Setting up a Feeding Station

Location

Look for:

An area away from where people normally walk through or are nearby regularly
Rows of large bushes, established large trees with low branches, against backs of buildings
Secluded spot in alleys away from vehicles
Protection from wind and rain (A tree with thick branches works surprisingly well)
In a commercial area, some businesses have large unused parking lots in the back with landscaping to separate it from the businesses on the other side of it.

This is one of our feeding stations and the view if you're standing at a distance from the tree and what you see if you walk underneath the branches. It's in the back of an over-sized parking lot so there is rarely anybody in the area.

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Feeding (The important part!)

Something to keep the bowls off the ground and keep everything organized. A wooden pallet works great! You can sometimes find these next to dumpsters at retail locations that have a lot of inventory to unpack. Ask friends and neighbors, search or post on Nextdoor. Look on local Facebook groups and try posting there. If you know someone who works in construction, ask if they can make something for you.
Bowls - We use small shallow bowls for wet food (each cat gets their own bowl for wet food) and one medium size bowl for dry food for each location and one thicker crock-style bowl for water (The crock style helps slow evaporation and heating the water in summer and freezing in winter.)
Plastic trays at least 1.5 - 2 inches tall to set the dry food bowl in (bonus if you can fit some of the wet food bowls but not necessary.) These are to fill with water for ant control in the summer. This is a miracle solution compared to others frequently mentioned and requires no other effort or expense.
Try finding some kind of rubber mats to put under the bowls and trays. This helps keep the wood from getting as wet and covers the gaps in the pallets.

Another of our feeding stations from a distance and when you walk up to it.

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* One thing we had for several months that was fabulous but ultimately didn't work out was a custom-built feeding station. It was wooden with feet to keep it off the ground and a tin roof to keep the rain off. It had a shelf where the cats could jump up and eat and had holes custom cut for the bowls we were using to feed. The only problem is it wasn't very discreet and was heavily vandalized twice. We tried moving it into the bushes but the cats refused to go there because it was too close to a busy parking lot. We finally abandoned it and went back to feeding on pallets. If you have a place to put something like this and it won't be bothered, then definitely do this and ignore my pallet suggestion above. :)

Supplies to Keep With You

If you have a nearby place where you can safely store supplies, that’s great. Otherwise, here are some suggestions of things to always have with you. One good organization trick is to have a couple of collapsible crates in your trunk to store your supplies.

Trash bags
Paper towels
Hand sanitizer or wipes
Spoon or knife to scrape food out of cans
Extra bowls
Water for rinsing and cleaning bowls, and refilling ant trays in the summer

Keeping It Clean

Keeping the area clean and organized helps minimize pests and complaints and keeps the cats healthy

Rinse bowls with water and wipe them out daily.
If using trays in the summer, dump out the water and wipe the trays before refilling.
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: Do not dump any leftover food on the ground. Always dump in a trash bag and take it with you. Dumping food attracts ants and roaches, and cats may eat it off the ground. This is also inconsiderate and unsanitary for the nearby businesses and residents.
ALSO IMPORTANT: We have occasions where random people will dump food at our stations, whether on the ground, directly on the pallet, or in the bowls. It is important that you remove it immediately, especially if it's not cat food or safe for cats. It is likely to attract pests like roaches, ants, or rats. Coyotes can smell it and may get near the area. The cats may eat it and get sick. And again, it is unsanitary for the businesses and residents.
Do not use the dumpsters at the businesses where you feed. Even if you keep the feeding station area neat and clean, leaving the cans in the dumpsters can attract the same pests and rodents you're trying to avoid attracting.
Pick up light trash in the immediate area around their feeding station. Even if it isn’t related to the cats, people will often blame them and won’t hesitate to say so when they complain.

Weather Tips

In Texas, we deal with all kinds of weather events. Some situations we’ve figured out, and others we’re still working on.

Light rain: If it's just a light rain, the cats will still come out to eat. We have thick tree and bush cover, so we feed as normal.
Heavy rain and thunderstorms: If we know a storm is coming, we adjust our feeding time to allow as much time for the cats to eat before the storm as possible. We feed wet food only, since the cats will eat it right away and dry food will get water-soaked and ruined pretty quickly. If there's a storm with no break in the rain until the middle of the night, we skip feeding. The cats are not going to come out during the storm to eat, which we prefer for them to stay safe and dry.
Summer heat: We adjust feeding to as close to dusk as possible to keep the cats out of the worst of the heat and to prevent food from heating up in the sun, which can cause bacteria growth. We fill the water bowls almost full and add ice cubes. This helps limit evaporation and keeps the water from getting too hot. We also like to use Friskies extra gravy to help the cats get more fluids.
Winter freezes: If temperatures stay below freezing for several days, we make two visits a day to dump frozen water and provide more dry food. We double up on dry food because the cats need extra calories and carbohydrates that dry food will provide to stay warm. Plus it doesn't freeze like the wet food does. We’re still working on solutions to keep the water from freezing. Luckily, it's very rare that it stays below freezing for more than a few hours. As far as keeping them warm, we have a few different types of shelters that are reinforced with Reflectix insulation and straw. Please see our blog post, the videos on our home page and the Winter Shelters page for some winter shelters options.

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