# Want to build shelter for outdoor cat....HELP



## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

Last year, mid winter, this ADORABLE young cat (I'd guess 9 months) with 6 toes on her front feet showed up on the property.
She is adorable. And that really says a lot because I am NOT a cat person, at all.

So we feed her, make sure she has water, took care of her tape worms, and ear mites.....
She is a heck of a mouser, chipmunker, squirrel.....you name it. 
She is also a giver. Heck, last week, she left a set of kidneys on the back door step.:hrm:
(Did I mention my daughter saw the cat TAKE OFF AFTER a ****, jumped on it's back and kicked it's butt......all for getting too close to where she sleeps??)

We named her "Toes".

Winter is coming.
My property is in the middle of a treeless 5 acres.....lots of way burr wind.
I want to build her a shelter, something that will keep her dry, and break the chill of the wind, and protect her from predators.

1. What do you suggest?
2. Do you have photos?
3. Where would I get plans?

I have heard that you don't put their food where you put their bed...is that true?

Please don't think I am a monster for not bringing her in. 
I don't like cats, but this one, I could......
But my two Jack Russell Terriers couldn't.
I am not interested in vet bills. For the cat, or the dogs!

Any help is so greatly appreciated.


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## nostawmama (Dec 29, 2011)

Where does she normally sleep and eat? I think she will do fine outside- cats do it all the time. A small dog house or some such if she will take to it- maybe with an old blanket to snuggle in. My experience with cats is that they will find their own way regardless of what help we try to give them- they just know more than we do


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Our cat has slept in the hay shed since we got him in November. We are also in zone 5. As long as they are out of the wind they do alright.


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## bama (Aug 21, 2011)

just beware when you go to crank your engine on cold mornings. some cats like to get up in there, and it doesn't always end well. 

you can fix a cat many places to sleep. chances are good that they won't ever use them. we usually fix a box or styrofoam cooler (top removed) with a heat lamp over it. one cat loves his warm spot, and the other wouldn't go near it.


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## Kwings (Dec 21, 2010)

I Googled it and this is what i found. 



















Link to that pic ^ How To Make An Outdoor Cat Shelter Â« lyra

and :

The Very Best Cats: Heating an Outdoor Cat Enclosure in the Winter

Learn about Cat Care and Behavior, Find a Cat-Friendly Apartment or Low Cost Spay and Neuter Resources, and Much More.


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## Ardie/WI (May 10, 2002)

I googled too and, like Kwings, found a good many options. 

DH build 2 of them similar to the first ones shown in Kwings post and they were quite successful. They spent the winter in our attached garage with an outside door partly open. I think that he also put a heated dog mat in one of them.


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## bluefish (Jan 27, 2006)

I used to take one of those styrofoam coolers of appropriate size, cut a hole in it and tape the lid on. Flip it upside down and stuff a towel or blanket in it. Some of the cats loved it, some made their own way.


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

I would be sure she has access to a building - a garage or barn - if you have one. Then you can make her a bed (even just buy a nice kitty bed, maybe the covered king) for her to sleep on in there. When we lived on a farm, our cats needed shelter from predators at night, preferably in a building. Now we live in town and have a cat door into our garage, so if one of our cats is outside at night, they have a safe place to go. 

When Spud was a barn cat, he found hidey holes of his own, but there was shelter around for him to hide in. His favorite hole was under an unused mobile home that had insulated skirting. 

If you like your cat, get her spayed before she has a bunch of kittens... when they come in heat, they often start to stray looking for a mate and you can easily lose one then, or you have to deal with litters of kittens and find them homes. It's a lot easier to be sure she's spayed, she'll settle down better and you won't have kittens to catch, tame and rehome.


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## mrs whodunit (Feb 3, 2012)

An old ice chest with a doorway cut into it works fantastically.


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## tailwagging (Jan 6, 2005)

K&H Pet Productsâ¢ Outdoor Heated Kitty Houseâ¢ | Revival Animal Health


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## wanda1950 (Jan 18, 2009)

My husband worked for several days making a stray who came here a heated house for the winter. She turned up her nose at it & slept elsewhere. Would not even consider the house & ran off if we tried to get her anywhere near it. We worried about her & eventually she did disappear. 

We try to get all our cats to stay indoors but now we have Fred who decided to make this his home. He declined to use the litterbox so he goes outside, too. He had already been neutered so we wonder if that's why he ended up homeless. 

Anyway, good luck with getting the kitty to use her shelter!!!


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## beccachow (Nov 8, 2008)

Am I the only one who caught the 6 toes? Doesn't that have something to do with Hemmingway's cats? Do you have a kitty celebrity??


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