How to build a cathouse for outdoor cats?
What material will I need to build the cathouse?
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Here are the 6 articles to have on hand:
- A styrofoam bin with lid;
- A plastic bin with a lid that’s big enough for the styrofoam bin to fit inside;
- Insulating material (eg straw, blankets, towels, etc.);
- A retractable blade knife (eg X-ActoTM);
- Tape (eg Duct tape or "Duck tape");
- A non-erasable marker.
What are the steps to follow to build the cathouse?
There are 10:
- Use the marker to draw a door on the plastic bin. Trace it to 4 inches from the ground and 8 inches wide x 8 inches tall. This size allows cats to enter, but not air and snow.
- Cut the door with the knife.
- Cover the bottom of the bin with about 4 inches of insulation material.
- Place the styrofoam bin in the plastic bin.
- Draw a door in the Styrofoam bin directly on top of the plastic bin door. Make sure both doors are perfectly stacked.
- Remove the styrofoam bin and cut out the marked door.
- Tape the duct tape on the edges of the doors so that they do not scratch the cats when they enter and exit the cathouse.
- Fill the gap between the two bins with insulating material (around the styrofoam bin).
- Close the bins with their covers. You can put insulating material between the two lids.
- Place the cathouse outdoors in a location protected from wind and snow.
*Do not put blankets at the bottom of the styrofoam bin because they will get wet and and very cold.
Text created of February 5th 2019.