Volunteers from the "No More Homeless Pets in Utah" program sponsored by Best Friends Animal Sanctuary came up with a simple, inexpensive design for a 1- or 2-cat shelter for feral cats. It's a great idea for individual rescuers, or for feral colonies.

Easy to make cat shelters

Large Styrofoam coolers make great feral cat shelters. Many people will ask their veterinarian to save the large coolers that vaccines are shipped in because the walls are extra thick and are perfect for kitty houses! Simply glue the lid shut, turn the container upside down and cut a hole (or possibly two) in the side (or sides). The adhesive product "Great Stuff" works is very good for gluing Styrofoam together and provides an airtight bond, but it is slippery, so after gluing the lid on, use galvanized nails to tack it shut. We only recommend two entrance holes if an escape hatch is needed in an area where predators may pose a threat to the cats. Cover the shelter with the thickest black plastic sheeting you can find, and use duck tape to seal every seam. You can purchase this at any home improvement store. Use a lot of duct tape and overlap the ends of the plastic in a 'T' formation, because duct tape will lose some of it's adhesive quality when it is wet and cold.

If you don't have access to a vaccine cooler, you can use large regular Styrofoam coolers, but if the walls are less than 1½ inch thick, you should cover the box with layers of bubble wrap or insulation. If you use insulation, use the kind that has paper on both sides and make sure that none of the fibers are exposed when your shelter is finished (you can put duct tape over any exposed areas near the entrance hole). If the shelter is outside, white pine chips make great stuffing inside the shelter. They absorb moisture. Cloth can get wet and freeze, making the shelter cold. If the shelter is in a garage or other very dry area, towels or kitty beds work well. You can also buy inexpensive fleece at most fabric stores too! You can use bubble wrap to make a curtain for over the entrance hole-two layers are good. You can also make bubble wrap fringes (leave the top few inches solid, and cut lower part vertically to make the fringe. Use duct tape to attach the curtain over the entrance.

Another great idea is to make a little awning over the door hole to keep rain or snow from falling directly in front of the door. You can use Styrofoam scraps glued together and attached with duct tape. Wrap the awning separately with black plastic to keep the look consistent, and add the awning last after you've wrapped the shelter in plastic. When you first put the shelter out, put some catnip inside and, if you used a bubble wrap fringe, tack part of it up at first so the cat can see the entrance. Placing the shelters on a pallet helps to keep it off the ground but that is not necessary. You may need to weight the shelters down with a brick or two in windy areas.

It's important to attach a little sign that says something like: "Please Do Not Remove This Shelter. It is part of a humane Trap, Neuter, Return program for feral (stray) cats. If you have questions, please call."

Adapted from No More Homeless Pets in Utah (A Best Friends Animal Sanctuary Program)