How to Make an Outdoor Cat Shelter

Making an outdoor cat shelter from a large storage container is a simple project that requires few supplies. I recently made one for a neighborhood cat so she’d have a cozy and dry place to go during cold or rainy weather.

Supplies needed to make an outdoor cat shelter

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18 Gallon Storage Container (or larger)
Foil insulation
Duck Tape
Box Cutter
Scissors
Pine Straw or Hay
Bricks or scrap pieces of wood

How to make an outdoor cat shelter

First I cut a 6×6″ square door on the container with the box cutter. You want the door to be just large enough for the cat to get in but not larger than necessary so it doesn’t let too much cold air inside.

Line the box with foil insulation cut to fit the shape of the container. First cut a piece to fit on the bottom of the container and make sure it’s big enough to touch all four sides. Then line the sides with a continuous piece of the insulation. Don’t worry about covering the door — you’ll cut it to fit in the next step. Then used duck tape to attach the insulation to the sides of the container as well as to the piece of insulation on the bottom. You want all the insulation to be taped together so it’s not drafty when the kitty is inside. Finally, tape a piece of insulation to the inside of the top of the container.

Next use the razor blade to cut the insulation on the top and bottom of the door but do not cut the sides. Instead, slice it down the middle to make a flap door. You could also cut the bottom and sides but leave the top attached, like a doggie door. Either way, the flaps will stay partially closed to help it stay warmer inside. Line the cat house with pine straw or hay. Towels or blankets will get wet and mildew so are not ideal to use as bedding.

Find a secluded, quiet place for your cat house. I placed mine in the woods where I know our neighborhood cat roams. Place the house on top of bricks or scrap pieces of wood so it’s not sitting directly on the ground. I also placed a heavy piece of wood on top to keep it from tipping over.

So who was the recipient of this outdoor cat shelter?

My most recent experience with TNR was right down the street from my house — the last place I ever expected to find feral cats. Last June, Sophie and Audrey noticed this cute little orange tabby kitten without a collar sitting alone on a someone’s front porch.

I started asking questions of neighbors and was shocked to hear that there was a feral mama cat who had been having litters of kittens for several years. I couldn’t believe this has been happening so close to home and I was totally unaware of it. But even more so, I couldn’t believe none of my neighbors had done anything about it.

The good news was there wasn’t a whole colony. Only Mama Cat, as we came to call her, a small male who I think may be one of her grown kittens, an elusive black cat who comes and goes, and the orange kitten. Neighbors told me there had been three kittens, but a family in the neighborhood caught and adopted two of them.

Patti, a neighbor who had been feeding the cats, agreed to let me set a trap on her porch. We easily caught the cute orange kitten the the first time I set the trap. A local rescue organization found him a good home. A couple weeks later I caught the small male cat and had him neutered. But Mama Cat was way too smart to get in the trap.

We trapped two or three afternoons a week from June to September. I tried using the trap as a feeding station, baiting it with a variety of smelly foods, disguising the trap under leaves and pine straw, and moving it to multiple different locations, but absolutely nothing would work. The picture below sums it all up.

I was losing hope that we’d ever catch Mama Cat and I knew we were in a race against time before she was pregnant again. One night in late September I walked down to Patti’s house to close the trap down for the night. I’d already left it open later than I should have and it was almost dark. As I approached I could hear something in the trap, and figured we’d probably caught a racoon or possum. I was so shocked (and relived!) when I peeked under the sheet and found Mama Cat inside!

I got a call shortly after taking her into the vet the following morning to let me know they’d done an ultrasound and she was already pregnant. They connected us with a volunteer who was willing to foster her until the kittens were born. Patti and I decided to it was time for us to give her a “real” name. We chose Anna after another strong female — Anna from Disney’s Frozen.

The guest bathroom at the foster’s house became Anna’s new home for the next few weeks while we waited for the birth of her kittens. She had free-rein of the bathroom, food, water and shelter, and a safe place to deliver her last litter. Eventually she gave birth to three kittens. Sadly, one of them didn’t make it but a solid black kitten and an orange tabby survived.

When the kittens were old enough to be weaned, Anna returned to the vet’s office to be spayed and vaccinated. The kittens remained with the foster for another few weeks before being adopted.

After Anna’s recovery period, Patti released her back to her old stomping grounds. Surprisingly, it took her a few moments to exit!

Anna’s release!

It was a chilly day in December when we released her. I wanted her to have a warm place to sleep and get out of the cold weather, so I made the outdoor cat shelter for her. I honestly don’t know if Anna uses her cat house. She’ll probably never go inside an enclosed space again after her trapping experience. But at least she has the option.

I often see in her favorite napping place — the sofa on Patti’s front porch. She’s enjoying being retired from the mom life!