Winterizing A Stray Cat House (Plus, An Update On Our Neighborhood Stray, Tiger)

If you’re a regular around here, you already know about our neighborhood stray cat, who we’ve named Tiger. He’s absolutely adorable, and so friendly. I feed him twice a day, and on days when I’m working on projects outside, he hangs around and keeps me company. He loves to be loved on — head scratches, belly rubs, cuddles, and anything else he can get — and I’m happy to oblige.

So I went to Amazon to see what was available. After perusing several different options for stray and feral cat houses, I landed on this one. You can find it here. (affiliate link) It had good ratings, and overall, I really liked it. It was super simple to put together. It took me about 15 minutes from start to finish. And I really don’t think I could have built it from scratch for less than what I paid for it.

The slanted roof raises up on hinges for easy access to the inside. The inside has a divider to separate the inside into two sections to provide more wind protection to the sleeping area. Overall, it’s a great design and a really good cat house. But I wasn’t completely satisfied with it. The bottom was just wood slats, and I couldn’t see how that would offer much protection from the cold air and wind.

So I had an idea to add insulation to the bottom. I started by measuring the distance between the legs on the front/back and also on the sides.

And then I used leftover PVC boards that I had on hand (but any scrap wood could be used for this) and cut four pieces to those lengths on my miter saw.

And then I nailed those in place between the legs to create a little skirting around the bottom. I nailed right through the legs and into the edges of the PVC boards using 2.5-inch 16-gauge nails.

Once I had all four boards attached, I turn the house on its back and filled that space with two layers of R-13 insulation that was leftover from our newly insulated closet/laundry room floor. But anything could be used to insulate — leftover packaging materials from Amazon packages, old clothing, a can of spray foam insulation.

And then to hold the insulation in place, I cut a piece of plywood (I always have scrap plywood on hand) to fit inside the bottom.

And then I nailed that in place by nailing right through the skirting boards and into the edges of the plywood.

I wanted to insulate the sleeping area of the cat house a bit more, and after considering several options, I thought to myself, “What do all cats love? CARDBOARD BOXES!” And I always have plenty of cardboard boxes on hand! So I cut some cardboard down to size to line the inside of the exterior walls of the sleeping area. (By the way, miter saws and table saws make quick work of making straight cuts on thick cardboard.)

And then I put a little blanket in the bottom, and…

He loves it! He knows this is his house. He sleeps in there every night, and I often catch him in there taking a nap during the day. I’ve kept it under the carport right by our back door because the first night he had it, the wind was awful. It was so windy and so cold, so I actually tucked the cat house right next to our trash cans to provide a wind break, and then I also wrapped more insulation around the exterior of the house. There were only about two nights when that was necessary because of the cold, biting wind.

I shared the process in this video…

Since I decided to keep the cat house under our carport (for now, at least), and I knew it was about to get so cold, I actually bought a warming pad (specifically for cats and dogs) to go inside. I simply drilled a hole through the back of the house for the cord, and plugged into the outlet right there behind our trash cans. But unfortunately, he hated it! As long as that warming pad was in there, he refused to go into his house. As soon as I took it out, he started using his house again. Perhaps it made him too warm. Or maybe it emitted a sound that bothered him (and that I couldn’t hear). I’m not sure what the problem was, but he’s perfectly happy and comfy without it.

Last Thursday, our weather turned really bad. Not only was it cold, but it rained all day long, and the rain was mixed with sleet. I was so worried about Tiger being out in that because he doesn’t like spending all day in his house. I couldn’t concentrate on what I was working on because I was so concerned about him, so I went outside and found him (he almost always comes running when I call him). Then I put Cooper and Felicity in a separate room, and I brought Tiger into my studio where I was working.

He stayed inside all afternoon and early evening. He got all the attention and cuddles he wanted. I made him a bed in a box with a comfy blanket, and he slept for a very long time. He got some catnip, which he absolutely went crazy over. I thought that perhaps I now had another indoor cat, and I’d just have to find a way to get Cooper to get along with Tiger.

But that evening, after the weather had calmed down, I opened the back door to go get something out of the van, and he darted out the door. So while he enjoyed his afternoon in a warm house and out of the crazy weather, I think he’s just a free spirit who wants to be outside where he can roam around, snooze in the warm Texas sun, and come around for snuggles and food on his own schedule.

So for now, he’s still the neighborhood stray, and not a new addition to the Linauer household. That may change in the future, but for now, at least he knows he has a warm place to sleep at night, two meals a day, and head scratches and belly rubs any time he wants them.