Cat house Idea

We have a couple of stray cats in the neighborhood and I watched on setting under my Picnic table trying to avoid the rain today........ As winter approches I am thinking about building the a Cat house with a working light for heat... I would have to atempt to build it off the ground with a ladder for them to get into the house, and of course with a built in Food and water dish. Anyone have a set of plans to build this type of house. If not I will wing it and do a set of plans for this project........ Would almost be like a bird house just built for cat watching.

Dustys People 2,

I think that's wonderful what you're doing for those poor cats. I'm sorry I don't have any plans on how to build one, but I'm sure someone here will be able to help you.

Good luck!!

You could build one easy if you got the tools. Got tools? Or you could do what the rescuers do, make them a "house" out of a large storage container. I made one when Mike and I were trapping those at Wal Mart and it is easy to do. You could slip some of that skirting up and put it under your house. Use old blankets to put around the outside , duct tape to keep it (blankets)on, put it inside a large garbage bag to keep it dry... Be a lot cheaper than building something.

Also, if you can get a large STYROFOAM storage container, that would have extra insulating power. Just put the lid on, turn it upside down, and cut a door in it.

That way, it has a floor. You may want to glue the lid on to make it watertight.

Would the built in water and food dishes be removeable? You might need that sometimes.

Not sure if you would need a heat lamp...if you had old bits of down-filled fabric and some straw, that might be all they need with styrofoam.

Have a look at some doghouses, and you might get some good ideas!

This is great - keep us posted! :)

I buy the big plastic storage tubs from Wal-Mart, and have hubby cut a hole in then end. I just leave them right side up with the lid on, since the lid overhangs the top, it doesn't leak. You can put straw inside and any type of blanket or bedding. It is very cheap and much better than them being out in the elements! I think it's great that you are wanting to do this! ;)

Oh, Oh, I am not too good at doing searches, maybe someone else can help here? (It is not just PT, I can't do internet searches well, either.)

Recently, a young lady PTer was posting from Wales. She had 2 strays in her backyard, got them fixed and released them; and her Dad built a house for them in the back yard, with a rug covered shelf and all. The 2 cats were black and white, male and female. The male has a distictive black heart shape on his white chest. Can anyone find it? Then the 2 can talk about building the house. Sorry I can't locate it. :rolleyes:


**EDIT** Third times a charm, I guess! It is a posting by Culture Junky!

What a great idea!! Years ago we built houses for the kitties in our yard. We used styrofoam boxes we got from the greengrocer, two of them put together with good tape, a hole in one end (the long side) and covered with thick plastic. Inside, we put old towels or blankets, and we put the boxes on some bricks.

These worked fine for a few years, until we built a new wooden house with a little porch. This, we insulated with styrofoam.

I hope you'll find some good boxes! :)

Good luck!

I would be very careful about putting a light in the house for heat. Light bulbs have been known to start fires in dog houses. In your area, styrofoam insulation should be enough. Kimlovescat's large plastic box sounds like the best idea. I find that most stray cats like to have 2 doors, one on either end, offset. They have a fear of being trapped.

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Originally Posted by mruffruff

I would be very careful about putting a light in the house for heat. Light bulbs have been known to start fires in dog houses.

I find that most stray cats like to have 2 doors, one on either end, offset. They have a fear of being trapped.

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I too would worry about setting fire to the house. :eek: There are some "thingy's" (flat pillow like filled with ???) that you can put in a microwave for 2 min. and they'll stay warm for hours. Some people use them for beds.

But think about the draft!! :eek: We don't want them to catch a cold. ;)

Check out the Indy Feral Cat Shelter.

http://indyferal.org/index.php?page=shelters

They sell kits which you can assemble yourself. Or, you can at least look at their two-story plans!

Oh yes I missed this post, got pointed to it by Freedom.
My dad built a house for the ferals we have out our garden, it's not heated but does have blankets and is water proofed using felt to cover it.
Here is a few pictures of it, this should suffice I think.
If you wanted to heat it you could use hot water bottles and stick a few in for the night, then they may settle on it. I can't think of any other way of heating it, there are those snugglesafe pads that you heat up in the microwave and they stay hot for hours.
I can't exactly describe how it was built as my dad built it not me. But perhaps the pictures will give you an idea?

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y10...beat/House.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y10...InsideView.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y10...nsideView2.jpg

Well Kev, looks like you got enough here to chew on for awhile.. I LOVE CJ's shelter, that is way to neat!

Culture Junkie, that is a really nice house your dad built! :)

Dusty's people 2! Remember to keep your old towels etc. ;)

WOW, CJ, is that CEDAR on the roof and back wall?? Your Dad REALLY did a great job!! Thanks for posting the photos. Notice the interior decor, color coordinated and all that! Whew! :)

I hope this link works but I found this one to be helpful. I never got a chance to build it but it seems semi-easy.

http://www.alleycat.org/pdf/feral_cat_shelter.pdf

if this link doesn't work then you can try this link:

http://www.alleycat.org/resources_list.html

and click on "Build an Inexpensive Cat Shelter" link.

There is also this one:
http://www.alleycat.org/pdf/feeding.pdf
and if that link doesn't work you can go to this one and click on "Feral Cat Feeding Station"

Thanks for helping the strays.

Melissa

Bless you for doing this for the stray cats. I'm sure they will appreciate it. We also put a shelter on the front and back balcony for the strays to go in during the winter. We learned that straw is the best thing to put in the shelters because the blankets freeze when the get moist. Also the straw helps keep them warmer than the blankets.

Good luck with everything. :)

I'm not sure if it's cedar, it's old bits of shelving I think so I'm not sure what wood, doh I'm a bit thick when it comes to knowing stuff like that.
He never throws anything away though, and has taught me that, so parts of the house come from my shed (well my boyfriend Kevin's anyway!) and my dads, he spent about two days making it. he has some old felt on a roll left from when he had budgies and built a shed for them. he put the old door handle on it so I can lift the lid up (it's very heavy) and change and wash the blankets (which are a mixture of various blankets my mum has knitted over the years and bits of towels etc)
He used a hinge off a wardrobe for the lid to lift it up, he's quite economically clever like that!

Kate

Freedom what is your name may I ask?

Those are great ideas as I would love to have something like that for the Porch Cats now that the Porch is enclosed and they can not come in from the cold so easily.
I love the idea of having a warm dry spot where thier food and water will be clean and safe for them.
Bless you for helping those who are lost and hungry.

So many good ideas now to chose which route I should go. Will post when I decide which Idea and Build it.