How To Correctly Feed A Cat Colony
Cat colonies are a reality in every town and city. There are several reasons why cats live together in the streets, but it’s mainly caused by a lack of sterilization and the abandonment of domestic animals. One of the things you can do to help is to correctly feed a cat colony.
How to correctly feed a cat colony: more than food
It’s been shown that the only effective way to control the size of a cat colony is to sterilize the animals in order to reduce birth rates. Just moving the cats to another location will only make room for another nearby colony to take their place.
So, feeding a cat colony isn’t enough. If you want to help street cats, you should also provide them with veterinary assistance, such as sterilizing them. It’s likely that you’ll also have to inform your neighbors about what your intentions of feeding them.
Although feeding a cat colony isn’t the only care that these cats need, it’s also important to do it in a healthy manner while respecting the animals and the neighbors. Start by keeping these things in mind:
Problems with homemade food
You should never give street cats homemade food. There are several reasons why you shouldn’t give them leftovers or cook them food.
The first reason is that the food isn’t healthy for them. Cats are carnivorous animals and human food has grains (like rice or pasta), vegetables (peppers, tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, onions, etc.) or legumes (lentils, chickpeas, beans…) as well as oil, salt, and other spices.
Another reason is that homemade foods make the street dirty, give off a nasty odor as time goes by, and they attract insects and other critters. The cats won’t be the only animals that will eat the feed. Bugs and other animals will also come to eat it, a situation that can be avoided if you feed them different kind of food.
How to feed a cat colony: give them food and water
Make sure you take the cats’ health and the cleanliness of the area into consideration, it’s best to feed them cat food. It’s dry so it doesn’t give off a foul odor and won’t leave the area dirty or greasy. Also, it doesn’t attract insects or any other pests like rats because they don’t like it. Plus, in case it spills, it’s much easier to clean.
There’s a wide variety of quality and prices of cat food to choose from. Therefore, make sure you buy one that’s healthy and also fits your budget.
In order to feed a cat colony on a regular basis, you don’t have to get into debt. There are also shelters nearby that can help you, or you can raise funds to always to be stocked on food.
You shouldn’t forget that cats should always have fresh water close by. They especially need to drink water when they eat dry food. You should always carry water and change it once a day, don’t just fill the bowl when it’s empty.
Cleaning is essential
Keeping the cat colony area clean is important. It prevents the spread of pests, garbage from building up and keeps odors and stains away.
Of course, it also improves the cats’ quality of life. They’re clean animals and, although they live in the street, they’ll always live better in an area without any dirt or bad smells. It also reduces health problems and infections if they live in a safe environment.
Finally, don’t forget about the neighbors. Many people are wary about living near cat colonies. You have to show them that the area can be kept clean and that the cats are healthy.
In order to do this, avoid putting fresh food bowls on the ground. If you’re using disposable containers, make sure to get rid of any that you aren’t using so that they don’t contaminate the area where the cats live.
However, the best thing for the environment is to use bowls and reusable plates such as steel feeders or mismatched dishes that we may have. We can bring them home and clean them occasionally, without leaving any residue in the colony.
It’s important to remember that animal food shouldn’t be easily accessible or seen by other people. The food could spoil, get stolen, eaten by another animal or even poisoned. One of the things you should do to feed a cat colony is correctly hiding the food and water in a place that is only accessible to them.
Feeding a cat colony is the first step in helping street cats. However, it’s not the only one. You also need veterinary help when you need it and, above all, the adult cats should be sterilized to keep the colony from growing.
This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.