yes, if I was going to use them, it would be a thick as pile as I could make it in my Styrofoam box. are you in the south too? and where does your cat sleep in the winter? It's gotten down to 28, 29 degrees here a couple of nights already, so I guess she is staying warm somewhere, I just can't figure out where!
...wow, that's some shelter you have! does it only have the one opening? I do have straw in mine but I don't think I could do it 8" that would cover part of the entrance hole. it doesn't get super cold here, but I wanted to be prepared for if it does because it can get below freezing (even high teens, rarely).I'm in the northeast M millieandmilo . It would be best if you use straw (not hay). If you put a very deep (8-inches?) layer of straw (not hay) inside the shelter they will snuggle down and make deep "bird nests" which will help keep them warm. Here's Ohdee earlier today taking a much needed nap after a hard day of resting
So I work with them a bit to show them they can get in and out of the strips. They're smart - it doesn't take long.
who knows who she is !!!!!!). 
I forgot to say, the kitty is about average size, 8-9 lbs maybe, young tooI will say, we've got shelters with 2 entrances, and shelters with only 1. The 4 feral kitties that basically are with us 24/7 now (for going on 4 years!), swap around between shelters, and 90% of the time go for the ones with only one entrance? Two we had 2 entrances in, but they used them better when we closed off the second entrance. If you don't want to TOTALLY seal the second entrance - still giving them the feel of a "safety hatch" - you can try what we did. We cut semi-heavy flexible plastic that you can kind of see through into strips about 3 inches wide, and attached them kind of "car wash style" so they they're attached at the top, but the strips all overlapped each other slightly, and the cat can push through them to go in and out. Helps keep their body heat in better than another regular "hole," but lets them know they can't get trapped. Ours are used to us enough now that I can get them to go through almost anything with either food or toys or catnip.
Some of our shelters are smaller and can only fit 2 kitties if they really snuggle, but a few are bigger and can hold all 4 if they really snuggle. We technically have 2 outdoor shelters, and 6 in the garage....and all but 2 have outdoor-rated cat heating pads. We have outdoor electrical outlets so that the outdoor shelters even have heating pads, and most of the shelters inside our garage (unattached to the house, and only half the garage is insulated - but it's dry and out of the elements!) have heated pads. My hubby just finished one he's very proud of that has the heated cat mats AND a Hound Heater (donated to us by a WONDERFUL person
Sometimes on very cold nights - when you'd THINK they'd all pile in together in the comfy cozy "warming hutch" as we're calling the new one with the radiant heater - they choose (for reasons only they know!) to sleep in separate spaces. One of the coldest nights yet (and our cold nights are just really starting now), we know at some point 3 were in the "warming hutch," but one of them left in the middle of the night, moving to the one outdoor one that is NOT heated?!?! Another one spent most of the night under one of our cars, huddled on the concrete?!?!?! All of those shelters, most heated in some way- - all dry, and Brady chose to sleep on the cold concrete under my car.
Sometimes there's just no explaining it.
You are right with the humidity of Louisiana - - -you'd probably be fine with blankets in the winter (maybe you could pile straw in most of it so she can make a warm round nest, but give her part of it that has a soft little blanket (or smaller - - -I utilize the super cheap fleece blankets that this time of year you can often buy for about $4-6. I then cut them apart into smaller pieces so I can rotate them out when they need to dry/be washed. But you'd definitely need to keep an eye on it in the summer and spring humidity/rain-wise in your part of the country!
SO glad the wand toy trick worked!!!!!! And yes - - even female fixed cats can "mark"! One of our dearly departed indoor females marked ALOT. So much so that, despite hundreds (probably thousands if I really added it up) being spent on testing and medication, she marked SO much on a wooden wall unit with metal doors that we finally had to throw out the wall unit, pull the room's carpet, and pull out drywall from the floor to about 3 feet up!!! So yes - - - -they can spray, sadly. But we all loved her - - so it was worth it (mostly).
Keep us posted on how much she'll stay in there. Especially as nights get more consistently cold. I'd still be tempted, if you can afford it, to avoid the pine needles and do straw (most home stores or greenhouses have bales or even ½ bales - very cheap!) since it's far more proven. But you could always try the pine needles first! And if you've got access to an outlet in your shed, you might think about one of the outdoor-rated cat heating pads. It really does provide alot of comfort for them!
He came back for the breakfast call. 
yep, tried that as well
Merry Christmas, Everyone! Okay, I got a bigger Styrofoam box that I feel I can put a 2nd opening in. where do I put it? directly opposite the first opening or to the rear but on the side? Suggestions anybody?I will say, we've got shelters with 2 entrances, and shelters with only 1. The 4 feral kitties that basically are with us 24/7 now (for going on 4 years!), swap around between shelters, and 90% of the time go for the ones with only one entrance? Two we had 2 entrances in, but they used them better when we closed off the second entrance. If you don't want to TOTALLY seal the second entrance - still giving them the feel of a "safety hatch" - you can try what we did. We cut semi-heavy flexible plastic that you can kind of see through into strips about 3 inches wide, and attached them kind of "car wash style" so they they're attached at the top, but the strips all overlapped each other slightly, and the cat can push through them to go in and out. Helps keep their body heat in better than another regular "hole," but lets them know they can't get trapped. Ours are used to us enough now that I can get them to go through almost anything with either food or toys or catnip.
Some of our shelters are smaller and can only fit 2 kitties if they really snuggle, but a few are bigger and can hold all 4 if they really snuggle. We technically have 2 outdoor shelters, and 6 in the garage....and all but 2 have outdoor-rated cat heating pads. We have outdoor electrical outlets so that the outdoor shelters even have heating pads, and most of the shelters inside our garage (unattached to the house, and only half the garage is insulated - but it's dry and out of the elements!) have heated pads. My hubby just finished one he's very proud of that has the heated cat mats AND a Hound Heater (donated to us by a WONDERFUL person
Sometimes on very cold nights - when you'd THINK they'd all pile in together in the comfy cozy "warming hutch" as we're calling the new one with the radiant heater - they choose (for reasons only they know!) to sleep in separate spaces. One of the coldest nights yet (and our cold nights are just really starting now), we know at some point 3 were in the "warming hutch," but one of them left in the middle of the night, moving to the one outdoor one that is NOT heated?!?! Another one spent most of the night under one of our cars, huddled on the concrete?!?!?! All of those shelters, most heated in some way- - all dry, and Brady chose to sleep on the cold concrete under my car.
Sometimes there's just no explaining it.
You are right with the humidity of Louisiana - - -you'd probably be fine with blankets in the winter (maybe you could pile straw in most of it so she can make a warm round nest, but give her part of it that has a soft little blanket (or smaller - - -I utilize the super cheap fleece blankets that this time of year you can often buy for about $4-6. I then cut them apart into smaller pieces so I can rotate them out when they need to dry/be washed. But you'd definitely need to keep an eye on it in the summer and spring humidity/rain-wise in your part of the country!
SO glad the wand toy trick worked!!!!!! And yes - - even female fixed cats can "mark"! One of our dearly departed indoor females marked ALOT. So much so that, despite hundreds (probably thousands if I really added it up) being spent on testing and medication, she marked SO much on a wooden wall unit with metal doors that we finally had to throw out the wall unit, pull the room's carpet, and pull out drywall from the floor to about 3 feet up!!! So yes - - - -they can spray, sadly. But we all loved her - - so it was worth it (mostly).
Keep us posted on how much she'll stay in there. Especially as nights get more consistently cold. I'd still be tempted, if you can afford it, to avoid the pine needles and do straw (most home stores or greenhouses have bales or even ½ bales - very cheap!) since it's far more proven. But you could always try the pine needles first! And if you've got access to an outlet in your shed, you might think about one of the outdoor-rated cat heating pads. It really does provide alot of comfort for them!
