We prepare for winter

Last Sunday we all got together (me, my husband Steve, Aaffien, her fiance Bill, Sandi, her husband Robbin and Tory) at the boatyard to prepare for the onslaught of winter. I wasn't involved with the colony last winter so I haven't experienced it first-hand but I know that feeding will be a challenge once the bitter cold and snow arrives. This year we have a trailer for the boat cats so hopefully their lives will be much easier. We took this opportunity to reorganize and clean up.

Here is a before shot, showing our current setup.

Me, Tory and Aaffien cleaning and dismantling a feeding station. We've kept one feeding station for hard food but the plan is to feed the cats inside the trailer so their food stays warm and dry. We put in pet doors and also put shelters inside for them to stay cozy in.

Sandi and Tory sorting things out, cleaning up a summer's worth of mess.

Robbin and Bill put in the pet doors and built shelves inside the trailer. Now we just have to entice the cats inside. The trailer is a little farther away from where they were being fed before and I'm sure there will be reluctance from some to go inside so we'll leave some food out as well. There's not much we can do for the tree cats. They are always second class citizens. We put a shelter by the tree for them but it's more likely that they will find a haven amongst the dumpsters.

After a long but satisfying afternoon, we lug the last of the garbage to the dumpster just before darkness falls, and head home, dirty and tired.