Have you ever found yourself wondering about how to build a feral cat shelter? You’re not alone. There are thousands of DIY cat shelter projects that involve building an effective, efficient and humane shelter.
This has led me to create my own compilation of DIY feral cat shelter plans. Of course, we’re going to focus on the ones that don’t require complex carpentry skills or tons of extra materials.
Feeding your neighborhood feral cat population has never been easier. There are countless ways you can build a DIY feral cat shelter to help these cats stay safe, warm, and dry throughout the winter and year-round.
1. How To Build A DIY Feral Cat Shelter
The first feral cat shelter we will be looking at is this one made from a plastic tube, black tubing 6 inches in diameter, gorilla tape duct tape, cardboard for template (optional), sharpie, Exacto knife, tape measure, circular saw, and Styrofoam.
You can start by cutting the plastic tube using a circular saw. You can see the next steps by watching this video tutorial. The cardboard was useful only if you wanted to make more than one piece. It can be used as a template so the process will be faster.
2. DIY Outdoor Feral Cat Shelter
Before you can make a feral cat shelter you must have some supplies on the ground. One of the supplies is a plastic tube. Start by cutting a hole on each side of the plastic tote, a hole of about 5” wide. Then put some straw at the bottom of the tote and place a self-heating, on top of it. This self-heating mat will help reflect the body heat to the cats. Cats really love something like this.
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3. DIY Feral Cat Shelter
This whole feral cat shelter takes only 10 minutes until complete.
Here is how to get your cat a warm shelter;
Gather the following materials: a heavy-duty plastic tote, one foam cooler, straw, and a knife with a serrated blade. Place the foam cooler into the plastic tote and cover the tote.
Get a round bowl or any round object and trace it at one side of the tote to make a hole. Using the hole on the tote to mark another hole on the cooler, cut the hole and place it back into the tote. Fill the cooler with the straw and the space between the cooler and the wall of the tote. Cover the cooler and cover the tote. you’re good to go.
4. Feral Cat Shelter DIY
Cats are attracted to a warm place, therefore this cat shelter will surely attract your cat.
All you have to do to provide your cat with this much comfort is to get 2 plastic totes of different sizes. Place the smaller tote in the bigger one and cut a hole through one side of the totes.
Make sure the holes on both totes are corresponding in order to allow easy movement of the cat. Then, get enough straw to fill up the gap between the totes and also the inside of the smaller tote.
5. DIY Feral Cat Winter Shelter
Some cats have been abandoned by their owners and have nowhere to go to or a place to warm their bodies. You need to learn how to make a feral cat house to pity such a poor cat. Here is what you need for the building; A styrofoam, knife, straw, caulk gun, liquid nails, and ruler.
6. Coyote Proof Feral Cat Shelter
This feral cat house is made from scrap wood and plywood. The opening of the cat house was made from an old plastic barrel. It is very simple and inexpensive. Check the link below to learn more about the project.
7. DIY Shelter For Feral Cats
For this feral cat shelter, you need the following materials: ½ inch plywood, 3 2×2×8 framing pieces, assorted screws and nails, reclaimed cat door, ½ insulated board, 2 hinges, 2 latches, solar light, outdoor paint, straw, glue, and weather stripping. Once you have all these materials you’re good to go.
8. Feral Cat House DIY
This is made from a storage tub. Make sure the storage tub you get has a lid. Once you have the tub, get a knife and cut a square hole on one side of the tub for the movement of the cat in and out of the shelter. Then, get a pet bed and place it inside the tub. Cover the tub and wait for your cat to enter through the hole.
9. How To Make A Feral Cat Shelter
Cat feral shelter is very easy to make, it doesn’t require much time and it is inexpensive as well. Let’s see how you can make a simple cat feral shelter with little supplies; You will need a plastic tote, a Styrofoam cooler, some straw, and a knife.
With the knife cut a hole on one side of the plastic tote. Place the foam cooler inside the tote and cut a hole through it exactly to the area where the hole is on the tote. After that, fill the cooler and gap between the tote with straw. Cover the tote and lure your cat to enter from the hole.
10. Feral Cat House Plans
This custom-made cat feral shelter is made from a plastic window attached to a wood frame. The wood frame was made in order to give the shelter some stability. On the side of the wood frame, there is a small door where the cat can move to and from the shelter.
It is quite simple and unique. You can place it outside where the plastic window can absorb heat and transfer the heat to warm the shelter for the cat.
11. Large Feral Cat Shelter DIY
This is a super simple feral cat shelter; it is made solely from a Styrofoam cooler and Styrofoam. Get 2 coolers and cut two holes on each one of the coolers, one on the wider side of the cooler and the other on the shorter side. Make sure the holes on the wider side of both coolers are in line.
To make sure the lid of the cooler is secure, use transparent tape to hold it tightly, repeat this for both coolers. Then, use the tape to join both coolers together.
12. How To Build A Winter Cat Shelter
To build a winter cat shelter you need to insulate such a shelter very well. And the best material for the insulation in this case is straw. Get enough straw, a tote, and a tight-fitting Styrofoam cooler, and then get to work. Place the tight-fitting cooler into the plastic tote, cut a hole through both plastic and cooler, then, fill the cooler with straw.
13. How To Build An Outdoor Shelter For Feral Cats
The materials needed for this outdoor shelter for cats include A large plastic tub, a small plastic tub, box cutter, straw, permanent marker, scissors, hairdryer, thin slab of Styrofoam, plastic flower pot. The use of a hairdryer in the supplies is to heat the plastic tub around the marked area so that it will be easy to cut through.
14. How To Build A Feral Cat Shelter
Here is another simple and inexpensive feral cat house. It uses a plastic tote and styrofoam cooler. Here is the simple process involved; Cut a hole through the side of the plastic tote, place the cooler inside the tote, and grace the hole on it. Cut out the traced area such that the holes on both are corresponding. Then, fill the cooler with straw and cover the tote.
15. Heated Winter Cat Shelter
For this heated winter cat shelter you will need the following materials; Sheet of ½” plywood, wooden boards for trim, clear acrylic or polycarbonate sheet, carpet, manually controlled heating mat, nails, screws, wood glue, clear silicone sealer, vapor barrier plastic sheet, heating pad.
16. DIY Feral Cat Shelter
Here is what you need to make this feral cat shelter; A cardboard box for the shelter, scissors for cutting, duct tape to secure the cardboard box tightly, a trash bag to cover the box and make it waterproof, and a towel to serve as the cat bed.
17. Building A Winter Cat House
During the winter the cats find it hard to stay outside and play on the open hammock as much as they would love to, the weather won’t allow that. So, this wooden cat shelter with a removable top which is also insulated will be a very good option for the cat. The wooden box is insulated as well.
18. Feral Cat Shelter DIY Cardboard
You can make this feral cat shelter using some scrap materials like scrap woods, some leftover insulation, cardboard boxes, duct tape, and flex seal. The first step is to place the smaller cardboard box into the bigger one. Use the flex seal to cover the bottom of the cardboard box to strengthen the cardboard.
19. How To Build A Feral Cat Shelter For Winter
This winter cat shelter is made from cardboard, and pieces of wood. Though two different materials were used, the cat shelter is quite amazing. To learn more about this feral cat shelter, click the link below.
20. DIY Outdoor Cat Shelter conclusion
For this cat shelter, you need a 44-gallon plastic tote that will be outside of the shelter. You need other materials too to compete for this project; you need a plastic tote, masking tape, Styrofoam, and a knife. Check the video tutorial for more details on the project.
Conclusion
Now that you know everything you need to know about DIY feral cat shelter plans, go ahead and start building one. These shelters cost less than other complex ones out there, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t provide your local feral cats with a warm place to live.
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