Things You'll Need
- Clean plates and bowls
- Plastic storage container
- Canned cat food
Instructions
Identify a safe location for a feeding station to be erected. Safe locations include underneath a bush or other area protected by foliage, beneath a porch or behind an outbuilding on your property. Feeding stations should be placed where they will not be disturbed by other people or animals.
Turn a plastic storage bin on its side to create a feeding station. The cats can come and go as they please, but the food you put out will stay dry. Additionally, the storage bin is easy to clean.
Place plates of wet cat food in the plastic storage bin at the same time each day. Just as you would feed a pet cat in your home at similar times of the day, you want to create a routine with the feral cats. Usually a feeding in the morning or early evening is best.
Leave enough food for multiple cats to eat at once. A bowl of dry food set out alongside plates of wet food will ensure that all the cats get plenty to eat. Ideally, when you return for the next feeding, there will be no food left from the previous one. Food remaining in the dishes means you may be putting out too much; cut back on the amount of food you leave. Extra food becomes littered with dirt and debris and can attract other animals.
Clean the food shelter regularly. It is important to remove plates dirty with dried wet food promptly and replace them with clean plates. No less than once a week you will want to clean the entire storage bin by removing all food containers and hosing the bin out with warm water and soap.
Research whether or not your community has a trap-neuter-return (TNR) program. Such programs trap feral cats so that they can be neutered and treated for rabies and other common feline diseases. The cats are then released again to the wild. TNR programs help to curb feral cat populations, which is important to many communities. Your local Humane Society or animal shelter should have information on TNR programs in your area.