With the winter being tough on all pets, you might have a few strays wandering around. If you happen to have a cat that likes to be outside more than inside, or you just want a place for the neighborhood stray, you want to make sure they have a warm place to go if they need to.
Since the Christmas season is over, a lot of stores, including Rural King are having close out sales on storage tubs.
This is a great item to make your DIY out door cat shelter out of. You only need a few simple tools. First you need a Storage tub with lid, insulation (this can be straw, or pink instillation board, pink fiberglass insulation,or spray foam, cardboard, or any insulation you choose), a smaller storage tub with lid or Styrofoam cooler, straw for bedding, utility knife, and of course some duct tape. In the first photo they used a empty plastic flexible flower container to line the entrance. There are several different ways to may an outdoor house, this is just one of them.
Step 1
1. You are going to outline a hole to cut out on the Larger tub. It does help if you warm up the plastic before trying to cut it but you do not have to. Rural King has multiple kinds of utility knives for you every need.
2. Place the smaller tub or foam container inside of the larger one and trace the circle you cut on the outside to the inside tub so that they align. Then Cut the hole out of the inside tub.
3.Place a small amount of insulation in the bottom of the big tub then put the smaller tub back in the larger tub, then place your insulation around all 4 sides of the smaller tub, packing it in tight if your insulation is loose. If you used the board insulation you will have to measure it and cut it to fit. If you used the spray foam you will want to make sure it dries before you close it up. (don’t forget to allow for expansion with the spray foam)
4. You will want to use the plastic flimsy flower container or this is where you use the duct tape to cover the hole between the two containers edges so that it makes a smooth opening. RuralKing has many options for colors and patterns for duct tape as well the regular old faithful silver. (reference picture 2 if needed)
Step 2
4. Once your opening is covered in duct tape to cover the edges where you cut out the circle. You will want to put some straw or bedding inside of the inner tub for the cats to lay in. Then put the lid on the smaller tub and close it tight. Then you will want to add a small amount of insulation on top of the smaller lid to create another barrier before putting the large lid on.
5.Your Done! Now you want to make sure you place this near the building and facing the entrance to the East or South since majority of Winter winds are out of the North and West. This will help cut down on the wind entering the domain.
If you don’t like that this looks like a DIY project then you can always paint it with some spray paint on the outside to make it all one color, Rural King carries many different kinds of spray paint, just make sure you choose one that is OK to use on plastic. Or if you are really feeling crafty, you can use spray or expanding foam on the outside (which adds extra insulation) then sculpt it how you want it to look, then spray paint it or add decorative shingles on the outside to make it look like an actual house! This is where you can get creative if you like.
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http://www.alleycat.org/ShelterGallery – reference picture 1
www.catster.com – reference picture 2
http://forum.horsetopia.com/cats/147447-diy-outdoor-cat-house.html – reference picture 3