Saw a feral cat colony transform in 6 weeks after one change

There's a bunch of stray cats that hang around the dumpster behind my apartment building in Austin. For like two years they were all skinny and skittish, running off if you even looked at them. Then this lady from two blocks over started leaving out those big plastic storage bins with straw inside during the cold snap. Now they don't even flinch when I walk by, they just sit there cleaning their paws. Has anyone else watched a group of animals flip their whole attitude because someone gave them a warm spot?

3 comments

3 Comments

margareto2614d ago

Tossed an old dog house behind my shed. Took about a month before they started napping in the yard.

olivia_moore14d ago

Wait, six weeks? That's actually insane to me. I would have guessed months or even a year for that kind of trust to build. I always thought strays took forever to warm up to people, like they have to be convinced you're not gonna grab them or something. So just giving them a dry, warm place to sleep at night made them stop running away completely? That's wild. I guess if you're cold and scared your whole life, a little bit of comfort makes you rethink everyone you meet. Honestly, that kind of makes me want to toss some straw bins behind my building now.

violar3514d ago

@olivia_moore You nailed it with "if you're cold and scared your whole life, a little bit of comfort makes you rethink everyone you meet." It's like with people too, honestly. I've seen it with my neighbor's grumpy old dog who finally stopped barking at the mailman after they put out a heated bed for it. Animals and people both relax when their basic needs are met, like that's the first step before anything else matters.