Nebraska Humane Shares How to Build an Easy DIY Shelter to Keep Outdoor Cats Warm
If you're practically living in your coziest sweaters from October through March, you're certainly not alone. The colder months can bring with them a bit more than a chill, and you're not the only one who wants to bundle up. Plenty of animals are growing their thick winter coats or enjoying hibernation, but not every outdoor critter is built to be outdoors.
Despite the popularity and normalcy of outdoor cats, it's not recommended to let pet cats wander for safety and ecological reasons. Still, there are plenty of stray and feral kitties who spend the coldest months seeking outdoor shelter. It just isn't possible to give every outdoor cat a warm home for the winter, but the Nebraska Humane Society wants to remind people that there is something they can do.
On January 4, an animal shelter volunteer showed how to make an insulated shelter for outdoor cats, using many tools you'll find in your local hardware store, or even your garage. Most likely you'll only need to buy one or two items!
What a fantastic idea! I will admit I had my doubts about how easy building a DIY outdoor cat shelter for winter would be, but the hardest step will be cutting the opening into the styrofoam cooler. Once you've gathered all the materials, most of your work is already done!
Related: Outdoor Cat Visits Neighborhood Friends While Wearing a Camera and the Result is Everything
Just to review, the items you'll need include:
- styrofoam cooler
- knife or box cutter
- pen or marker
- straw (not hay)
- large trash bag (optional)
- duct tape (optional)
You may also want to use some scissors to cut the duct tape, but the knife or box cutter will do the trick, too. Please be careful with sharp objects! Make sure pets are a safe distance away while building this project, as trash bags can be suffocation hazards, too. There will be plenty of time to explore once this outdoor cat shelter is built!
Why It's Smart to Keep Cats Indoors
This DIY shelter for cats is a potentially lifesaving tool for outdoor cats living in freezing conditions, but another thing you can do to help is to not contribute to the outdoor cat population. As fun as it sounds to have a garden cat who comes and goes, a wandering feline is much more likely to develop health issues or injuries from its travels.
Fewer people consider outdoor cats' effect on their neighborhood ecosystems, but even a few extra felines who enjoy hunting could lead to a huge environmental shift. In fact, over 30 species of birds around the world have gone extinct purely due to the introduction of cats to their habitat. That doesn't need to happen again!
Even so, it's essential to show kindness to the cats who do live outdoors. Whether you leave out a dish of non-frozen water each morning or build this cat shelter for your neighborhood kitties this winter, it will have a wonderful impact on their lives.
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