Preparing a stray cat’s house for the winter (plus an update on our neighborhood stray, Tiger)

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

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

The sloping roof lifts on hinges for easy access to the interior. The interior has a divider to separate the interior into two parts to provide more wind protection for 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 wooden slats, and I couldn’t see how that could provide much protection from the cold air and wind.

So I came up with the idea of ​​adding insulation to the bottom. I started by measuring the distance between the legs in the front/back and also on the sides.

I then used the remaining plastic panels I had on hand (but any scrap wood can be used for this) and cut four pieces to these lengths on my miter saw.

Then I pinned them in place between the legs to create a little edging around the bottom. I installed directly through the legs and into the edges of the plastic panels using 16″ 2.5″ screws.

Once the four panels were installed, I flipped the house onto its back and filled that space with two layers of R-13 insulation left over from the newly insulated closet/laundry room floor. But anything can be used for insulation, such as leftover packaging materials from Amazon packages, old clothes, and a can of spray foam insulation.

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

I then secured that in place by nailing directly through the skirting boards and into the edges of the plywood.

I wanted to insulate the sleeping area of ​​the cat house a little more, and after looking at several options, I thought to myself, “What do all the cats love? Cardboard boxes! And I always have plenty of cardboard boxes on hand!” So I cut up some cardboard into Just the right size for attaching the inside of the outside walls of the sleeping area (By the way, miter saws and table saws make straight cuts on thick cardboard quickly.)

Then I put a little blanket down, and…

He loves it! He knows this is his home. He sleeps there every night, and I can often find him there taking a nap during the day. I kept it under the garage near our back door because the first night we had it, the wind was terrible. It was very windy and cold, so I placed the cat house next to the litter boxes to provide a break for the wind, and then also covered more insulation around the outside of the house. There were only about two nights when this was necessary due to the biting cold winds.

I shared the process in this video…

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

Last Thursday, our weather turned really bad. Not only was it cold, but it rained all day, mixed with sleet. I was really worried about Tiger being there because he doesn’t like to spend all day at home. I couldn’t focus on what I was working on because I was so worried about him, so I went out and found him (he always came running back when I called him). Then I put Cooper and Felicity in a separate room, and brought Tiger to my studio where I was working.

He remained inside throughout the afternoon and early evening. He got all the attention and hugs 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 drove him absolutely crazy. I thought maybe now I had another indoor cat, I had to find a way to get Cooper to get along with Tiger.

But that evening, after the weather cleared, I opened the back door to get something out of the truck, and it rushed out the door. So while he’s enjoying the afternoon in a warm house and away from the crazy weather, I think he’s just a free spirit who wants to be outside where he can roam, sleep in the warm Texas sun, come in to eat and sleep. His own schedule.

So, for now, he is still a living stray, not a new addition to the Lenauer 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 to scratch his head and rub his tummy anytime he wants.