Feeding Rules and Guidelines
During the formation of the ASU Cat Coalition, the administration was concerned about how the cats would be fed. We have assured the ASU administration the instructions below will be strictly enforced. We cannot express how important it is that everyone follow these rules. If someone breaks them and creates a problem, the future of the cats and the ASU Cat Coalition will be jeopardized.
Absolutely No Canned Food!
The campus cats must be fed dry food only. Cats do very well on dry food, and it is not as smelly and messy as canned food. When the volunteer feed the cats, they must be as inconspicuous as possible. Volunteers should not carry large bags of cat food to the feeding station. Food should be placed in a container and carried to the feeding station. Volunteers must ensure the cats have a bowl of fresh water, too. It should be determined how much food to leave for the cats so that there are not any leftovers when they are finished. Typically, 3/4 cup of food per cat is sufficient.
Feeding Time
It is very important the volunteer feed the cats during DAYLIGHT HOURS and gives the cats just enough food for ONE DAY ONLY. Self-feeders are not allowed. Leftover food or an abundance of food only attracts raccoons, opossums, and rats. If the volunteer cannot feed cats on weekends or holidays or has an emergency, they are to contact the ASU Cat Coalition representative who will find a substitute to feed the cats.
Feeding Station
At this time, feeding station locations are to be determined. The feeding stations will be near various buildings and isolated from heavy traffic areas. The food and water bowls will be easy for the volunteer to get to, but well hidden. To keep the food from getting rained on, small, inconspicuous wooden feeding covers will be provided. DO NOT use cat food cans, paper, plastic or styrofoam plates, or any disposable containers that could blow away. Make sure the area is kept very clean!
Ants
The best way to keep ants out of the food is to set a heavy cat food bowl in a plastic plant saucer filled with water. "Moat bowls" will be provided to volunteers. Another solution is to sprinkle 5% Sevin dust or diatomaceous earth in a circle around the feeding station. The dust will not been seen nor hurt the cats.
After feeding the cats for awhile they will become more relaxed around the volunteer-- they'll start waiting and won't run and hide when the volunteers shows up to feed them. It is important to remember the cats are still feral. Avoid trying to touch them. The cats are safe being feral -- it is their protection. If nobody can touch them -- nobody can harm them.
The most important thing to remember when feeding the campus cats is to make sure the feeding station is kept neat and clean. There will always be someone who does not agree with what we're doing and will jump at the chance to complain. We do have the administration's "permission" for this program, but if Facilities Management find any kind of problem or if they receive too many complaints, they can shut us down and revert back to their trap & kill policy.
All the items above are VERY important and must be adhered to for the "trap/neuter/return/maintain" method to work. These rules MUST be adhered to so that The ASU Cat Coalition can continue to save cat lives and reduce and stabilize the cat population on campus.