Building an Automatic Controlled Smart Feral Cat Shelter Using a Microcontroller Arduino Mega

Millions of stray cats, also known as feral cats, live in the United States, and many are left to die each year. These cats are the same animals as the domesticated felines that people care for in their homes. Because of their notorious reputation of being resistant towards humans, the abandoned felines still suffer without basic survival necessities like food and a warm place to stay throughout the winter. Along with the suffering that these cats go through, it is also crucial to acknowledge that the growing number of these stray cats is a threat to the environment: the spread of disease and competition. In this paper, an IoT-based smart feral cat shelter has been assembled and tested to effectively minimize the stray cats on the streets. The shelter will be used as a method to get the cats to become more dependent on the help of humans which can lead them through the process of domestication. The functions of the smart system include temperature monitoring that is directly connected to sensors that control electric fans and a heating pad. It also includes containers with food and water that were controlled by sensors along with a system that sends emails and text reports to the user. In addition, an advanced type of webcam functionality is added to track outside movement and ensure everything is working as intended. Through individually testing all the components, the system proves effective and offers advanced functions to the feral cat. With everything working as intended, creating and using more of these shelters across different communities can leave a permanent change in the total feral cat population. Though everything works well, there is always room for future modifications to help ensure that the shelter is used as intended and other security measures.