Outdoor cat shelter?
Question:
>>You can also hang a single light bulb in it to generate heat. Be sure the >wiring is safely put together and not exposed to moisture. It can be done as >I’ve done it myself. > The way some cats are attracted to chewing cords and the fire danger from > wiring out in the elements, I’d be very careful with lightbulbs. Assuming the > doghouse is outdoors, how did you run the extension cord to it? > Sherry > Sherry
My sister and brother-in-law had a cat that refused to use a litterbox so he had to sleep outside at night. They built him a cat house, attached it to the side of their house, painted it the same color, and put a light fixture that hooked into a outside extension cord that plugged into the outdoor outlet to turn it on. The lightbulb kept the cathouse really nice and warm. No wired were exposed, I think you could get the set up from any hardware store. It was actually warmer in there than it was in the damn house! 
I kept telling Sammy the cat, ‘if you’d just learn to pee in the box you could come sleep in my bed and I’ll take your house’!! Karen
Response:
When I replaced my last central air-conditioner unit it had an insulated base that wasn’t needed. I put it on the back porch with one open side to the wall and leaned a cabinet door covered with contact paper against the front side. With an old quilt folded up inside it makes a good shelter against rain or snow. Also I put a carpet sample in front. I wonder how many of these bases are not being used. They are metal on the outside and insulated on the inside.
Response:
>What would be a >good shelter for him that I can have outside?
My barn cats seem to appreciate the shelters I make for them out of the insulated food "coolers" or "ice chests". They’re insulated to keep food cold, but also work well to keep cats warm. I cut, using a jigsaw, a hole approximately 5 x 6 inches in the lid and then leave the cooler on its side. I usually line them with 1 x 2 foot carpet samples. I prefer the brand name "Igloo" because the lid is also insulated. Depending on where I put the cat box, I’ll either heat it with an electric heating pad, or use one of those discs that are warmed in a microwave and hold warmth for 8 hours or so. Gayle
Response:
> They are sturdy plastic dog houses which can be purchased in many places. If > insulated with straw, etc. they would greatly help cats outside. > Gail
And the shape is based on Inuit/Eskimo shelters that allow for body heat to be trapped and best utilized. Search for the brand name ‘Dogloo.’ Cate
Response:
:>You can also hang a single light bulb in it to generate heat. Be sure the :>wiring is safely put together and not exposed to moisture. It can be done as :>I’ve done it myself. : The way some cats are attracted to chewing cords and the fire danger from : wiring out in the elements, I’d be very careful with lightbulbs. Assuming the : doghouse is outdoors, how did you run the extension cord to it? I have a heated birdbath which I take off its pedestal and place on the ground during the winter to keep fresh drinking water available to wildlife in my back yard. I have it plugged into an exterior grade extension cord which is plugged into one of the outlets on the outside of my house. Where the birdbath plugs into the extension cord I wrap it up in duct tape. I’ve thought of putting the birdbath (empty) inside the cat shelter, but then I’d have no fresh water available, so I’m going to insulate instead. Funny story: The first winter I had the heated birdbath going I kept forgetting to fill it when it ran low. One day I looked out the back window and there, curled up in the warm birdbath, was a large fluffy cat, fast asleep. It had found a handy use for an electrically heated dish! 
Priscilla — "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." – Albert Einstein
Response:
What would be a > good shelter for him that I can have outside?
…a Rubbermaid storage bin with a lid a little larger than he is. Cut a small opening in one of the long sides near the end. Tack the bin to 2, 2×3′ pieces of 1" plywood. Line the bin with a thermal liner (available at outdoor/camping supply stores). Use a small cat bed or old jacket w/lining as bedding. If possible, place the unit on a concrete surface in a low traffic area. The set up shouldn’t cost more than $20 and will last forever. Phil.
Response:
I took one of those large sized enclosed cat litter boxes, went to the fabric store and purchased a couple of pieces of foam which is marketed for making chair cushions, cut the foam to fit the inside walls of the "litter box", put an old flannel pillow case on the bottom cushion, and voila – a cozy, insulated, cat-sized shelter that’s large enough for the cat to move around in a bit, but small enough to keep warm and …..unfortunately, my outdoor cat, a Main Coon type, prefers to just in his kitty bed on a lawn chair (in a covered patio), no matter what the weather…… …probably too hot for him inside his shelter, with all that double fur he has.
Response:
I needed a shelter real quick once so I took a copy paper box and put a piece of 1/2" thick blue foam insulation board under it and inside it. The one under it kept the card board dry if the ground was wet and the one inside kept the card board dry if any rain got in. I put it behind between the bushes and the house and once one of my indoor/outdoor cats took up residence she wouldn’t come in any more unless it got below 10 degrees outside. I tried putting a towel in it but it was a losing battle to keep the towel dry; if it rained and any water got in the towel would stay wet days after it rained. ron herfurth – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> A little while ago a young cat started coming around my yard. > I started feeding him cat food and now he comes over every > night around 9-10pm for food. I noticed that he’s been hanging > around the yard quite a bit during the day. Anyways, the weather is > starting to get cold and I’m quite sure he is too. What would be a > good shelter for him that I can have outside? Right now I’ve just put > out a makeshift cardboard box with a towel hoping that it’ll at least > shelter him from the breeze. He’s using it, but I’m not sure if it’ll > be warm enough when winter hits. He won’t let me near him, so > I’m pretty sure he’ll always want to stay outside. > DJN
Response:
>There are plans for a backyard shelter you can build yourself at >http://www.alleycat.org/ic_fs_shelter.html >They also say that if building it yourself is too ambitious, go for a >prefab dog house "or igloo." Dunno what a dog igloo is, but I’m going to >look into it myself because I have a similar situation.
This is an excellent reference. I had one built per the specs for a colony of five ferals and they used it. The shelter was placed on bricks and a blanket was donated for it.
Response:
>I always seem to have a stray, generally feral, cat or 2 outside. The >current >one has been here over a year and I have still never touched him. Anyway, >last >winter (and I am in AZ so the winters are mild; however, it does get into the >30s at night), we put a heating pad out for him in an old upholstered chair >we >have on our carport. The heating pad is kept on low, of course, and we have >it >covered with a couple of towels. Then the chair has a lot of towels and rugs >on it that go over the arms on each side so he’s kind of protected from any >wind on 3 sides when he’s laying in it. He loved it and spent every night >there last winter. Not quite time to get it ready for him yet as it still is >over 100 everyday here but we’ll have it in place when the temps go down.
The other day I saw a heated fleece bed at Petsmart that runs on batteries. Neat, I thought. I’ll probably end up buying one next time I have a garage stray. Sherry
Response:
You can also hang a single light bulb in it to generate heat. Be sure the wiring is safely put together and not exposed to moisture. It can be done as I’ve done it myself. A wooden dog house would be much better for warmth. Use a heavy piece of cloth or whatever to hang over the door. Denise
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->They also say that if building it yourself is too ambitious, go for a >prefab dog house "or igloo." Dunno what a dog igloo is, but I’m going to >look into it myself because I have a similar situation. >Priscilla >– > Igloo dog houses are okay, but the opening is too large and lets too much cold > air in. They do make a ”flap” that attaches to the door that might be good to > use. Also, check your local Goodwill or thrift stores for warm things to line > the house with. You can find great buys there; goosedown comforters and old ski > jackets are good. > Sherry
Response:
>You can also hang a single light bulb in it to generate heat. Be sure the >wiring is safely put together and not exposed to moisture. It can be done as >I’ve done it myself.
The way some cats are attracted to chewing cords and the fire danger from wiring out in the elements, I’d be very careful with lightbulbs. Assuming the doghouse is outdoors, how did you run the extension cord to it? Sherry Sherry
Response:
I always seem to have a stray, generally feral, cat or 2 outside. The current one has been here over a year and I have still never touched him. Anyway, last winter (and I am in AZ so the winters are mild; however, it does get into the 30s at night), we put a heating pad out for him in an old upholstered chair we have on our carport. The heating pad is kept on low, of course, and we have it covered with a couple of towels. Then the chair has a lot of towels and rugs on it that go over the arms on each side so he’s kind of protected from any wind on 3 sides when he’s laying in it. He loved it and spent every night there last winter. Not quite time to get it ready for him yet as it still is over 100 everyday here but we’ll have it in place when the temps go down. We also have a big dog carrier with the door removed and lined with towels on our carport for him. He doesn’t really care for it much, though. I think he’s reluctant to go in there since he is so feral and perceives that he could get trapped in there since there is only one entrance/exit. It’s too bad cuz it looks all nice and cozy to me. Every once in awhile I see him go in there for a little while. Candace (take the litter out before replying by e-mail) See my cats: http://photos.yahoo.com/maccandace
Response:
They are sturdy plastic dog houses which can be purchased in many places. If insulated with straw, etc. they would greatly help cats outside. Gail – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > : A little while ago a young cat started coming around my yard. > : I started feeding him cat food and now he comes over every > : night around 9-10pm for food. I noticed that he’s been hanging > : around the yard quite a bit during the day. Anyways, the weather is > : starting to get cold and I’m quite sure he is too. What would be a > : good shelter for him that I can have outside? Right now I’ve just put > : out a makeshift cardboard box with a towel hoping that it’ll at least > : shelter him from the breeze. He’s using it, but I’m not sure if it’ll > : be warm enough when winter hits. He won’t let me near him, so > : I’m pretty sure he’ll always want to stay outside. > There are plans for a backyard shelter you can build yourself at > http://www.alleycat.org/ic_fs_shelter.html > They also say that if building it yourself is too ambitious, go for a > prefab dog house "or igloo." Dunno what a dog igloo is, but I’m going to > look into it myself because I have a similar situation. > Priscilla > — > "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." > – Albert Einstein
Response:
>They also say that if building it yourself is too ambitious, go for a >prefab dog house "or igloo." Dunno what a dog igloo is, but I’m going to >look into it myself because I have a similar situation. >Priscilla >–
Igloo dog houses are okay, but the opening is too large and lets too much cold air in. They do make a ”flap” that attaches to the door that might be good to use. Also, check your local Goodwill or thrift stores for warm things to line the house with. You can find great buys there; goosedown comforters and old ski jackets are good. Sherry
Response:
I once put a large cardboard box inside a slightly larger one, & placed sheets of styrofoam (about 1" thick, IIRC) in-between the two boxes for insulation. Then I put a smaller box inside those two, with the "door" facing a different way – so that the entrance was at a 90
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