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Post by Leonor (of Eleanor Shadow) on Jul 20, 2017 13:12:06 GMT
Hello, everyone
So, here's the story: I've been feeding some stray cats in my neighbourhood. As you might guess, this makes them feel welcome to lounge in my garden, but they have to shelter there. I'd like to make them some to keep them warm and dry during the colder months, and I've come across a couple of ideas, one of which is to use storage containers with makeshift cat flaps.
One of the things I'll need to do to keep the containers cozy and dry is to insulate them, and I thought I could use some fleece, maybe felt it to a certain size and place it on the walls, bottom and top of the box.
Has anyone tried this? I'd like to get some feedback if possible, just so I can avoid any mistakes if I can.
Thanks!
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Post by wolgelukkig on Jul 20, 2017 19:06:06 GMT
What a nice person you are to help those poor creatures. But I think that placing felt on walls and top of the container makes them very hard to clean and for your own health you better keep the containers as hygienic as possible. A cat has her own fur, so when she is protected by the walls of a container and there is a warm fleece bed underneath that you can take out and wash regularly is enough to keep the animals comfortable.
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Post by MTRuth on Jul 20, 2017 21:27:42 GMT
Haven't tried this but good for you!
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Post by Pandagirl on Jul 20, 2017 22:42:58 GMT
My son has feral cats living outside in Florida. They live under the bushes but find shelter on aneughbors stooo when it rains. What about a washable cat mat on the bottom?
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Post by Leonor (of Eleanor Shadow) on Jul 21, 2017 13:37:25 GMT
Thanks, Wolgelukkig I wasn't thinking about keeping the fleece "as is," I was thinking of putting it inside some fabric. Here in the UK temperatures don't tend to go too low (it rarely snows in London) but in some other countries I know this is done. Elderly cats don't produce a lot of heat, so this would be a good way to keep them cozy and dry
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Post by Leonor (of Eleanor Shadow) on Jul 21, 2017 13:40:05 GMT
My son has feral cats living outside in Florida. They live under the bushes but find shelter on aneughbors stooo when it rains. What about a washable cat mat on the bottom? I was thinking of adding more insulation to the walls and "ceiling" because although it doesn't get too cold here, it's still chilly out during Winter nights. Insulation would just help them heat up the shelter using their own body heat. I'm thinking specifically of one of the cats, he's a big Tom and I don't know how old he is. Elderly cats need a little extra help keeping warm
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Post by Pandagirl on Jul 21, 2017 16:11:56 GMT
My son has feral cats living outside in Florida. They live under the bushes but find shelter on aneughbors stooo when it rains. What about a washable cat mat on the bottom? I was thinking of adding more insulation to the walls and "ceiling" because although it doesn't get too cold here, it's still chilly out during Winter nights. Insulation would just help them heat up the shelter using their own body heat. I'm thinking specifically of one of the cats, he's a big Tom and I don't know how old he is. Elderly cats need a little extra help keeping warm I can't believe all my typos! Neighbors stoop! It rarely gets cold in Florida, it's usually ungodly hot and the cats are all black. They seem to survive and reproduce just fine. There are always at least four or five hanging around. You may end up with a herd!
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Post by Leonor (of Eleanor Shadow) on Jul 21, 2017 18:07:44 GMT
I was thinking of adding more insulation to the walls and "ceiling" because although it doesn't get too cold here, it's still chilly out during Winter nights. Insulation would just help them heat up the shelter using their own body heat. I'm thinking specifically of one of the cats, he's a big Tom and I don't know how old he is. Elderly cats need a little extra help keeping warm I can't believe all my typos! Neighbors stoop! It rarely gets cold in Florida, it's usually ungodly hot and the cats are all black. They seem to survive and reproduce just fine. There are always at least four or five hanging around. You may end up with a herd! Haha, no problem, I got the idea! Apart from the cold here, another issue to think about is foxes - they attack cats, so it's important to create a shelter that has two entrances/exits, but with a flap, so there are no drafts. (If you're wondering why I know these things, I translated a whole Trap-Neuter-Return manual for an animal charity in Portugal!) No hers, all the cats I'm feeding seem to have been neutered/spayed. There are also programs that allow you to bring in a stray and do that for free at the vet. Neat, huh?
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Post by Pandagirl on Jul 21, 2017 20:27:38 GMT
It sure is Leonor. I was sure you had done all your homework first. :-)
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Post by Shepherdess on Jul 23, 2017 0:43:01 GMT
Here what they do is put a Styrofoam container inside a tote. It gets really cold her -40. I know there is a website about making them. I will see if I can find it. If you put fleece between the to containers it would insulate.
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Post by Shepherdess on Jul 23, 2017 1:04:24 GMT
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Post by zed on Aug 8, 2017 11:11:07 GMT
Would insulating the outside work? Maybe you coould do a combination of fixed and removeable/washable insulation, so maybe polystyrene covered with something waterproof on the outside, and maybe a nice thick cat mat for inside?
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