Anyone With A Lot Of Winter Cat House Experience?

[Shane Kent]

I am going to be building some winter cat houses for a local cat rescue group. I have done a bit of research on the Internet and looking for additional input. Seems to be a lot of options on building them and a lot of opinions.

One of the woman from a local cat rescue group liked the following I had made for Kitty and Rusty but it is rather large. I made it for multi-cat and she is giving the house to someone with a single cat.

IMG_20151130_160827.jpg

• Shane Kent
• May 19, 2016

That was my first attempt and I feel I can do much better. Kitty and Rusty did not use that cat house and instead lived in a material storage structure. They went in it a couple of times but they didn't use it. I know they didn't use it because their tracks in the snow never went to it. They were living in the material storage shelter before I built the cat house and opted to continue to live in it throughout the winter.

So my first questions are :
The first one I built had a single entrance and no window. I would guess an additional entrance or a window will reduce the ability to hold heat. Would most cats not use a cat house with only one entrance and no window? Is a second entrance or window recommended? I live in Ottawa, Canada and the winters can be extremely cold here.

I used 1 inch foam insulation to insulate the walls, floor and roof of the previous cat house and will do the same with the newer ones I make. Unless someone would recommend something better?

I will make the newer ones like the older one where the roof can be lifted off so the inside will be accessible for cleaning, etc.

I will use 1/2 inch good one side plywood for the interior walls and floor. The good one side plywood is non-treated.

I have "MicroPro Sienna" pressure treated wood for the exterior. Or I can use non-treated as I also have non-treated wood. I will also use the treated wood for the structure of the cat house. Just the inside walls and floor would be non-treated.

So my next question is :
I have read the "MicroPro Sienna" pressure treated wood would be fine to use for a cat shelter. Does anyone have any experience with it? As I pointed out above I will use non-treated wood for the interior.

My final question for right now is:
I read to not make the inside of the cat house higher than 18 inches. I am thinking of a cat house for a single cat having inside dimensions of 18 inches high, 24 inches wide and 36 inches deep. Does that sound like a good size or too small or too large?

Any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated.

zoepaws.jpg

• Shane Kent
• Feb 3, 2017

 

[shadowsrescue]

I have a few pictures on my blog that shows the different feral cat houses I have used/built. I have used regular rolled insulation as well as Reflectix. The other key has been to use prime them with weather proof paint and then paint them with weather proof paint. It makes such a difference in keeping the wood in good shape winter after winter.

I always prefer an entrance and exit. If you find the cats are not using them both, one can easily be covered up later. As far as height, the first one that my husband built was modeled after the Feral Villa. It is not very tall. My cats do not like to be crouched. I had wished it had been built taller. We also had to add a window as the cats hated not being able to see out. The new heated houses we use now are 24" tall. My cats love them. They also have a huge window to look out.

Here is the section of my blog that shows the different winter shelters I have used:
Shelters

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

.
First off, God Bless you. You'll find opinions on many of the questions right here on TCS, and the easiest simple search is a direct site search on Google:

"cat shelter" winter site:thecatsite.com - Google Search

Lots of these are, "it depends," questions, focusing on whether the shelter is heated or unheated, and whether by dint of a weight-sensitive Kennel Pad or other means.

I've built a few over the years, and here are my personal opinions:

Several companies in Canada and in the U.S. now produce Marine Grade plywood using no urea-formaldehyde adhesives (but instead a penetrating low VOC aliphatic resin emulsion), which means no off-gassing worries.

The first eighteen inches above the ground are the coldest, and the temperature progression is geometric. It might be two to three degrees warmer at three feet of elevation than it is at ground level. A shelter on a low stand, with a small entry shelf for easy access will stay considerably warmer than one at ground level, and will also deter certain other creatures.

Air insulates - vide: modern windows. I've used two pieces of PMMA (Poly-methyl methacrylate, or "plexiglas" for short), mounted on either side of the wall (i.e. one piece inside and one outside, as a "sandwich" using the air between them as an insulator) with some success. The window allows cats to see potential dangers, and allows good light entry. Thin foam insulation between the acrylic and the structure will allow the windows to be cinched down tightly.

Wind control equals temperature control - and especially in shelters with double entries/exits for emergencies. A baffle or maze entry will reduce the wind's power by more than 75%:

A double turn will - for all intents and purposes - completely negate the effects of the wind.

Hinged lids make for easy access for filling food and water bowls, and for cleaning. Here again, a foam insulation strip between the roof and structure will assure more comfort. A simple suitcase latch will serve to hold the roof tightly in place.

I used an outside heating source, and hence, used outdoor carpeting and weatherproof carpet padding, secured with Velcro to the shelter's base, for easy removal and cleaning.

Best of luck!
.

 

[Shane Kent]

1CatOverTheLine

Thanks for the feedback, it was worth checking as I don't want to make the cat sick or slowly gas it to death. I figured the premium stuff for furniture and cabinets would be better to use and it was worth double checking.

Took a bit of time to find the specs on it but the type of wood I bought for the interior is Premium G1S (Good 1 Side) Sanded FIR used for furniture and cabinets. Uses Phenolic resin. When I looked up the resin I got this: "Outgassing is less than in urea formaldehyde adhesives though, and diminishes considerably with time." as well as "It is more expensive than Urea Formaldehyde glue which explains why it is not used for all plywood." Most definitely expensive because the G1S plywood cost more than the Pressure Treated and the Pressure Treated costs more than standard plywood.

I had the same thought about a double pane of plexi glass. I had mentioned it to the woman from the rescue group but she said not to bother. I think she is just being nice and doesn't want me to spend a lot of money on it.

 

[Shane Kent]

shadowsrescue

I will be going with a modified version of the villa. My sloped roof will be a bit different and I want to put the tunnel on the entrances like the first one I had made. I got the idea for the tunnel from the following. In fact, the first one I had made is a modified version of the one from the Humane Society website.

http://www.humanesociety.org/assets...ulyaug2010/feral_cat_house_blueprints_pdf.pdf

I read up on the tunnel and apparently raccoons can contort there bodies to fit through openings but is difficult if not impossible for them to contort their body down a tunnel.

 

[shadowsrescue]

When my husband first built the feral villa almost 7 years ago, it did not have a window and the wind break was from the entrance heading to the back with just enough room for the cat to then turn around. Raccoons still found their way inside. I ended up not using it for many winter seasons as the raccoons just loved it. Once those pesky creatures find something, they stick around. I hope that you will have better luck. The plans are amazing.

The sloped roof makes all the difference with rain and snow melt just dripping off.

I am certain, this will be an amazing winter shelter you are building!

 

[msaimee]

Feral cats usually need an entrance and exit. In bad weather, you can drape a blanket over the house covering part of the holes and they can still get in and out. If the pet house is on your porch with an electrical outlet, you can put an outdoor pet heating pad in there. That is ideal. I got mine from Kitty tube. You can safely leave it plugged in 24/7. Your next best option would to be to get a self warming thermal pad with mylar inside of it. Use straw, not what, that the cat can burrow in over the cushion. I useda cedar pet house which was pricey, but I only had one outdoor feral cat to care for so he was spoiled. I will try to post a picture of it from my phone.

 

[msaimee]

 

[susieqz]

you know, i had planned to build feral cat a pretty little house, because i think carpentry is fun.
i was looking for housing ideas on the feral cat subforum.
i saw people use coolers, for temporary housing, but this doesn't look temporary to me.
i finally realized that building a cute house would be for me, not kitty.
i can't possibly insulate a cat house as well as a cooler.
so i ordered a factory second cooler in which i'll cut a door.
it's cheaper than the wood would cost, but price isn't an issue since i also only have feral cat.
i haven't looked in depth at prebuilt cat houses, but i think they have a long way to go to beat a cooler.
it will be ugly tho. yours is a nice landscape addition.

 

[msaimee]

The house is cute, but I bought it because it is heavy duty, weather proofed, and internally insulated. And I placed an outdoor heating pad in it. That house was the best gift I ever gave another living creature in my entire life. My beloved feral cat, Muffin, loved that house and he spent many sub-zero degrees days and nights warm and safe inside of it. I would cover the top with a sleeping bag when it was snowing or bitterly cold. If you click on an enlarged the picture, you will see him in it. He passed away a year ago, and now his house is used by my geriatric indoor cat who has arthritis and loves the heating pad and privacy of it. If I had a colony of cats to care for, I would not be able to afford to provide each of them with a pet house like his. So everyone needs to make do with what they have and can provide. But I do very highly recommend an outdoor heating pad, that is by far the best way to provide warmth if you have access to an electrical outlet outside.

 

[msaimee]

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

I do very highly recommend an outdoor heating pad, that is by far the best way to provide warmth if you have access to an electrical outlet outside.

Electrical outlets go anywhere these days, with a small solar panel and a 110/115 volt power converter, starting at around sixty bucks (even WalMart has begun carrying a limited selection). Heated kennel pads typically draw only ten amps, and there are a few already available with (partial) semiconductor technology which are specifically intended for use with compact solar power systems. Where price is less an object, there are serious little solar powered generators on the market like the Goal Zero Yeti 400, which uses a Lithium battery, and will recharge sufficiently with only five hours of sunlight available to power numerous devices. You can even add timers and specified-use voltage regulators, or go nuts with USB controllers, to add a camera inside the shelter and a a variable resistor setup (i.e. a rheostat) so that you can watch kitty inside the shelter on your NotSoSmartPhone, from your favourite restaurant, and adjust the heat inside if she looks chilly.

Bonus: add a treat dispenser, a metered feeding system and Christmas music.

Where price is no object at all or if you are just plain lazy, as I am, have your shelter built for you.
.

 

[susieqz]

could someone please tell me the proper size door for a cat house?

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

could someone please tell me the proper size door for a cat house?

If Hobbitesque round, a six inch diameter is generally large enough. No doubt Drifter has already told you to place the shelter up off the ground several inches, with one of the blank sides facing the prevailing wind, but just in case....

With your progress, however, Drifter might be inside before you actually need to build a shelter - you're doing a great job, susieqz !
.

 

[susieqz]

thank you, 1cat. i'll do 6''.
yeah, i'm doomed if she wants to come in. i couldn't say no.
but, i don't force anything.
no traps.
no force.
i'm sure i'll get what she has to give but i don't know how much that is.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

thank you, 1cat. i'll do 6''.
yeah, i'm doomed if she wants to come in. i couldn't say no.
but, i don't force anything.
no traps.
no force.
i'm sure i'll get what she has to give but i don't know how much that is.

susieqz - May you both learn that what you have to give is more than either of you ever imagined possible.
.

 

[Shane Kent]

Plexi window frames.



I made it a bit bigger than standard because that S shape chews up livable space.

Two entrances the other one opposite corner than the one in the photo. That is vapor barrier sticking out the top.



Will post more photos.

Going to call it Shadowline 2017

 

[susieqz]

look, don't count on them moving in to anything you build.
i made a cat house that was ignored.
i couldn't understand why.
well, after 3 hours of driving rain, i called drifter in n she was dry as a bone.
there are no other structures for miles, but she has a cozy den someplace

 

[shadowsrescue]

That looks fantastic! It took me lots of tries to find houses my cats would use. I made sure they had plenty of time to acclimate to the house before cold weather came. My cats will only use the houses when it is cold outside. During the warmer months, I don't even leave them out. I have a covered awning on my deck that works to keep them dry during most rainy weather. They also prefer to go under my deck. They always come out nice and dry.

Do post pictures of the finished product. I made sure to sprinkle a bit of catnip in anything new I place out. My cats love their heated houses so much that I was able to close the exit door. I am sure with a little bit of time, your feral will love it!

 

[Shane Kent]

look, don't count on them moving in to anything you build.
i made a cat house that was ignored.
i couldn't understand why.
well, after 3 hours of driving rain, i called drifter in n she was dry as a bone.
there are no other structures for miles, but she has a cozy den someplace

The house in my last post I am building for a local group. They know several people caring for stray and feral cats and told me if it doesn't get used they will move it around to get use out of it. The one I am building for the group is built to last a very long time. They wanted the one in my first post.

The one in my first post I built with the idea of it being a temporary winter house. That first one never got any use, Kitty and Rusty opted to sleep and live elsewhere. That's OK though, now they sleep and live in my house so in the end I got them into a house