Stray Cat House from Reused Wood and Mess

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Right, let’s “cut to the chase”, as “they” say. There’s a stray cat that roams our neighborhood (not Gimpy the stray cat, a different one), and me and Tiff have been feeding him/trying to adopt him for a while. So far he’s not ready to stay in our house, and since the weather is ’bout to start getting chilly, I decided it was high time to build him his very own homemade cat house from reused materials. Luckily I still had a bunch o’ materials left over from our kitchen remodeling, even after making a kitchen cart from reused materials.

First, I cut the floor and walls from some old wood I had from our kitchen remodeling. After some screws n’ glue, this is what I had:
Floor with side walls

I had some carpet left over from mi casa, so I cut out a lil’ chunk and oh-so-carefully fitted it to Charlie’s cat house.
Carpet installation time: 2 seconds!

Here you can see the roof (with insulation reused from Papa Spud’s vegetable box) attached to the back wall wit’ a hinge. This is so I can open up the back wall if I need to.
Space age insulation I tell you

I had enough of that space-age insulation to insulate the WHOLE back wall, as seen in this candid, no-holds-barred photo.
Insulated like a muthachugga

So’s I popped the roof and back wall onto the rest of the cat building, and voila, a homemade cat house for Charlie stray cat. Also, I reused some old baseboard molding for a stylish yet understated awning to keep the rain out.
Dang, that was easy!

Finally, it was time to use some caulk and paint to waterproof this bad boy. Tiff pitched in and used her exceptional artistic skills to paint the cat house (using leftover paint).
Slave at work

Cha-ching, the cat house is complete. Charlie Stray Cat inspected his new home, and cried a single tear of joy. He was now the proud owner of his very own stray cat house, made from reused wood and some leftover paint.
Proud new homeowner

This homemade cat house should keep Charlie warm this winter. And with its reused insulation, wood, and leftover paint, it is “green” as can be. I’ma keep on eye on it during the winter and see how it holds up. Also, I shall build an insulated front wall onto his house, once he gets used to being in it.

Posted in animals, green construction, projects, reusing on Tuesday, September 16th, 2008 at 9:31 AM.

Comments (30)

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kudos on the good job, mang.
Great job and what a good looking kitty.
you should have 4 walls w/ no door and kitty will be vurry warm

hURRHURR

nah but for real dude, nice one *tinks*
Maybe if I put a fire under it he will stay warm?
1 reply · active 439 weeks ago
Re-used stuff + helped a lonely animal = Super karma points! Well done!
John Berry's avatar

John Berry · 855 weeks ago

Thanks for sharing your idea...Nice work! I'm building several shelters for customers of mine... which got me into the idea... There are many people in the same situation (with stray cats) who can't do what you've done for themselves. I'd like to come up with a design that's cheap and green so I could help others in our area. I'll try to let you know what I come up with... Think global and act local... JB
Very nice job. Don't forget, that other wildlife also needs homes, birds, possums, squirrels, etc. Depending on where you live. Make lots of homes for all sorts of different animals and put them into the trees, about 4 meters off the ground. Size of entry hole will determen which animal will live in it. There is not enough shelter for animals, because all the trees and bushes are gone!
STOP THE CHAINSAWS!l!!!!!!!!
1 reply · active 854 weeks ago
Hey can you send me about three? I am disabled and I am unable to build things. There are some Ferral cats that would really benefit from it.
I see there are posts that say chain saw was used. I think they should read the article. These materials are not new.
1 reply · active 846 weeks ago
I do not wish to give my address on here.
Yes, there is an animal shelter here. I am calling the animal rescue team for the cats.
I just wanted to let people know there are organizations that actually will spay & neuter feral cats for free. I have used one and has fixed several feral cats (one or two could have been someone's pet) but I did'n't care, the cats didn't have chips, so they fixed them and then I released them back to where I trapped them. Most of them never returned (for many reasons as they had a home or they weren't going to get caught again-LOL). Search online for organizations that will lend you traps, you bring them in, then return them.

I made friends with a feral (still can not carry or pick him up) but now I am leaving the area and have to find a shelter for him with walls, roof and 2 exits. This keeps him from being trapped inside if a pretitor approaches. Plus keep him warm during the raining and winter days.

Anyway, great job
It's a great idea , but please consider adding a fourth wall to keep the cat warm and protected. The entrance should be no larger than 6" x 6", and should be about 5 to 6" above ground. The shelter should also face a wall, to avoid the wind.

Also, when carpet gets wet, it's almost impossible for it to dry in the winter, and it will freeze. The best thing to use is straw, hay, or "Pur Pads" from Petsmart, Petco. They retain the body heat.

Thanks!
3 replies · active 752 weeks ago
ya ok
that sucks i can bild better
3 replies · active 439 weeks ago
shadowhmb's avatar

shadowhmb · 810 weeks ago

good idea, I might scale a bigger version. Have 14 strays and 5 new borns (all feral) so made a home out of laundry tub. Cut hole in front, lid is roof and through some throw blankets for warmth..... They seem to like it b/c i have the side all covered except entrance area.. they thnk they are hiding.
great idea!! thanks so much for your post! Going to use it for our Sophie (who ran away from our old renter-neighbors, moved into our shed and now on our front porch). She won't come in our house because of our 2 other cats and 2 dogs. She loves her front porch freedom and safety, with the summer rains coming, this will be perfect for her!!
1 reply · active 673 weeks ago
We adopted two feral cats that we had been feeding in the 80s. Captured them before cold weather came. They were only given a small area of the house during litter box training. The area kept expanding and eventually they had full range of the house.

Both were neutered ASAP. They didn't like that, so it slowed their domestication for a month or so.

These wild cats became so domesticated (loved climate control, breakfast, dinner, constant water, sofas, beds, windows and eventually loved the dog) that we could allow them outside again. They never left the yard while sunning themselves and meowed to get back in after a few hours....OK, once a year the fat black cat would take her annual vaca to a next door neighbor's yard for a day.

The dog was a beagle. The fat black cat hated her at first. After a few months, she tolerated the beagle. Later, both would nap together on the "icky blue chair" in my bedroom. All are in Rainbow Ridge now and having a blast there.
Good thing 'bout those cats: They caught snakes in the garden. Bad thing 'bout those cats: They caught snakes in the garden. Y-i-k-e-s!
1 reply · active 666 weeks ago
It’s a real nice incident you were describing. How cute is his cage and he. You guys are really great, taking this much effort for the street cat. He would be really lucky to be in your hands, always safe.
That is so generous to build a home for the stray cat. What a great idea, it’s not only a green use of extra wood, but also makes a great home for the cat!

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