How to make a shelter for a stray cat in the winter!

lauren8792

lauren8792

<3
O.G.
Jan 14, 2008
581
0
#1
Whenever its mind-numbingly cold outside, the first thing that comes to mind is the fact that there's a lot of homeless animals that have to deal with the cold, and a lot of them won't make it.
I made a few of these and wanted to share them with you- they're so easy to make! Cats and kittens can die very easily in the winter from hypothermia which a lot of people don't know, especially right now with the cold front that came through. (it's going to be -5 degrees tonight!) Now is a perfect time to make a shelter if you have a little free time. This is what they look like (picture attached)

A lot of us have stray feral cats around the neighborhood, but they aren't tame enough to come inside, or we don't know how they'd interact with our other animals, etc. A lot of animal shelters are overflowing with animals and won't even take new ones in, and when they do they run a chance of getting euthanized fast if they are feral. So here's an option to make a cat shelter that will keep them warm enough to survive in the winter months.

this is a great link that can help you with ideas to make shelters- the rubbermaid container with stray and styrofoam are the best and easiest! good luck :smile:

http://www.pacthumanesociety.org/core/WinterShelter.htm
 

Attachments

  • Shelter1-a.jpg
    Shelter1-a.jpg
    43.1 KB · Views: 349
Last edited:
#2
That is one of the nicest things anyone could do for a stray!
We dont have many strays around here, but thats a fantastic idea. I might make a couple for my in-laws backyard, they seem to ALWAYS have stray cats running around!

Although, it doesnt really get too cold here during the winter..

Im sure you could to that with just a couple boxes too. The styrofoam is the main thing that keeps it warm. The boxes would be cheaper for the people who are on a budget.
 
#3
We don't get winters here, but I wish there was something to stop our strays from getting run over by cars. One of my favourite strays, his name was Prince, just died from being run over. He was the sweetest. I'll miss him.
 
#5
QueenOfDa702 said:
That is one of the nicest things anyone could do for a stray!
We dont have many strays around here, but thats a fantastic idea. I might make a couple for my in-laws backyard, they seem to ALWAYS have stray cats running around!

Although, it doesnt really get too cold here during the winter..

Im sure you could to that with just a couple boxes too. The styrofoam is the main thing that keeps it warm. The boxes would be cheaper for the people who are on a budget.
Click to expand...

i definitely think boxes would work! the styrofoam is good insulation, and the box will block the wind, and the hay makes it soft and holds some extra heat. i think there's a lot of ways to make this shelter, you just have to be creative! :smile:
 
#6
We used to have a lot of strays at our old apartment, and I used a covered plastic litterbox. I put an old wool blanket inside, put a blanket over the outside for insulation, and them put the entire blanket-covered box inside a big black plastic trash bag to keep wind/moisture out (with the opening of the bag obviously coinciding with the litterbox opening). A few clothespins to hold everything in place and it worked pretty well. Backed it up against the building where it would have some protection from the wind, and of course turned it so the opening didn't face into the wind. Many times I saw the kitties huddled up in there! It seemed to work pretty well.

The Rubbermaid container shelter is such a good idea, especially with the horribly cold weather in some parts of the country.
 
Last edited:
#7
That is such a great idea. Thank you for posting!!!

Hay and straw are better than blankets as blankets hold moisture and can freeze.

We get to -40 Celcuis here and I always think of the stray animals and wonder how those poor things survive.
 
Last edited:
#9
I just wish there was a way to keep the water we leave outside from freezing while we're at work. Alternatively, I wish I had a house big enough for all of them.
 
#11
Thanks for the idea! It's been below freezing some nights lately and I made a shelter out of my cat's old covered litter box. I washed it out and lined it with old bath towels. Then I got one of my cat's old food dishes that she doesn't use and filled it with dry nibblets. There's a stray cat that is often in the backyard so I was hoping he'd find it. I never actually saw him get in it, but when I checked the food in the morning, it was definitely eaten!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top
Back