Forget Me Knodt hosts sold out flower design classes all year at her shop. In celebration of National Feral Cat Day and our summer-long Feral Flowers Project, Janessa from Forget Me Knodt will teach a class on how to design with blooms specifically from our garden, including zinnias, cosmos, allium and solidago arranged in mason jars. Each student will learn all about design and go home with their own bouquets.
Afterwards, we’ll talk about TNR: Trap-Neuter-Return, and I’ll answer any questions you may have about cat rescue and caring for a feral cat colony in Chicago.
DESIGNING WITH BLOOMS FROM THE FERAL FLOWERS GARDEN
Forget Me Knodt, 1313 W. Wilson
Tuesday, October 14th, 2014
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm, BYOB Edition
Includes cheeses, meats and artisan breads from Baker & Nosh
$40 per student – limit 20 students
The majority of the proceeds will be used for food, shelter and medical care for managed feral cat colonies.
Call 773-944-1041 to sign up for your spot. $10 deposit required, and seats are first-come, first-served
I’m very excited about this event and I hope you can join us! It’s my way of being able to share the garden with you in person. I believe gardens and cats go hand in hand, and that feral cat colonies can be cared for in a beautiful way in our yards. The Feral Flowers Project would not exist without the help of the cats in my yard, including:
And of course my very own pet cat Mooha, who was Chief Gardener, as she was chasing the butterflies and bees all summer long to make sure they pollinated every flower.
I woke up today and it felt like fall. The animals felt it also.
My senior lady indoor cats Mini and Mooha put aside their lifelong feud of matriarchal jealousy and territorial domination, and snuggled up together on the bed.
Seriously. This is how they snuggle. If they got any closer they’d be hissing and clawing at each other. Here they’re actually warming themselves with the heat of their intense hatred for each other.
The outside animals were a little bit more obvious.
The finches flocked together on the sunflowers.
The James’ Gang Colony cats in my yard were too cute. They snuggled on top of the Feral Villa. Bouncy Bear watched carefully over the boys, Funny Face and Dice, while they napped.
Today’s weather was a great reminder that winter is coming, and this is the perfect time of year to start cleaning out the outdoor cat shelters.
Earlier this summer my TNR friends Anna, Ellen and Alex donated a truck-load of straw that’s been in my garage ever since.
Straw is the ultimate insulator to keep colony cats warm during winter. The cats can snuggle together in it. It repels moisture and retains body heat. There’s way more straw than I need, so I asked if anyone wanted some on my Cats In My Yard Facebook page. People have already showed up for it, including my friend and neighbor Annamarie, who is currently fostering Indy, a very sick and friendly cat that was dumped outside on her block. Please visit her gofundme page to learn more how she is helping this local cat. And if you’re in the Chicago area, please let me know if you’d like some straw.
Once the garden started growing, there was no stopping it.
I was very excited. This was my first attempt at being a Flower Farmer and I did not know what to expect. These Feral Flowers were grown specifically to be cut and available for purchase at my friend Janessa’s Forget Me Knodt flower shop. All proceeds are going to the care for colony cats. This project is also a great way to raise awareness of colony cats and Trap-Neuter-Return, TNR, the humane way to control their population.
I also wanted to show that you can have a beautiful yard and garden with cats in it. In fact, I think the cats make it even more beautiful.
First the perennial plants came back with a flourish. It’s as if they were also celebrating the end of winter as much as I was.
The hostas in the front yard were HUGE.
And there was lots of yellows and purples.
We planted annual cutting flower seeds for the Feral Flowers project. The first seeds to grow were the sunflowers, especially this lemon yellow variety.
Not to be outdone, the other flowers started growing.
And growing.
There was cosmos, forget me nots, larkspur, snapdragons, dill, basil, catmint, magnolias, and zinnias.
Lots and lot of zinnias.
Zillions of zinnias.
This was my favorite view all summer.
This was Dash’s favorite view.
It was fun to see the cats in my yard enjoying the garden. After all, this is THEIR yard. Bouncy Bear really likes to sit on this round table.
Funny Face prefers the shade.
Dice likes to hang out on the stepping stones.
And Mooha is chief gardener.
Mooha is my indoor cat, but she comes out with me while I’m in the garden.
She loves chasing bugs, and you can usually find her on the “hunt” right by the catmint.
Or hanging out on the cat path in-between the flowers.
Once I planted the Feral Flowers Garden it was time to hurry up and wait.
The perennial plants around the Feral Villa were already growing strong.
The cutting flowers garden is all organic and planted straight in the ground from seed. All it took was lots of spring rain, careful weeding and transplanting, and time. So much time that I was pretty impatient.
The colony cats were enjoying the new spring weather and the bare garden didn’t seem to faze them at all.
And then, finally, you could see little plants.
Amaranth!
Zinnias!
Sunflowers!
And more!
A LOT more.
The Feral Flowers Garden was well on its way to success.
This past winter was brutal. B-R-U-T-A-L. The polar vortex gave me the worst case of seasonal depression. I worried about the outdoor cats all of the time, despite the heating pads we installed in their outdoor shelters.
Spring was also slow to start, and some of the colony cats were showing up sick. The vet bills were racking up.
During this dark time, I started planning my garden to cheer myself up. And decided to focus on flowers this year. My friend Janessa owns her own flower shop in Uptown called Forget Me Knodt, and we talked about cutting flower gardens. Somewhere in that conversation, we agreed to plant a garden here, and sell the flowers at her shop to help raise money and awareness for the colony cats.
We had to wait until almost June, but as soon as we could, we bought cutting flower seeds.
It was clear from the very beginning that my cat Mooha was in charge. Which makes sense. She was born in my co-worker’s flower pot in 1999, and has been with me ever since.
Time to start planting!
So we did.
This is what the garden looked like when I prepped it in June.
JUNE.
No wonder I was depressed.
Anyways, Janessa started digging.
And dug some more.
I helped.
And Mooha helped.
What’s with all of the sticks?
To start plotting out the garden of course.
This is what it looked like on paper.
Ok, so Mooha doesn’t want you to see it. Let’s take a closer look.
Ok, forget it.
Anyways, put down the sticks.
And some more.
Mooha inspects the whole thing.
And here’s what it looked from my deck like all planned out.
We planted all of the seeds, including these awesome Chinese Forget Me Not seeds.
I have no idea what makes them “Chinese.”
Mooha didn’t help us plant seeds at all. She found the tiny bit of catmint growing out of the ground, and decided she was in love with the garden hose.
Like, REALLY in love.
After we finished messing with their yard, the colony cats came to take a look.
There’s a lot of quick and easy outdoor cat houses that you can make to help keep your TNR’d feline colony warm during the winter.
Years ago we purchased the Feral Villa and it has always been a big hit with the colony cats.
Then we made another wooden, insulated cat shelter, kind of like after the style of a dog house. The cats use it year-round. Since Jim made it, we called it the Jim Villa.
This year there was a lot of new construction in my area. A lot of abandoned homes were torn down, and a new park is being built. The cats used these buildings and land for shelter, and I got worried they would have nowhere to go. So we decided to add another outdoor cat house and include heat in all of them.
I am so thankful for this decision, as this winter is also the year of the Polar Vortex, and I live in Chiberia. The winter has never been this cold since I started caring for and TNR’ing outdoor cats a decade ago. We’ve been having our own problems as the pipes have burst in our basement this year for the first time.
But I digress.
First, Jim made a new insulated cat house, using these directions from Alley Cat Allies. He modified a few of the measurements, and we call it the Alley Cat Allies Villa. Here it is in progress.We have outdoor electric outlets and decided to take a step further this year. We ordered outdoor heating pads for all three of these houses from K&H Pet Products. The heating pads are activated by weight, and come in different sizes. We also purchased Thermo Cubes, which are plugs that make the heating pads turn off once the temperatures reach a certain level.
I love this company. I also bought their Thermo Kitty Cafe bowls to use for wet cat food and water. They’ve been a huge hit with the feral cats. The directions say not to leave them plugged in outside, but they’ve been outside working ever since I purchased them.
Bouncy Bear loves to eat and drink from all of the heated outdoor bowls.We placed the outdoor heating pads into all three of the wooden cat shelters.
Here is the heating pad fitting nicely in the new Alley Cat Allies Villa. That little shelf is for them to go up on, but I’m not sure how necessary it is. It’s not a waste, by any means, because they can also fit under it.
I put some straw around it to add warmth and cushion for the colony cats, but honestly, they push it to the side. They are more interested in keeping warm.
We drilled a hole for the electrical cord to go out of the villa, and then plugged it into our outdoor outlets. I had to use a few extension cords because my outlets are actually up on the deck.
You can see the hole drilled here. The Alley Cat Allies Villa was also taken over almost immediately by Dice, my James Gang Colony cat in my yard.
When it gets really cold, he lets Bouncy Bear in there with him.
The entrance hole is about six inches across, and seems to be the perfect size.
Now on to the Jim Villa.
Every year, it gets cleaned out, and we add new straw and insulation. The front can be easily removed with a power drill.
We use the old insulation pieces as templates to cut out the new insulation pieces.
And here is the Jim Villa drilled closed, with the outdoor heated cat pad inside, added straw, and a drilled hole for the outlet. You can see the cats pushed the straw to the side again.
This is the inside of the Feral Villa with the heating pad and straw in it. Again, the straw is pushed to the side. I’m pretty sure Dash doesn’t share it with any other cats, and leaves if Doggy Woggy the opossum is in there, and vice versa.
The cats come and go as they please, but with this extra added heat in this brutal weather, they don’t seem to be going anywhere as much. This is the scene that usually greets me when I come home.
I was reading your post because I wondered if I could use the straw, which I do use now with the new K&H extreme weather heating pads I just bought. I was concerned about fires but it seems you use both straw and the pads. I have ‘doors’ also on my shelters to help keep the drafts and cold out and they are find with them. I am getting cat doors to install to give even better protection. Where did you get that large black plug connecter? I need to plug in 3 things in a 2 thing outdoor outlet. I also bought a heated water bowl since water is already freezing here. Thanks for any info.
Hi, Kat, yes, I use straw with the heating pads, but if you’re really concerned, just forget the straw.The cats push it to the side anyways, since they want to get to the heat. The large connector and outdoor extension cords all came from Home Depot. Links for heated water bowls can be found in this post: http://www.catsinmyyard.com/outdoor-heated-water-bowls-847
I’d love to see photos of your own set up for the cats if you’d like to share. Thanks so much for caring for them! Vanessa
When your cats get up off of the heated pads in the winter, do they get cold because of where they were lying on the pad and got really warm? How do I know that the pad won’t to be hot for my cat to lay in? People are not susposed to lay on hearing pad long so would it be okay for my cat to lay on? Thanks for your help.
Hi Tammy, I have been using those heating pads for a few years now without a problem for the same cats. They do not seem to get too warm. You can test the heat and see how they work for yourself by placing a heavy book on the heating pad – they are weight-activated. Thank you for caring for the cats!
There is an attachment that you can buy for that heating pad which turns it off when it gets to a certain temp, so it regulates the temp using your cats body heat.
I love your ideas! Thank you for sharing. I have 3 cats that have shown up as kittens are are probably 3 – 4 months old. I have 2 jobs, so I am gone most days, when I get home in the evenings around 10 – 11, they are waiting on me to feed them. I talk to them and feed them, but have only been able to get within a couple of feet of them. I have a friend who is going to build me houses like yours and I will add the heating pads and the heated food bowls. My question is how did you trap them for TNR? Did you have a safe trap? I worry about stressing them out. Do you have any suggestions? I don’t want to freak them out or have them get hurt, but I do want to have them fixed and healthy. Thank you!!
Luann, if you call the local humane society they will place traps for your kittens and take them to the humane society to be spayed and/it neutered. They bring them right back when they’ve had time to heal. Sometimes there is a small fee but sometimes PETA will pick up tab.
I guess its because I rescue homeless cats too but this this the most beautiful page of info I have seen in a long time. Their little faces looking out of the warm homes are a picture of real love, thank you for being a caring human.
My cat shelter inside dimensions is 30.5×17. I am wondering if the Extreme Weather Kitty Pad would be sufficient enough being it’s measurements are only 12×17 or should I go for something like the Deluxe Lectro-Kennel which offers a medium size, but it has a user controlled thermostat, so I am unsure which way to go. Could you offer advice? Thanks.
Hi, it depends on how many cats are using the shelter and will be sitting on the heating pad. The straw and their body warmth together will also heat the shelter. I like the K&H heating pads because they’re weight-activated, but I know there are many products out there. Please feel free to let us know what you decide and how it works out. Thanks for all that you do for the cats!
I ended up going with K&H medium lectro kennel pad. It was the perfect size and came with a soft cover for the cats to lay on inside the shelter. It is body weight activated, which is terrific for the application at hand. I live in southern part of Georgia, so it doesn’t get that cold very often, but on those night the temperature drops really low I can rest easier now knowing they have some heat. Thanks for the great ideas here on your site that inspired me!
Aw wow, it’s really uplifting to see that there are people like you who will spend their time and money to help homeless felines. I currently foster 2 lovely indoor orange cats and live in a rental basement suite (in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan where winter Temps can reach -40 Celsius and worse). I’m just looking into what kind of outdoor shelter I can make for neighbourhood cats, if you have any suggestions. And thank you for assisting the furry ones😊
Hi Vanessa!
I love reading about your kitties, as I am a cat lover who recently lost my 20 year old Mr. Paws. Had him since he was a baby so I have many great memories of him. I have 8 outdoor feral cats that I provide food, shelter and after 2 years they are starting to trust me more and waiting at the back door every morning for breakfast. I make the Rubbermaid Tub houses and plan to buy the K&H pads for this winter, here in Virginia it can get very frigid!! Can u suggest if I should cover the outside of the houses with anything, such as old blankets. They are under a large carport with lattice siding so the cold still blows thru there. I put the white insulation panels inside the tubs but may try the kind you used in your pictures, it does look a bit more thicker and more solid.
Thanks for any and all suggestions!!!
Hi Jeanne, blankets can get wet and cold. But plastic tarps can help hold in heat and block the wind. It also helps camouflage the shelters if they’re out in a more open area. Here are some photos as an example: http://www.catsinmyyard.com/introducing-the-kitchen-colony-4277
If you make the floor of the house larger then the heating pad, the cats will adjust their position on the pad based upon the temperature. If they’re too warm, they will put more of their body on the unheated parts of the floor. This occurs in the Fall and Spring when the weather fluctuates. In NY, the Winters are generally cold, so they spend most of the time on the heat.
Appreciate all the great info! I am now the caretaker of two strays, mama and baby. Have made a temporary shelter but will build better one in summer. Worry bout the cold weather coming. We seem to do what we can.
Hi everyone,
I was led to believe the heat pad I have was designed to keep my cat’s body temp. normal. It seems like the heat pad doesn’t heat the rest of the shelter. I checked the temp inside the shelter but it is the same as outside. the shelter is well insulated, out of the wind and just big enough for the cat basically. Our temp. is about to drop down to -20F. I guess I’m asking should I have extra heat or just maintaining the body temp. enough.
Hi Art, if you could provide extra heat somehow, I’m sure the cats would appreciate it. This is what I’ve been able to provide the cats since the Polar Vortex of 2013/2014 and it kept them warm even during those plunging temperatures. In fact, wildlife like opossums moved into the shelters as well since those cold temperatures were unprecedented. If you come up with even more solutions, I’d love to hear about them and share! Feel free to email me at [email protected] Thank you for all that you do for the cats!
Since I have people in my neighborhood I have decided to make heated houses for the cats and I have a doggy woggy opossum. They don’t seem to mind each other but sharing living space may be pushing it too far. This winter seems to be brutal and
he worst of it hasn’t hit yet. I’m hoping to set it up on my front porch since this is where food and heated water dish is at. So happy to see that you care for others disposable pets also. I used a heat lamp last year I was wanting a warm area to draw the cats near hoping to entice them with warmth
Hi, I’m new at the cat thing. Never had a cat, ever, just dogs. But, last Feb. I found my “Buddy” as a kitten living in a culvert while walking my dog. After 4 days of feeding him sardines ( I had no cat food), he followed me home. According to the vet he was around 6 mo. old. But, he won’t stay in the house but a few minutes. He gets weary, and frets at the door. So, I got him a cat house and put a K&H heating pad in it, and put in in my garage, and he sleeps in there at night, and stays in the cat house on the porch if it’s cold outside. But, I am worried about the temp in the garage right now, (12 degrees)! He seems OK and is snug in his house, but will this heating pad do the job? Will he be warm enough?
I went outside and almost screamed because I mistook the opossum for Bouncy Bear near their feral cat feeding station. OK, I know they don’t really look alike, but it was dark and they were close together by the food and they’re both grey and white. And he also hissed at me because I’m sure I scared him. I haven’t seen the opossum since before this whole Polar Vortex/Chiberia mess.For the record, they both could care less about each other.
Opossums are the safest of all wildlife to have around. They do not carry rabies or any other disease. I am a wildlife rehabber, specializing in opossums and also have some feral feeding stations. Often times they sleep together and eat together. Opossums will keep the area rid of poisonous snakes which makes it safer for the cats. They really are a good animal to have around and not dangerous to have around in any way. They have a hard time finding food in these times so it’s nice he was able to grab a snack before moving on….
Thanks for sharing, Beth, I’m happy to have the opossum here, he has been coming over sporadically since the fall. You are right – he seems to coexist just fine with the cats. Please feel free to share any other tips!
Those animals are also here because they’re feeding in our yards. The raccoons especially are visiting everyone – the feeders all tell me about them. It’s not just the cat food being left out, however. They feast on the fruit and vegetables grown in the gardens during the summer. In fact, I haven’t seen the raccoons on our block since the fall.
The institute said that coyotes are most prevalent after raccoons. I’ve never seen a coyote in the city, but a friend of mine sent me this photo of a coyote on her block, mid-afternoon, on her busy city street, chasing a cat. At this point, cats relocated to barn homes do not just have to worry about being killed and eaten by coyotes. Coyotes apparently are everywhere.
I’m really surprised that the Institute’s cameras did not take photos of any feral cats, or perhaps they did not want to address the subject. Or maybe these cats steer clear of the other wildife.
Instead they seemed to take pictures of everything else. Like, lions and tigers and bears, oh my!
Not really, but I couldn’t resist. I do have little lion cats, tabby tigers, and a cat named Bouncy Bear in my colony. She is the cutest.
Honey Bouncy Bear stays dry under the garden bench.
Here’s the article in full:
“LINCOLN PARK — Humans aren’t the only mammals that frequent Downtown.
Based on the results of a successful camera trap program that recently expanded into five Chicago high schools, the researchers at Lincoln Park Zoo‘s Urban Wildlife Institute have discovered two other mammals that routinely roam the city’s streets, parks, alleys and lakefront.
“Raccoons are everywhere, by far the most urban-adapted species, and they’re followed right by the coyote,” said Mason Fidino, the coordinator of wildlife management for the Urban Wildlife Institute, which studies the interaction between urban development and the natural ecosystem.
“Whether you know it or not, if you’re taking a walk in the city, you’ve likely walked past a coyote,” Fidino said. “Most of the time you just can’t see them.”
The issue with not seeing them led to the creation of the camera trap program, which began in May 2010. The institute installed infrared camera traps, which sense an animal’s heat and motion, along three transects — or sampling lines — that start Downtown and head out of the city.
There are 41 camera traps within city limits, and all are near the transects, which run along the Chicago River heading northwest, Roosevelt Road running due west, and the Illinois and Michigan Canal going southwest. The exact locations of the camera traps were not revealed because the devices are sometimes stolen or vandalized, Fidino said.
The last 3½ years of study have led to about a million camera trap photos, plus multiple discoveries of where mammals live within Chicago and how close they’ll wander to Downtown, Fidino said.
Among the findings:
• Besides raccoons and coyotes, opossums are the mammals that come closest to the city’s epicenter. Opossums will travel into areas like Humboldt Park, Wicker Park, Lakeview, North Lawndale and Bridgeport, but they won’t go into Downtown because they tend to like more green space.
A camera trap is installed by Lincoln Park Zoo’s Urban Wildlife Institute at an undisclosed location in Lincoln Park. The institute has 41 camera traps installed within city limits. View Full Caption
Lincoln Park Zoo/Urban Wildlife Institute
• Deer, red foxes and skunks — the striped stink-sprayers were considered the “least urban” mammal — were almost never photographed by the camera traps except on the Northwest Side in neighborhoods like Edison Park, Jefferson Park, Albany Park and Forest Glen. Fidino said they also are in Far Southwest Side neighborhoods including Beverly and Far Southeast Side locales like Hegewisch, but the institute hasn’t installed camera traps in those places yet.
• The city’s river system and railway corridors are by far the primary wildlife gateways into the city.
• Animals have adapted their lifestyles to the urban environment. For example, coyotes in rural locations are usually most active at dusk and dawn, but in Chicago they do most of their hunting overnight.
“When animals are living in the city, a lot of their paradigms break down,” said Liza Lehrer, the institute’s research coordinator.
Fidino and Lehrer consistently add more camera traps. Ones recently installed near Montrose Harbor and Jackson Park photographed coyotes. They’d also like to create other transects that run through other Chicago neighborhoods.
The institute, in conjunction with the Hurvis Center for Learning Innovation and Collaboration, this fall launched a yearlong “Partners in Fieldwork” program with five Chicago high schools — Amundsen, Manley, Providence St. Mel, Taft and George Washington — in which students have set up camera traps outside the schools. The students’ camera trap results will be incorporated into the data the institute already has collected, said Sharon Dewar, Lincoln Park Zoo’s director of public relations.
“The goal is for the students’ data to be usable for our scientists,” Dewar said.
Fidino said the objective of the entire camera trap project is to understand what types of habitats attract wildlife and what kinds of wildlife are living in the city.
Lehrer said she’s been amazed by the animals that can be found within Chicago, even if the cameras haven’t captured them on film. She’s seen a mink at the North Park Village Nature Center, and she said that even beavers occasionally traverse into these parts.
“We’re only going to start seeing more and more wildlife in the city, and we’ll need to be able to coexist with them,” she said.”
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