of a feeding station can be related to how often cats are abandoned at a<br />
site. The more people see that cats are being cared for at a certain location, the more<br />
likely someone will choose to abandon an animal there. It’s another reason for being<br />
discrete.<br />
Type of feeding station<br />
The type of station you set up will depend on where it’s located and what the property<br />
owner will permit. If you feed in a spot easily accessible and visible to the public or if<br />
the landowner won’t allow you to put out any kind of structure, then you’re limited in<br />
what you can provide. On the other hand, if you have complete say over what goes<br />
where, then you can be as elaborate as you’d like.<br />
The perfect feeding station shields the food and water from the elements and allows a<br />
cat or two to be inside while eating. You can turn a Rubbermaid storage bin into a<br />
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