Outdoor cat shelters: How to make them and where to get them this winter

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Animal welfare organizations in central Ohio are working to ensure stray and feral cats have a warm place to escape from winter weather this year, by giving away homemade shelters. 

Colony Cats, a nonprofit that has served central Ohio for over two decades, provides resources to feral cats and maintains an adoption center in Dublin. For the past few years, the nonprofit has been making and distributing cat shelters to the community during cold weather. In just the past month, the organization has distributed over 100 shelters, according to executive director Mona McKinniss.

“A lot of these cats don't have any place really warm to go to,” McKinniss said. “Especially when it gets as cold as it did this past week, they can freeze to death if they can't find someplace where they can conserve their body heat.”

Colony Cats' homemade shelters are made from Styrofoam containers and filled with straw. The nonprofit alerts the public when it has shelters available on its social media accounts. The boxes are placed outside its adoption center -- located at 2740 Festival Lane -- for pickup. While the shelters are free, the organization said donations are appreciated.

“If someone knows they're going to need them and not going to be able to make it when they're sitting out, then they can send us a message either by email or Facebook, and we can hold them back for a day or so,” McKinniss said. “They usually do go very quickly.”

Columbus Humane, an animal shelter and protection agency founded in 1883, has begun to make and distribute winter shelters for the first time this year. Aleah Brady, operations manager of the field services department, said the organization has given out “a couple dozen” so far, but anticipates that figure will skyrocket over the next few months and in upcoming years. 

“This is a lot [more] popular than we initially anticipated,” Brady said. “There's actually over 400,000 outdoor cats in just Franklin County alone, so that is a crazy high number that we are trying to work with.” 

Brady said residents can call Columbus Humane at 614-777-7387 or reach out to the agency on social media to be put on a waitlist to secure a free shelter. Once shelters are available, the organization will reach out to those on the waitlist to pick one up at its facility, located at 3015 Scioto Darby Executive Court. 

“These cat houses give them a consistent and reliable place to get out of the elements, so anytime there's high winds, snow, rain, they can rely on that shelter to get themselves out of that situation,” Brady said. 

Both shelters rely on donations and volunteers in order to make the cat houses, resulting in them having a limited and fluctuating supply. However, the organizations said making them at home is fairly cheap and easy. 

There are multiple ways to make winter cat shelters. One of the most popular methods includes taking a plastic storage bin, lining the inside of it with Styrofoam, filling it with straw, then cutting a hole in the box so cats can enter. The lid should be taped shut, and the entryway should be several inches above the ground to keep out rain and snow. A door flap made from vinyl or rubber may also be added to help keep out cold air. 

“All the supplies can be bought at any local hardware store,” Brady said. “It’s a pretty simple process. You can also simply Google it and they'll probably give you other different designs, if you're wanting to get fancy or anything like that.”

McKinniss and Brady both emphasized that straw is necessary for the shelters because it repels moisture and keeps cats dry. 

“For the shelters themselves, you want to make sure you're only using straw,” Brady said. “Hay or blankets can kind of absorb the water and kind of create just an ice block in that shelter.”

If residents find a cat outdoors this winter that appears to be accustomed to humans, it may be a stray and should be taken to a vet to check for a microchip, McKinniss said. 

Stray cats were once pets and are socialized -- or can be resocialized -- with people. Feral cats have never been socialized and often have never had any physical contact with humans. It is usually not recommended or possible to domesticate an adult feral cat, and many of them are captured, fixed and returned outside to avoid overpopulation. 

Cats that have been fixed and released often have their left ear tip cut off, serving as a universal sign that the feline is an unsocialized outdoor cat that likely has a caretaker, Brady said. 

Another way to help outdoor cats during winter months is to feed them kitten food, since it has more calories which cats need to generate body heat, McKinniss said. Fresh water is also a necessity, and heated bowls can be used if temperatures are below freezing. 

Colony Cats also recommends people bang on their car hoods or honk before starting their car, to scare away any cats that may be curled up under car hoods during cold weather.