ecoFlex Albany Outdoor Cat House Review

 I bought mossy oak ecoFlex Albany outdoor cat insulated house for feral and stay cats and have used it for the last three years. This cat house is quality and made to last through the harshest winters and I would recommend this cat house to anyone who has outdoor cats.

 

Know that I liked that the walls of this house are insulated and that it comes with an escape door. The cat house was easy to put together, but I do recommend that you keep the screwdriver because you will need it to take off the roof to clean the house.  I also recommend that add any extra insulation to the house before you attach the roof.

 

 

This past winter it was bitter cold in my area and I did add reflective insulation to all walls, floor, and ceiling. I then filled it with wheat straw and two feral cats lived in the ecoFlex outdoor cat house.

 

This house has a roomy interior that allowed two cats to snuggle in the straw and stay warm throughout the winter months.

 

The only thing I did not like was the plastic door flaps were difficult to open, and they scared the feral cats. I did remove the front entrance and left the door flap on the side entrance.  Also, this particular house design should have an overhang to prevent snow and rain from getting in.  We screwed a plastic container lid to the roof of the cat house and it worked very well.

 

***The photographs shown in this blog are my original photographs of the mossy oak ecoFlex Albany outdoor cat house.

About Feral / Stray Cats in Winter

 

Tonight’s low was eleven degrees and the weather advisory report said that the temperature outdoors felt like negative seven. This means that cats that live in your home need to stay indoors and stray/feral cats will need to find a shelter where they can be warm.

Finding shelter is not as easy as people think. Too many people think the cat has fur it is fine. That is the furthest thing from the truth. Cat will suffer when there is a winter advisory. Cats can die from the cold and even if the cat lives outdoors permanently they will suffer from hypothermia or frostbite or both.

Caring for the feral cat during a snowstorm

“Symptoms of Hypothermia

As body temperature continues to decrease, heart rate and breathing will slow down. Without treatment, affected cats will go into a coma and death becomes likely."

“ Stray cats do not have to freeze to death in winter as long as people care about them they can survive the cold.

To provide the stray cats with the shelter/ insulated cat house we bought a bale of straw at the Tractor Store (ask for it at the cashier as they keep the bales in the warehouse at the back of the store) We used the straw to fill the cat houses that are outdoors and the ones inside our shed. As long as the cat houses are not drafty and have a hefty layer of straw the cats will stay warm even on a frigid cold day or night in winter.

Straw on top of mylar reflective blanket

Another way to provide shelter for a stray or feral cat in winter

If you have a garage then leave it open a crack so the stay cat can enter. Once inside offer the cat a self-warming cat house or a cat house with a heated pad. Even a self-warming cat bed on the floor will help the cat to be more comfortable on a bitterly cold night.

Cat lying on self-warming pet pad in the garage

One of my cat-loving friends dug a two-foot deep hole under his enclosed and covered deck then encircled that hole with paving stone before filling it with straw. The stray cat that he took care of burrowed into 3 feet of straw. My neighbor also installed a Mylar reflective blanket underneath his deck to help generate heat for the cat.

The staff at our local Humane Society received a donation of Styrofoam coolers and they added a hefty layer of straw and cut two openings for the cat. (entrance and side escape) These cooler shelters provide insulation that will keep the kitty inside warm and cozy on a cold winter's day. They are not expensive to buy and easy to make.

Know if you intend on making the Styrofoam shelter for stray/feral cats in winter then make sure you fill it with wheat straw and not a blend with hay. Hay is edible, is moist, and will get moldy. Also, set a self-warming Mylar reflective cat pad on the bottom before covering it with the straw.

Set this shelter in an area where it is flush against a wall (wind block) and is hidden. A good place would be under or behind shrubs. Another good place would be on a covered porch or deck. Note that this Styrofoam shelter is light in weight and can easily be airlifted or knocked over. Prevent this by setting brick or a stone on top of the house.

A wooden cat house with Mylar reflective blanket inside and straw. This cat house was a donation from a neighbor.

Note if you have a dog house and you bring the dog in at night. Make sure that the house is not drafty. Use a chalking gun to seal any cracks in the floorboards or sideboards. Make sure the roof is not leaking. Insulate the house with Mylar self-heated blanket for cats. Cover the floor with this blanket then add a hefty layer of wheat straw. Add straw so that it's pushed up on the sides, and covers the floor. This will keep your dog warm during the cold days and at night stray cats will use the house for a winter shelter.

Shop for Mylar reflective blankets for cats at amazon and at chewy.com

TOP PICKS for Cat Houses

When it comes to shopping for cat houses for the winter season I tend to shop offseason because the selection is better and prices are lower. 

I will shop in town before I shop online and will look for quality made houses that are not drafty. Many pet houses look great and you think they are made well but you really need to check them out because not all cat houses are made well.

My husband and shopped locally for an outdoor cat house. We went to Walmart, Pet Smart and did not find quality outdoor houses. What we found was flimsy wood houses with drafty floors or plastic houses that really were intended for a dog. Since the selection in town was poor I shopped online at Chewy Pet Supplies. It did not take long as I found a few cat houses that were suitable for outdoor feral and stray cats.

Here are my top picks for outdoor cat houses. 

I recommend these houses because they provide the cat with their own space and the houses were insulated to keep the cat cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Plus they were waterproof. The houses offered year-round comfort and safety for the outdoor cats.

I really like the New Age Pet ecoFlex outdoor cat house at Chewy .com.  This is a well-made cat house and the interior is roomy enough for two stray or feral cats. Unlike other cat houses, this one comes with a front door and a side door so if there are any predators the kitty can get away from the side door.  The interior of this cat house is roomy enough for two cats.

Putting the cat house together was easy.  The front door flap is a good grad plastic but I did leave off the front one because the feral cats by me are turned off by door covering. 

Since this cat house does not come with a heating pad I opted to cover the walls and floor with K&H self-heated cat pads.  The pads made the cat house more cozy and warm.  In addition to the cat pads, I did add some wheat straw.

straw keeps outdoor cats warm

This cat house is low to the ground so I set it up on some cement blocks. By lifting it the water runoff from a hard rain will not get into the house and neither will snow.

The ecoFlex outdoor cat house but do think that the roof needs an overhang to help divert the sun from making the cat house hot in the summer and also help in keeping snow and rain out of the house.

We also bought a Trixie outdoor cat house that was made of wood. This is a small house for a cat under 8 pounds.   A larger cat would not be comfortable in this house.

But in spite of the small interior space, this Trixie cat house got good customer reviews. So we bought this house for the feral and stray cats that we take care of.

This Trixie cat house is drafty. A chalking gun was used to seal the gaps. Then we applied a water seal to the outside of the house. Since this cat house is not insulated we used a mylar blanket to insulate the cat house. 

The blanket was cut to size and glued the ends for a snug fit on the ceiling
and side walls of the Trixie cat house. Next we added a thick layer of
wheat straw and set this house in our shed.

The house comes with a plastic door covering but I removed due 
to the cats in my area being fearful of door coverings. Overall the cat that
has made this house her home seems to really like this cat house.

If you were to use this house outdoors I would recommend that you set 
this cat house on a covered porch or deck. It is also a good idea 
to keep it close to the side of your house because it provides wind 
break.  I read a customer review on Chewy.com that said the Trixie cat house 
did not hold up in the rain. It would be a good idea to use this cat house 
on your covered porch, garage or basement.

Cat House for Outdoor Usage

Where I reside the winters are long, cold and windy. The stray cats in my area go into my shed to sleep in plastic and cardboard boxes that have thick layers of straw. The cats rest well during the daylight but at night they all leave my shed. I decided that they must be cold and that the straw is not keeping them warm during the night hours. To remedy this situation I decided to buy a heated or insulated cat house.

Here is a photo card that I created that will show you a stray cat sleeping in straw bed in my shed.

Feral Cat Sleeping in Winter Shelter Post Card

by Susang6

While shopping at Amazon.com I saw a heated outdoor cat house by K&H and read the customer reviews. They were very good however, I did learn that the house was not intended to be freestanding, it had to be kept either on a covered porch or in a garage area as it would not withstand rain or snow and would need to be tied down if left on the porch and weather was windy. My needs for this house met the requirements because it was intended for my shed.

The cat house came with a heated pad or without I bought the heated pad with an electrical cord because it would only add warmth when the cat was lying on the pad. (The pad would not heat up if there was no cat in the house.) The cat house was easy to put together all pieces connect with Velcro. It is heavy cardboard with a plastic cover that is water resistant.

Set up for cat house was in the back corner of the shed where there was an electrical outlet. The stray cat's food and water bowels were to the front of the shed and the stray cat arrived to eat right on time. When cat went into the shed I ran to the side window to watch the cat. The cat did see the house and went to investigate, the house was not met with cat approval, the stray hissed at it and left the shed.

Stray tabby cat in my garden

I decided to unplug the electrical cord and put a self-heating pet bed on the floor of the cat house. This bed was sprayed with catnip and so were the interior walls of the house. There is a plastic door flap on the front and back. I removed the front flap because I thought that it might scare the cat.

When the stray cat went into the shed an hour later he did not come out. When I looked in the window I could see the stray inside the cat house lying in the bed.

I sprayed the bed daily with the catnip and the stray cat comes to the shed and sleeps in the K&H cat house nightly. Eventually, I was able to replace the flap on the door and this was a way to keep the cat warmer in winter and cooler in summer.

When the temperature dipped bellow zero I did add a layer of straw to the interior of cat house for extra insulation. The self-heated bed was set in the middle and straw was like a cocoon around the bed.

The heated pad was never met with the approval of the stray cat. I tried several times to plug in the pad for the cat but each time the cat hissed at the pad and left.

I am satisfied with my cat house purchase because The heated/insulated house will keep outdoor cats cozy and comfortable throughout the winter months as long as it is located in an area that is protected from wind, heavy rain or snow.

Here is a photo of the cat house set up on my covered porch.  I needed to move it indoors because the windblown rain was damaging the top of it.