Great shelter ideas!

Design Basics

There are many ways to build adequate shelter will all good designs sharing two qualities: strong insulation and minimal air space. The insulation is needed to trap the cats' body heat, effectively turning the cats into little radiators. Empty air space needs to be eliminated in order to keep the amount of space that needs to be heated to a minimum. A well insulated large dog house will not work because there will be too much air space for the cats to warm. Likewise, a tight fitting space with thin, uninsulated walls won't work either because the cat's body heat will pass right through.

With these design factors in mind, it is better to build two smaller shelters which will each hold three or four cats than one large shelter to house six to eight felines. With smaller shelters, even if only one or two cats go in, enough heat will be generated. But with the larger shelter, if only a small number of the cats use it at the same time, there will be too much empty air space for them to heat.

Wonderful Shelter Ideas, from Neighborhood Cats in NYC. Visit their site for photos and other ideas! www.neighborhoodcats.org/info/wintershelter.htm

This shelter was designed by CSM Stray Foundation of Kew Gardens, Queens, New York. Purchase a large Rubbermaid storage bin (a.k.a. storage tote) with a removable lid. It's important the brand is Rubbermaid otherwise the plastic walls may crack in frigid temperatures. You'll also need an eight foot by two foot sheet of one inch thick hard Styrofoam, a yardstick, box cutter, and insulating material such as hay or straw.

To assemble:

1. Cut a doorway six inches by six inches in one of the long sides of the bin towards the corner. Cut the opening so that the bottom of the doorway is several inches above the ground to prevent flooding.

2. Line the floor of the bin with a piece of Styrofoam, using the yardstick and box cutter to cut the piece. It doesn't have to be an exact fit, but the closer the better.

3. In a similar fashion, line each of the four interior walls of the bin with a piece of the Styrofoam. Again, perfect cuts are not necessary. Leave a cap of three inches between the top of these Styrofoam “wall pieces” and the upper lip of the bin.

4. Cut out a doorway in the Styrofoam interior wall where the doorway has been cut out all ready in the storage bin.

5. Stuff the bottom of the bin with straw or other insulating material (no blankets or towels!) to hold the wall pieces in place.

6. Cut out a Styrofoam “roof” to rest on top of the Styrofoam wall pieces.

7. Cover the bin with its lid.

This shelter is easy to clean by taking off the lid and the roof. It is lightweight and may need to be weighed down. A flap over the door way is optional.

Other Alternatives from Neighborhood Cats
An adequate shelter for one cat can be made from a simple Styrofoam cooler available at any hardware store for about $6. Glue the lid onto the cooler, turn it upside down and cut a hole in one side (anywhere but in the middle of one of the long sides).  The Styrofoam containers used to ship meat can be turned into shelters in the same way and can, depending on their size, house 3 to 4 cats. If you want to get fancy, get a large Igloo cooler and, with a jigsaw, cut a hole towards the left or right of one of the long sides. The attached lid will allow for easy cleaning. 

Interior Insulation
Putting insulating materials inside the shelter will increase the comfort and warmth of the cats. Insulations materials should only be used if the shelter can be periodically checked to see if they have gotten damp or too dirty and need to be replaced. If regular checkups are not possible, leave the interiors bare.

Only insulating materials which the cats can burrow into should be used. Items which the cats will only lie on top of; such as blankets, towels, or flat newspapers, should not be used. These items, when they are underneath the cat will draw body heat out and actually make the cat colder.

Straw and hay are good insulating materials to use. Straw is better than hay because it can absorb more moisture and is less prone to mold or rot. Shredded newspaper will also work. One innovative idea is offered by Ellen Perry Berkeley in her book, “Maverick Cats.” Loosely fill a cotton pillow case with Styrofoam peanuts, the kind used to pack fragile items during shipping, and tie the pillow case closed. Then put the stuffed pillow case inside the shelter. The pillow case will conform to the cat's body and wrap her in heat capturing peanuts.

Here is another simple shelter idea from one of our volunteers, thanks Jean!