Building a winter cat shelter from a dog house. Home Improvement Tips, Advice, and Resourses.

WINTER CAT SHELTER MADE FROM A DOG HOUSE

This winter cat shelter was made from a dog house purchased at Petco. The other materials needed to convert the house was a sheet of building foam (3/4" in thickness), 3/4" screws, a couple finishing nails about 1 1/2" in length, 6 peel and stick floor tiles, and a scrap piece of plywood. It was constructed using common tools.

In order to keep heat in and to reduce draft, the opening of the house had to be reduced a lot. When using it for a cat, the opening only need be 6x6". This particular opening was made 6x8" because one of the cats was very large and the owner was concerned about the cat not fitting.

A piece of plywood was cut and stained to protect it against the weather and also to match the house better. The plywood could have also been painted a dark brown. The opening should be cut a little off the floor so that the foam will not show when it's installed later on.

This is a picture from the inside of the house. It shows the plywood entry in place and secured to the house.

In order to make the cuts, the plywood was put in place and traced with a pencil from the outside. Then an inch was added to the tracing. This gave enough to be able to screw it to the house trim.

Next, the floor is installed. Tight, precise cuts are the key in making this house warm. Because of the tight cuts, no silicone is required. Therefore, there is no odor in the house afterward.

After a tight fit is made, it is removed and tiled. The reason for tiling is that the cat's claws will not ruin the soft floor. It's also easy to clean. Tight seams are important in order to keep heat within the house and to reflect it back to the occupants. Peel and stick tiles were used as the floor.

It's now time to build the walls of the cat shelter. Do the sides first, then the front and back. You'll notice that the front and back walls hold the side walls in place by pressing firmly against them. Again, a tight fit is important.

By this time, you should have a nice tight fit in all the seams. With tight seams, air cannot come through the opening and escape out the seams. You actually create pressure with a tight fit that helps to stop wind from entering the cat shelter.

Once you have all four walls cut and in place, take short finishing nails and toe them into the tops of the front and back walls. You're inserting them on an angle, downward into the side panels. Basically, you're pinning the panels together. This is in case a cat decides to grab a panel to stretch on. The cat will not pull the panel down.

Additional, left over material was inserted between the space on the sides of the house. This provides additional insulation.

It's suggested to use an approved animal heating pad for warmth. These pads are made of hard plastic, with protective electrical cords.

Since the cat has a nice fur coat, he or she may get warm. By only covering half the floor with a heater, the cat can move to an unheated area if it gets too hot. The protected cord is brought through the ceiling of the foam as shown in the picture. It exits the gable side of the roof.

Test the heating unit before continuing. You'll want to know now if there's any defect in it's operation. Otherwise, you'll have to take the house apart.

It's now time to put the ceiling on. Adding a flat ceiling is important because it lowers the open space. This keeps the heat closer to the occupants instead of letting it escape to the peak. You really want to keep the space small so it doesn't take a lot of the cat's resources to heat it up.

The power line comes up through a small cut in the ceiling and another hole is drilled through the side of the house. The hole is just big enough for the plug to fit through.

Since the cat might stretch upward, the cat could lift the ceiling. By placing strips at the front and back of the ceiling and securing them to the house, it keeps the ceiling from lifting. It also presses the ceiling tighter to the walls, creating a nicer fit. A couple small screws hold the strips of foam in place.

The ceiling is easily taken off by removing the screws located in the strips of foam. You are now done with the house. Add the other half of the roof to complete the house and it's ready to be place in your backyard.

This house was converted for a caretaker of feral cats.