The story of Indy Neighborhood Cats started when Dawn Benefiel, the executive director, found a mother cat and her kitten wandering her neighborhood.
She got them food, took the kitten inside and got him fixed. When the mom had another litter, Benefiel went to Indy Humane. There, she learned about Trap Neuter Return, a strategy to control cat population. She also met some of the women who would later become board members for Indy Neighborhood Cats. Now, the nonprofit is almost seven years old.
When temperatures start dropping each year, one of their annual programs begins. Indy Neighborhood Cats hands out about 3,000 cat shelters a year — structures you can put on your porch to provide shelter to animals during the winter.
The nonprofit has two pick-up times for cat shelters each week, or you can read their guide on how to build your own.
How to pick up a shelter from Indy Neighborhood Cats
You can pick up a shelter from Indy Neighborhood Cats from 3-6 p.m. on Thursdays and noon to 3 p.m. on Sundays until February at FIDO’s warehouse,1505 N. Sherman Drive.
Park in the lot, then text 317-417-8395 with your first and last name and say you’re picking up cat shelters. They’ll let you know when to pull up to the garage.
You have to donate a minimum of $2 for a shelter and $2 for a bag of straw, which goes inside the shelter. Each car can get up to three shelters, and two or three cats can fit in one.
Want to make your own shelter? Do this.
You can use a variety of containers to make a winter shelter for cats: a cardboard box you kept from online deliveries, a plastic tote or a styrofoam cooler.
Cut a hole in the side of the container, so cats can get in and out. To help cats defend themselves against any predators, put just one hole in the shelter, not two.
Fill the bottom of it with straw. Your first instinct to keep a cat warm might be adding blankets to the shelter, but Benefiel says the snow that comes off a cat’s fur when it enters the shelter could melt into the blankets and refreeze.
“Straw is hollow. It does not retain water, it doesn’t absorb it,” Benefiel said. “It helps as insulation.”
Benefiel also cautioned against putting food in the shelter.
“Food attracts other predators, and so if there’s food near where they’re sleeping, they’re not going to sleep well,” she said. “They’re probably not going to go in that shelter because they feel scared that it’s going to draw someone.”
Put out food and water, but refresh the water regularly so it doesn’t freeze over. You can add a ping pong ball to the water, and it will be slower to freeze. If you put out food, use dry food.
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Mirror Indy reporter Sophie Young covers services and resources. Contact her at sophie.young@mirrorindy.org.
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