Build a Cozy Low-Cost Cat Shelter for Outdoor Cats
The following project and its excellent photos first appeared at NewYorkRenovator.com. It’s a good project if you have ferals, sorta-ferals (semi-wild cats who won’t come indoors, but will sleep in your basement or garage), or inconsiderate neighbors who leave their cats outside in horrible weather. The resulting house is insulated and cozy, and costs less than $20 to build.
We’ve adopted a few feral cats who have homes outdoors. Well, not exactly outdoors– one sleeps in the attached garage and one sleeps in the basement (we have small hatches for both areas). Both areas are warmer than the cruel outdoors, but Upstate New York winters can be pretty rough on a critter. My feral cat, Milo, an orange tabby, is an old geriatric at 12 years old, and we had to ditch his comfy but dirty old stuffed chair last year. I did some searching, and came up with a terrific idea for a winter cat shelter. I got the basics of the idea here, at a terrific website that gives lots of ideas and tips for sheltering kitties during the winter. I decided to make the simple plastic container shelter for Milo, with a few adjustments. I post what we did, here, in case anyone searching for ideas can use it.
This is a very inexpensive shelter, and it’s easy to build. The most difficult part of the construction is cutting the plastic holes, a task we found arduous. I read one tip (after the fact, ugh) that suggested heating the plastic buckets with a hairdryer to soften the plastic, and thus make the cutting of the holes easier. I wish I’d known that beforehand!
Supplies you’ll need:
- a 28 gallon plastic tub with lid (it cost me $12 at WalMart)
- an 18 gallon plastic tub with lid (I had one on hand already; I think they are about $8 at WalMart)
- a roll of fiberglass insulation or a sheet of rigid 1″ foam board insulation/polystyrene (I had my fiberglass insulation on hand, and it cost me $15 two years ago; a rigid 1″ foam board at Lowe’s was selling for $20 at my local Lowe’s)
- duct tape
- A box cutter or heavy-duty carpet scissors to cut the plastic
- a bottle of Great Stuff (or whatever brand) expanding foam
We cut a generously large hole, because Milo is a little skittish. A small hole with no other opening might have spooked him. Cutting the plastic was hard. By the time we made a second, bigger shelter for the dog, we were pros. But the first time was kind of tough.
I taped the hole edges with duct tape, because the edges were a little rough.
And doesn’t the tape make the box look fancy? :-p Not exactly the polished stuff you’d find in sales jobs, but it’ll do!
OK, so we put a layer of fiberglass insulation on the bottom of container #1, and tested out the hole placement for container #2, so the holes would line up. Then, we cut the second hole for container #2.
Once the holes were cut and *relatively* aligned, we placed layers on insulation between the containers. I think using fiberglass insulation batting is MUCH easier than measuring and installing rigid foam. However, cats like to pull (and sometimes eat) fiberglass insulation. You have to make sure that no insulation is sticking out.
So what I did to resolve this was spray some of that Great Stuff Expanding Foam between the two layers where the holes were showing insulation. The expanding foam will not adhere to the plastic, but it will adhere to itself. I sprayed it all around the hole, creating a ring. It hardened and is preventing any insulation from showing. It also creates an airtight seal around the hole’s opening.
Once you have container #2 secure inside container #1, place the lid on the inner container #2. Place a strip of insulation on the top of the inner container, and place the lid for container #2 on to the entire set. Secure with duct tape, if necessary.
I also added a heating pad for those days when the temperatures reach below zero around here. Milo is a very fussy cat who hates to get into any containers (especially the cat carrier which means we’re going to the vet!), so he was hesitant about entering this new cat shelter for about a day. But temperatures dropped, and the heat of the heating pad was too much for him to resist. Now, he loves his shelter. I’d say that the setup cost me about $17, since I already had some supplies around the house. If I had to buy everything new, it’d probably cost me about $40. Not too bad for a hefty cat shelter. And a roll of insulation will be enough for two shelters.
Nice and toasty!
Thanks Mrs Mecomber, for the great project idea!
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by catstercatsmeow: Great DIY Project — keep those outdoor and feral cats around your house cozy in winter w/ this cat shelter: http://su.pr/6K3d8e…
What a neat idea! And it looks so easy to do as well. I will have to check this out more.
this sounds like a really great idea , but thank goodness I love in a really hot climate and my outdoor kitties never , ever have problems with the cold. just the opposite , they get too hot sometimes and go downstairs to the underground parking lot to cool off.
I built one for two cats that wander in my woods all year long. They are the neighbor’s cats and they leave them out 24/7 and I don’t think provide food, water or any good shelter for them.
I did use a blowdryer to warm the plastic before cutting, and I highly recommend it as it is very difficult to cut. You can check out my finished product on my blog:
http://mylifeinkentucky.blogspot.com/2009/11/hotel-s.html
I used a different type of insulation material – foam core type which wouldn’t be as itchy as real housing insulation.
I have built two. The first was for my neighbors who have a cat they say “never wanted to come inside.” We put it on their front porch and he used it every day and night. I made a second one for the random stray in need of a warm place on a winter night. The straw is all matted down so someone has been using it.
Laura, I love the idea of heating the plastic first. It is a very hard cut.
For anyone wanting to make one, it’s very easy. I am NOT a handy person but did just fine.
Great idea if you know a cat in need of shelter!
What a nice thing to do for feral kitties. This is a great idea, and I’ll be making a few for next winter.
AWESOME idea!
I hope more people make more shelters for the kitties who need them!
We have a few varieties here. We have a big dog crate painted to match the house for winter/rain feeding. It has holes drilled on the bottom so no rain stays inside. It’s also up on wooden feet.
We have another crate on the deck lined with hard foam insulation, fleece blankets and a roof.
We have a small dog house out front lined with the hard foam, a Morgan’s Bed, and it’s facing the house right by the dryer vent.
We have a toy box I converted into a cat house with foam insulation, fleece blankets and planks on top – Under the bedroom which was built on pilons.
Last but not least is a big dog house way in the back yard full of hay. I think Mrs Possum has moved in there.
The rest of the houses are all Shadow’s and he used them all depending on his mood.
Dog Houses & Crates are great for ferals – and many times you can get them on Freecycle.
I also live in COOLED Up-State NY.I don’t have any ferals around(that I know of anyway),but we do own(or I should say she owns us),a Long Haired Cat my son named Boots.Well,some times she will not come back in at night.I’m going to make one of these shelters for Boots and our Dog Bucky.
If you have a dremel it makes cutting the plastic a snap. We make inexpensive LARGE litter boxes for indoors out of the same kind of tubs using the dremel with a cutting bit in place(Zeeke is a big kitty at a svelte 22+pounds).
Luckily we don’t have any ferals/ strays this year. That may be because we brought PJ and her two litters from last year inside(got ‘em fixed too) . I will definitley keep this in mind, in case we need one next year.There is a chicken farm down the road so we get new strays every couple of years. Not sure if they come from there or are dropped there.
Thanks for the great idea.
Zeeke and the crew
Thanks for the mention! My cat just loves this shelter! We made a larger one for our beagle, too, and she loved it as soon as she saw it. They are quite warm.
This is a great idea. I only have one question. Will this shelter be heavy enough that strong winds won’t tip it or move it around?
Great idea. Will definitely try it out as our cat was a feral and has never been happy to stay indoors for long. certainly not at night. As she is getting old (>10), an open box with lining blanket is not enough, especially when there is a cold wind blowing.
This is a very good idea u will have to try it as there are alot of feral and semi-feral cats around here.. It gets really cold here in newfoundland in the winter and sometimes in the summer hope this will help keep the little guys warm and safe.
This is a great idea…..we feed 4 feral/stray cats everyday and 3+ feral dogs…I will definately try to make a couple of these for next winter….thanks for a great idea
I suggest, instead of removing the plastic form the outer container, cut, fold and duct tape so that it forms a “door jamb”, protecting the cats from the insulation.
THIS IS AWESOME!!!!! I have made shelters on my porch from cardboard boxes and purchased heated cat mats for them.
This will be a great upgrade to my box shelters. I always have at least two shelters on my porch. I also provide places in my shed for the outside cats. There are so many. I keep two heated water bowls for them to drink out of in the winter. These are very important because it is so hard to find water in the winter. Thanks again for the information about this shelter.
What you have do is an inspiration to all outdoor cat lovers everywhere. Keep up the good work! May the Lord bless you and keep you and all the cats warm and safe.