Winter Ready Trixie Cat House

  

We bought the Trixie cat house from Chewy.com a few years ago.  We set up by adding a cooling mat and straw on the floor.   A feral cat went into the house and seemed to like it.   When the season started to change, we knew that we had to make this small pine wood house winter-ready.

The house sits off the ground which is good but the floorboards promote air circulation which is bad for our winters.  So we covered the floor walls and interior of the hinged asphalt shingled roof with reflective insulation.  Then we filled it with a hefty layer of wheat straw.

The insulation was fine for the cool days and nights of autumn but when the rain came the overhang did not keep the interior dry and the water seemed to come in the straw and the insulated walls were wet  So, we took the house apart by removing the wet straw and insulation.

The darkness on the back wall is wet from the rain

We brought the house indoors so it could dry out and once it was dry my husband worked to insulate the house for winter and to stop the leaking.  To get the Trixie house ready for winter we added the reflective insulation on all interior walls. To stop the wind and the rain from coming in from the side walls we wrapped the house with bubble wrap.  Wheat straw was added so that the kitty could burrow in the straw and keep warm during the winter months.

Since the house does not have an overhang, and feral cats are afraid of the door flaps we set the house up under our deck to protect it from rain and snow. 

Our winters are bitterly cold and think that this winter-ready Trixie house will now provide a perfect shelter for a stray or feral cat. 

Cozy Beds for Stray Cats

Tonight is the first cold night and we have three stray cats in our garden shed. This shed is not insulated, but it is dry and protects the cats from wind, rain, and snow.

All cats prefer to be warm, they are heat seekers and that is why you will view them lying on the hood of a newly parked car or lying in the sun on a cool day. I have also viewed cats tunneling under a pile of leaves because the leaves block the cold air. So when it comes to stray cats that are in a cold garden shed we made sure that they all had cozy beds that would keep them warm when temperatures dipped into the low 30’s.

We have dog houses that are filled with straw and self-warming beds that are up off the cement floor. Then one of my neighbors gave us a high-quality space heater that has a thermostat, timer, and automatic shutoff when it overheats or is knocked over. Then another neighbor gave us insulated drapes for the windows and my husband picked up a few Berber area rugs to cover the cold cement floor and heat lamps for the ceiling lights.

Presently the temperatures outdoors is 41 degrees and in the garden, shed thermostat indicates that it is 61 degrees. I am thankful to my neighbors for giving us the products to keep the cats cozy and warm on this cold night in autumn.

Here is a photo card that I created from one of the neighborhood cats that goes to my garden shed for shelter. We call this cat Bob and he is sleeping in a bed of straw.

Feral Cat Sleeping in Winter Shelter Post Card

by Susang6

View video to learn how to make an insulated winter shelter for stray or your outdoor cats.

Cat Found in Snow Storm Was Reunited with Owners

The little tabby that I found at 10 p.m. sitting in the snow under my lilac bush spent the night in a pet crate in my heated mudroom.  This house cat was covered with snow and had no claws so I suspected he got out and did not know how to go home.

Cat walking in snow

Normally when I find a lost cat I will post flyers in the neighborhood and put an ad in the classified section of our paper.  But today I did not have to any of that because a women was on my block looking for her cat.

Feral cat in winter snow

I informed her how I found the cat; sitting under my lilacs bush when it was snowing, the cat was covered with snow and did not know how to find shelter on a bitter cold night.  She told me I never should have brought him into my house, that if he got cold enough he would have gone home.  The woman said the cat has fur and can be left outdoors in winter.

Feral cat at feeding station in winter

Many cat owners assume that because the cat has a thick coat that they can be left outdoors throughout the winter months and do not need an insulated shelter.  What cat owners do not realize is that cats are susceptible to frostbite on the tip of their ears, nose, tail and toes.  Cats that are left out in the extreme cold will suffer from hypothermia and this condition puts the cat’s life at risk.   

KH outdoor insulated cat house

I made my recommendation by suggesting a KH insulated outdoor cat house from Amazon.com to the cat owner or to buy an insulated dog igloo medium sized from PetSmart or Wal-Mart and provide the cat with self heating pad.  So the outdoor cat will have a shelter to go to when there is snow, rain, wind or extreme cold. 

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Here are some cats in snow cards that I designed from my photographs of feral cats in my care.  All photographs were captured in the Ozark Mountains.  Enjoy!

Feral Cat Winter Portriat Post Card by Susang6

Feral Cat Sleeping in Winter Shelter Post Card by Susang6

Setting Up KH Outdoor Heated Cat Houses for Stray and Feral Cats

For tonight the weather advisory is for 80% snow and bitter cold temperatures, this winter storm makes it difficult for the feral and stray cats to find shelter.  One of my neighbors gave me a KH outdoor heated cat house and I am setting it up on cement blocks in area that will provide a wind block.

Normally I would set up the outdoor cat shelter in an area way from human traffic but the directions stated that is was not advisable to plug the electrical cord for the heated pad into an extension cord.  I needed to set the cat house up on patio, close to the electrical outlet.  This of course is not the best location because feral cats prefer to be hidden. 

Hopefully the feral cat will enter the house out of desperation and will find that the heated bed will provide them with warm comfortable heat and shelter from the wind.

Features that I like:

1. What I like about the KH outdoor heated cat house is the two doors; an entrance and exit which keep an outdoor cat safe.  If a predator comes to the front door they can exit out the back.  
2. The entrance and exit also has a clear plastic door flap which keeps snow, wind and rain out.
3. The low voltage heating pad is not hot to the touch; the heating unit responds to the pressure of the cat, warms the bed when cat lies on the pad.  

Insulated Cat Houses Donated

Cat house and feeding station

Handmade insulated shelters were donated last week. These shelters will provide a warm and a safe area for the outdoor feral and stray cats that are in my care. 

The cat houses are made of wood and they have an inch of insulation on the top, bottom and all of the sides.  There is a front door and an exit door to keep the outdoor cats safe.  

My husband painted the houses hunter green and then applied a water repellent.  To provide the cats with extra warmth we filled them with thick layers of straw before setting them up in the yard.  One cat house sits close to the woods entrance.  

This outdoor shelter will attract the feral cats that are terrified of humans and only venture out at night.  The other shelter is close to the backside of my home; it sits next to a rock wall as it provides a wind block.  I also set a wooden cat house on my side porch as the awning will keep it dry and it enables me to set up a feeding station.  The shelter on my porch is filled with a foot of straw and then topped with an insulated pet blanket.

We have watched for the cats but have only viewed one cat enter the shelter up against the backside of our shed.  

This cat was viewed taking an afternoon nap.  The other shelters do indicate evidence that cats are lying in the house.  The straw is molded to the shape of a cat’s body and we have found evidence of cat hair on the pet blanket.  

The outdoor cats know the cat houses are there and I am certain that when the weather turns colder that they will be seeking warmth and will enter the  insulated cat shelters.  

Here are photographs:

Insulated interior of cat shelter, black cat fur on blanket

Cat sleeping in shelter

Insulated shelter with overhang