Insulated Cat Houses

Dog houses are common enough, but what about a cat house? Interestingly, many devoted cat fanciers are putting up insulated cat houses and their numbers are growing every year. The catch is, these insulated cat houses aren’t intended for pampered indoor pets. Even if you do let your cat out, you know that it probably has its own agenda that doesn’t involve any kind of a house. Rather, these insulated cat houses are put up specifically to provide shelter for outdoor feral cats during cold winters. Feral cats are a big problem in many parts of the world and many cat lovers make efforts to both care for them and neuter them to control their population. During particularly cold winters, insulated cat houses can provide shelter and warmth for feral cat populations.

So what, exactly, is an insulated cat shelter? Many caregivers construct their own shelters, and I couldn’t find a retailer that specialized in prefabricated insulated cat shelters. For what it’s worth, I did turn up a couple retailers offering seemingly well constructed wooden “cat houses” that were clearly intended for domestic cats “slumming it,” and they could just as easily serve as dog houses. These houses seem to go for $150.00+; not bad if you have the budget, and if you are looking to shelter feral cats than they’ll probably use one of these too.

Most insulated cat shelters are less aesthetically appealing, but much more budget-conscious. I found some ingenious insulated cat house ideas from the folks over at pacthumanesociety.org. These DIY designs all look sturdy, easy to construct and they seem to cost $40 or under for all materials used. One idea suggests using two large Rubbermaid storage containers with holes cut in the side for a doorway. The site also suggests using straw or even solar pool blankets for extra insulation.

Other insulated cat houses I’ve seen tend to remind me of chicken or rabbit hutches that I’ve seen on farms. These cat houses are situated in back yards, where they can be used by large colonies of ferals. Individual cat lovers build differently (often in an “each according to his or her carpentry skills” fashion) but materials that you’ll probably need for these houses includes plywood, hinges, some kind of flooring material and insulation. My friends feed their feral cat colony out of dishes placed in the insulated cat house, which can be refilled by opening the house’s hinged roof. Of course, caring for a colony of feral cats is a very serious commitment, but it can be an incredibly rewarding experience as well. Just be sure to check up on it in case other wild animals decide to make it their home.