The cats will want room to nest in it … Try to get the floor of the shelter off the ground. Straw is tough, thick, lightweight, and yellow or golden. Cats will flatten the straw as they use it and some like to tunnel into the straw. Just be sure you keep enough straw to freshen the shelter when the seasons change, keeping it clean and smelling good for the cats. A winter cat shelter does not need to be elaborate or expensive. We placed the outdoor heating pads into all three of the wooden cat shelters. Fall is the Time to Prepare Winter Shelter for Feral Cats, Local Organizations Feed Hungry NYC Pets During Pandemic. The easiest way to tell the difference between straw and hay is the price: hay generally costs two or three times more than straw. Put a couple of five- to 10-pound flat barbell weights on the floor of the shelter under the bedding. It does need to be replaced, but only every few months, making it a cost-effective option and one that doesn’t require a lot of care or upkeep. Check these places: Caregivers’ tip: Straw usually comes in bales but you only need a fraction of that to line a cat house. Shredded newspaper also works well and like straw, it's easy to keep everything clean which is another essential. We recommend placing them on blocks so they are off the ground to allow drainage. There was plenty of clean straw to put in the Kitty Tube and he finally decided it was cozy and better than staying out in the cold. Subscribe: http://bit.ly/SubToColeAndMarmaladeHelp feral cats stay warm this winter! The width should be approximately 5-6 inches. Here is the heating pad fitting nicely in the new Alley Cat Allies Villa. Straw is the best insulated bedding for cat shelters. Price: $55.00 each Today more than 650,000 people look to Alley Cat Allies for leadership on saving cats’ lives, developing communities that safeguard cats, and helping shelters embrace feline-friendly policies. If the cats you have are smaller, you may choose a slightly smaller hole. Cats like materials like straw because they can burrow into them to stay warm. Also, cut the door as small as possible to discourage larger, bolder animals such as raccoons from taking over. These shelters comfortably accommodate two to three adult cats. My (Austrian) boyfriend always says they can only meow in English and never made an effort to learn German. Straw works well because it repels water and will … Next, we either put a couple of scraps of 2-by-4s and cardboard or a scrap of plywood on top of the two bales, then put the third bale on top of it all. Be sure you don’t over-stuff your shelter! If the door is too large, it can invite too many larger critters like raccoons. A: If the cats are using the shelters regularly, other animals such as rats or opossums will be discouraged from "squatting" in them. Straw, the dry leftover stalks from harvested crops, repels moisture, making it the best bedding for outdoor cat shelters. Thousands of shelters of this design have been sold since 2003. To locate the nearest retail store that carries bales of straw, do a Google search for garden centers near you, then call them to ask. Stuff the shelter with straw or pillowcases stuffed with shredded newspaper or bags of packing peanuts. Alley Cat Allies has protected and improved the lives of cats for 30 years. Watch here as Tyrell and Boy Scout Troop #3310 demonstrate how you can make community cat shelters at home! After the inspection was complete, I put straw back inside the shelter and we worked on deciding where to put it outside. There are several solutions possible: Keep the shelter on a covered, raised patio. Help us continue our work for cats: Join our online community and become part of the movement to save cats’ lives! If you think you might need to provide shelter for more than four or five cats, however, it's … Bales of straw are plentiful at this time of year in garden centers and home improvement stores, such as Home Depot and Lowe’s. Loosely pack the straw in the shelter to the quarter or halfway point. Take out the fluffed-up portion and discard the chaff. STRAW – NOT HAY – FOR FERAL CAT SHELTERS. Add or change straw as needed throughout the season. They feature two drain holes on the bottom and come filled with straw. I know that won’t last long term since the Styrofoam turns to junk pretty fast. So now is the time to purchase or construct outdoor cat shelters for your feral colony cats if you don’t have them in place already. Only use dry, loose material that the cats can burrow in. Put some layers of straw or dried grass down below where you set the shelter. Even local supermarkets have bales of straw alongside the chrysanthemums! Straw and hay may look similar, but they’re very different when it comes to insulating your feral cat shelters. In a shelter, the cat will not die of starvation, injuries, or exposure. If they pack it down, you can always add some more. A good size for a cat door is about 5 inches square. 18 inches (46 cm) is enough for most areas, but 12" (30 cm) or less will work in areas with less severe weather. Time to Reassess Your Organization’s Strategic Plan? Last month I cleaned all the shelters out and put in fresh straw and the 4 who sleep in the shelters are pulling fur out and itching like crazy. A bale of straw is priced at $16.95 and provides enough straw to fill two to three shelters. Rather than throwing them in the trash, you can use them to make a great outdoor winter shelter for a feral cat. Before you put the straw in the shelter, separate it by hand and fluff it up in a clean garbage bag. Some cat-friendly folks choose to build outdoor homes that resemble real houses for their furry feline friends, like this one. Straw can last decades when stored properly—in a dry place and off the ground, such as a wood pallet. Straw—Not Hay—for Outdoor Cat Shelters. Price: $24.99 each (regular website price), $20 each for TNR caretakers, further discounts on bulk orders of 60 or more shelters Raise the house off the ground (if necessary). What to Put In Your Winter Cat Shelter. We hope that the information we shared in this article will make the process of building homemade shelters much easier for you. The shelter must be raised if you expect snowdrifts or floods in your area. But you don’t have to put in that much effort or money — you can create an outdoor cat shelter to keep them safe from the harsh winter weather using materials that you probably already have. Hay … That’s it! If it’s too small, a cat can’t easily fit through it and that might be preventing them from using the shelter. When I moved from Texas to Austria, they came with me. It's quiet, safe , noone would disturb him, and he actually likes this place, thats why i thought i can put the shelter there. These lightweight but warm and sturdy shelters come stuffed with an ample supply of straw. Do not put a water bowl in your winter cat shelter. The winter months can be quite harsh and especially cruel to stray animals. A bail of straw, an 18 gallon & 30 gallon storage bin w/ lids -A bail of straw. It’s also the perfect time of year to replace the straw in the cat shelters you already use. These allow the cats to burrow. Cat-alyst Society – Monthly Giving Program, Forget-Me-Not Legacy Society: Planned Giving, Tribute Cards and Plaques to Support Feline Rescue, Check out our feral cat shelter gallery and where to buy them, Farm, livestock, or agricultural supply stores/catalogs. Where you put your cat shelters is just as important in how cozy it is. Make sure the straw doesn’t obstruct the entrance so the cats can get inside. If you want your shelter to serve as a house for more than one cat, make it bigger but not too big, as it still needs to provide warmth for cats. Each shelter measures approximately 34″ long x 20″ wide x 20″ high. The floor is covered with scratch-proof vinyl tiles. Shake the bag until all the small pieces and the dirt have sifted to the bottom. If you can get hold of some straw, this is by far the best sort of material to use in an outdoor shelter because a cat can burrow in it which helps them keep warm. Eagle Scout Tyrell and his Troop have built multiple shelters for community cats. We’re fortunate to have shelter-builders right here in NYC, and they have ready-made shelters currently available for purchase. They are covered with two 2ml drum liners and strapped with heat-welded plastic straps, so they are fully insulated. Straw is a loose bedding and cats can nest and burrow in it, allowing them to become even more comfortable and to feel safer. Hay is usually heavy … The easiest way to tell the difference between straw and hay is the price: hay generally costs two or three times more than straw. Take out the fluffed-up portion and discard the chaff. Queens (St. Albans) Purchase & Pick-up: Contact Ian at [email protected] or (646) 436-2301, Joe’s “fish box” insulated cat shelter. Read on for information from the New York City Feral Cat Initiative on where to buy ready-made shelters and bales of straw to keep your feral cats warm this winter. It can be simple and inexpensive yet equally significant to the life of an outdoor cat. Putting them near the feeding station has the advantage of limiting how far the cats have to travel to eat during snow or other inclimate weather. But first, here are some general guidelines for all outside cat shelters: Insulation. I ordered the straw to put on my Generation 1 Kitty Tube. My senior cat is staying in the house hugging up to the furnace vent in this cold weather. That’s it! Here’s how you put everything together to build a nice wooden shelter for stray cats: The first step in building this wooden shelter is to cut the plywood in your desired measurements. Dimensions: 38″ long x 16″ wide x 16″ high, with a 6″ round entrance. DATE 11 / 12 / 2020. That little shelf is for them to go up on, but I’m not sure how necessary it is. Straw is tough, thick, lightweight, and yellow or golden. They already have plenty of insulation built-in, which helps to keep cats warm without much effort. To read more about winterizing your colonies and creative ideas on how to make your own winter shelters, visit our Feral Cat Colony Care page. They look similar, but while straw makes excellent bedding for outdoor cat shelters, hay becomes a soggy mess. Hay is used as feed and is duller and … To help out our furry friends, crafting a homemade stray cat shelter creates a safe and cozy haven from the cold. Check out our feral cat shelter gallery and where to buy them Straw: Note that stores sometimes refer to straw as “hay.” Straw is hollow, shiny, and yellow, and is used as bedding for livestock. Cover the top with heavy branches, brush, and possibly a good sized rock to keep it in place. Insulation is the most important feature and should be placed right inside the shelter (and other places, depending on design). The difference between straw and hay may seem mundane, but it can actually make a world of difference for cats. Consider sharing a bale with other caregivers. The small “decorative” bales are more expensive than the larger bales for farms, but a little straw goes a very long way when it’s fluffed up. The cats will want room to nest in it and pack it down themselves, and they’ll need a little room to move around. Read our winter weather tips. Straw’s not too hard to come by. Don’t use hay, it gets moist and moldy. I had been thinking all this time it was or could be a food allergy. It will absorb body heat and leave the cats cold. Place two shelters with the doorways facing each other and put a large board on top of both shelters – this weighs the … Loosely pack the straw in the shelter to the quarter or halfway point. To get the cat inside, pop her food and water in there before you leave. Before you put the straw in the shelter, separate it by hand and fluff it up in a clean garbage bag. You should line your winter cat shelter with straw to help keep the area warm and dry. It soaks up moisture, making it cold and uncomfortable for cats—and has the potential to get moldy. If this is not your intention, make sure to drop the cat off at a ‘no-kill shelter’, instead of one that euthanizes unclaimed pets. But don’t delay, as supplies are limited! Put heavy, flat rocks or pavers/bricks on the lid/top. These well-crafted, warm, durable, 100% waterproof shelters are made with minimum 1″ Dow Super TUFF-R commercial insulation, reinforced corners, and GE Silicone II sealant. For starters, put the shelters where the cats are already used to going, like near their feeding station or in an area you know they like to hang out. Final Comments on Building this Outdoor Cat Shelter. The Things You Need to Put in the Outdoor Shelter. Shake the bag until all the small pieces and the dirt have sifted to the bottom. Cold, wet, wintry weather is just around the corner. (Photo by Joe Rachiele). Long Island Purchase & Pick up: Contact Joe at [email protected] or (516) 322 5621 or www.wintercatshelter.com Replace the bedding material if it gets dirty or wet. Queens (Forest Hills) Purchase & Pick-up: Contact Mary of Friendly Ferals at [email protected] or (917) 579-5718. Large, warm, and durable, these shelters are constructed from recycled Styrofoam fish boxes. Be sure you don’t over-stuff your shelter! A shelter about the size of 12″ x 18″ x 12″ should be big enough to house one cat, whereas one measuring about 24″ x 24″ x 18″ should be able to house three or four. Cats don't need a very large opening – only about 5-1/2 or 6 inches in diameter, or the width of their whiskers. All rights reserved. Overall, this was a fun project for a worthy cause. The material must be dry and loose, so that the cats can burrow into and underneath it. Every Fall and Winter my poor cats loose most of their fur. The body heat from a cat, when combined with straw bedding, is enough to warm up a small shelter. 16 years ago I adopted 2 cats, one stray and one from a shelter. Hay is typically used to feed animals, like horses. (Photo by Ashot Karamian). Towels, blankets and newspaper should not be used as they will soak up wetness. They look similar, but while straw makes excellent bedding for outdoor cat shelters, hay becomes a soggy mess. Building Homemade Shelters for Stray Cats. It’s not a waste, by any means, because they can also fit under it. Straw, the dry leftover stalks from harvested crops, repels moisture, making it the best bedding for outdoor cat shelters. And the small bales are more convenient to carry on the subway than the cheaper, gigantic bales you can purchase year-round from feed and grain stores and stables. You can make a feral cat shelter relatively cheaply and easily by following DIY options. Hay vs. The Feralvilla Outdoor Cat Shelter and Feralvilla Project Cat Shelter incorporate a 2-level design with a fully insulated upper level to provide an unprecedented level of protection. Fill the shelter about one-third to one-half of the way up the inside walls. An outdoor cat house filled with straw—not hay—will keep your feline friends warm and cozy during the winter. And in the winter, a wet bed can even be dangerous, making cats more likely to get sick. You can also order straw online from FeralVilla. A bale of straw is priced at $16.95 and provides enough straw to fill two to three shelters. Make sure the shelter is in an out-of-the-way place and not near busy roads or placed in areas with lots of foot traffic. Jane Hoffman Named to Alley Cat Allies’ Feline Forward Task Force, Reimagined Mayor’s Alliance Website: A Resource for NYC Pet Owners and People Who Want to Help Animals, Girl Scout Troop Teams Up with Mayor’s Alliance to Deliver Cage Comforters to Shelter Animals, Mayor’s Alliance Participates in First NYC Animal Careers Week, How I spent my summer vacation: rescuing the cat on my block. The Kitty Tube Feral Option with Straw - Outdoor Insulated Cat House - New Gen 4 Design How much should you use? Cutting a hole in the side of the cooler and adding a base of straw allows access and makes the shelter much more inviting. If you do give the cat to the shelter and no one claims the cat, they may euthanize it (in other words put the cat to sleep). Shelter will be warmer and cozier if you put loose insulating material inside. So I cleaned out his Kitty Tube for the feral cat that was coming to be fed. An insulated feral cat shelter crafted by Ian Henry. © 2021 Alley Cat Allies. Alley Cat Allies is a 501(c)3 organization. Love this post – cats and a hot guy, what’s not to love! Hay is usually heavy and green, but there are varieties, so if you aren’t sure—ask the clerk! On one end of the 18-gallon storage bin, cut a rectangular opening from approximately 5-inches from the bottom to about 4-5 inches from the top. It took about 2 hours to build the entire shelter once I had all the materials on hand. Help community cats keep warm with a cozy, insulated cat shelter. Whiskers in Wonderland, NYC’s Largest Holiday Pet Adoption Event, Returns December 7 & 8! Straw will be used for insulating your cat shelter. Consider the two different designs featured here. This should fit most cats. I then realized they did this only when it starts getting cold and they sleep in the shelters. Make sure the doors are big enough for a cat to fit through. An outdoor cat house filled with straw—not hay—will keep your feline friends warm and cozy during the winter.