Caring for Community Cats
Building a winter shelter for your outdoor cats can be both simple and inexpensive.
Two of the more popular styles are:
- Styrofoam coolers
- Rubbermaid™ plastic storage bins with removable lids. It’s important the brand is Rubbermaid™; otherwise, the plastic walls may crack in cold temperatures.
When constructing a shelter, here are a few basic ideas to keep in mind.
All good shelter designs share two qualities:
- Strong insulation – needed to trap body heat, which turns the cats into little radiators. Use straw, not hay or blankets.
- Minimal air space – a smaller interior area means that less heat is needed to keep the occupants warm.