Advice providing outdoor shelter

[Bex80]

We have two cats and two young children. Since the children came along, one of our cats now spends most of her time outside. She is clearly just avoiding the children as she will come back in again when we are out, or when the kids are napping or in bed. She is getting on a bit and i feel quite bad to see her sitting outside in all weathers. I have tried several times to create her 'safe' spaces away from the children inside the house, but all to no avail. Now the weather is getting colder again, i am tempted to buy/create some kind of outdoor shelter for her, but given how unsuccessful i was creating somewhere 'safe' inside, i am a bit worried she will just ignore anything i put outside too. Does anyone have any advice on creating shelter that she will actually use?

[Kay]

This is a sad situation, and I'm afraid I feel you should do your best to find her another home asap - the fact she comes inside when the house is quiet shows she doesn't want to live outdoors, and her health is going to deteriorate

Meanwhile if you have no shed she could go into, a Mr Snugs kennel is a good bet, and warm linings can be bought for them

But a new home where she feels safe would be so much better than any outdoor shelter

[MarySkater]

You could try something like this:
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_ ... oor/278229

I've got one. It came flat-pack, and the instructions said that if exposed to weather, it might need some kind of wood treatment. I didn't bother - at £45, I'll take a chance. Mine has been in my garden for 8 months, and it's fine. You can get similar ones that come assembled and made with pre-treated timber, but they tend to run at over £200.

My cats tend to sit on the "balcony," or on the roof, rather than in the enclosed box, but then they can get indoors any time they like.

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For your cat, I'd suggest putting some kind of lining in the enclosed bit - maybe a fleece blanket which you can bring indoors to dry off when it gets damp, or newspaper which can be changed. If you put some treats in there for her, that might get her attention. There's no guarantee she'd use it, but give her a bit of time and she might. Or you might be able to make a cheaper version out of, say, a plastic storage box. Make sure it's stable, and raised a bit off the ground.

Good luck.
Mary

[Marla]

Have you tried creating a high-up hideaway in a quiet part of the house, with steps up and down?

[Alice]

This idea might provide a temporary solution, while deciding on something more permanent....

When a neighbour of mine was feeding a stray cat (which she later adopted) I copied an idea I'd seen, probably on this forum, making use of a large polystyrene box, the sort meat and fish are delivered in. I'm told that butchers/fishmongers are likely to have them, and give them away. I was lucky as a friend had one and gave it to me. The polystyrene is quite thick, so should provide quite good insulation.

I used the lid as a base and cut an entrance, using a very sharp craft knife, as shown, then put soft fabric (old nightwear ) to lie on. It would be best to raise it a little above ground, preferably in a sheltered position, and place a couple of bricks or some large stones on top, to prevent it being blown about in a strong wind.

You say that she comes in when the children are in bed, so does that mean that she spends the night indoors, so that any shelter would be mainly used in daytime/early evening? If so, this might be worth a try before buying anything expensive.

Putting treats or a bit of tasty food inside might tempt her to investigate it when first put out for her, or could be tried indoors for her to get used to it. Good luck with whatever you decide on.

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[Lilith]

Hi and welcome - yes, she will definitely need shelter now and through the winter, but I'd also recommend making a BIG fuss of her when she comes in, special titbits, food and all, and getting the children to a)give her some space and peace and b)a lot of love once she's learned to trust them. She's not a happy camper at the moment is she?

You know your children best; if you explained to them that she's shy of coming in, and why, and why you want them to help you to get her to spend more time in the house, and organised ways and means, it could be a start.

The shelters mentioned are great; out of the wind and out of the rain is paramount - but do hope she comes back to her rightful home, good luck

[Bex80]

Thanks for the tips. Yes she does always sleep in the house overnight so any shelter would just be for daytime. She is currently curled up next to me purring loudly
She loves being outside and has always spent many hours sitting in the garden watching the world go by. But since the kids came along she will persist in staying out even in pouring rain. She does sometimes sleep upstairs or hidden away under furniture during the day, but is usually found outside. We often have our garage and conservatory open, but she won't go in there either. Instead chooses to sit in the rain! I have tried hideaways up high and hidden away in quiet places inside the house, but she is a stubborn little Miss and deliberately avoids them!
The kids are a bit young to fully understand (3 and 1), although we do explain to them to be gentle and nice to her. The eldest is just a little over-excited and loud and tends to shout at her. She is not scared of him, but just chooses to avoid him when she can (and i don't blame her). He is getting older and calmer now so hopefully this will soon improve. She doesn't avoid them completely and will sometimes come in if they are quiet and calm.
Perhaps i will try a home made shelter or maybe buy something, don't want to spend a lot in case she refuses it!

[Janey]

Hi and welcome, sorry that your cat seems to be avoiding the house since the kids came along. However, I look after some feral cats and they often sit out in the rain, despite having shelter (which they use a lot) as does my own resident cat, and she isn’t trying to avoid the house at all, she just does it occasionally, then comes in ready for a rub down with muddy paws lol! I’ve had various shelters for the ferals over the years and the two I have found they use the most is the wooden kennel type and the Mr Snuggs type. My sister gave me the first Mr Snuggs which was used a lot and I used to put some towels or fleece in there. She gave me it when her feral died. However she took it back once she started looking after another stray cat and gave me a wooden kennel she had. I read up and found out that cats actually like to sleep in straw and it’s the best for them as it doesn’t get mouldy and damp like materials. The ferals soon loved it, but last year they stopped going in and I could understand why until I spotted a mound at the back where the hedgehogs had started bedding, so they had squatters! So I bought another larger type Mr Snuggs for the two ferals, and put old fleece dressing gowns in, which they used. Then a year later the ferals started to go back in the wooden hut again, so the hoggies must have left. I change the straw occasionally and they use the bed every night, so out of the two they do seem to prefer the hut with straw. Also some think hay is ok to use but it’s straw you need and you can get it from lots of places such as pet shops, it’s fairly cheap and you don’t need much as it’s packed tight and you pull it apart and spread it out.
Hope that helps.

[meriad]

Bex, I have a cat that spends more time outside vs inside and only in the really cold winter days / nights will she come in - where exactly she spends her time I have no idea, but it's across the road in the neighbours quite large and overgrown gardens. Does your cat know how to use a cat flap? If yes and if you can, maybe see if you can put a microchip cat flap into the door to the garage so only she and your other cat can get it there. With you leaving the door open there is a slim chance another cat is using the shelter which is why your cat may not like it? Also by using a cat flap and limiting access to your cats only you could leave dry food and water in the garage and she may use it more? And then - get one of these nice big fruit box from a grocery store (you know the really sturdy ones with slightly higher corners?) and then line that with newspaper on the bottom and then a soft fleecy blanket; most cats love boxes

I have a snugs and I must say none of my cats ever really took to it; however a friend of mine has the larger dog one and that was used quite regularly. I think the cats prefer the larger space. I also have quite a few of the Maisonette houses that MarySkater posted about - they definitely prefer the top balcony to the bottom bit, but do use the bottom at times. I cut up some carpet and put it in/on both levels and that seemed to work. But not sure how warm and insulated it would be for winter with just a piece of carpet in the bottom? Mine love lying in the balcony bit when it's raining

And another thing to try inside is feliway or pet remedy diffuser that may just help calm her a bit when she is inside? Or even Bach Rescue drops in their drinking water?

Best of luck, it is a worry when our pet decides to live differently to what we'd like, but hopefully she will realise at some point that the kids are quite OK and then come back inside. You obviously do care and worry about her and I really hope you find a suitable solution