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Hello Everyone! In today’s’ Topic, we will go over 10 benefits of Insulated Outdoor Cat houses. A lot of people think that it is ok for cats to be outside.
To roam and hunt their food. But that is not the case. Even though cats have a really good tool that would make them great hunter and survivalist… they suck at it.
That is why a lot of cats die in the winter because they can no seek the right shelter to protect themselves from the harsh elements. Even if they find somewhat of a shelter, it does not hold their body heat and they fall asleep and never wake up.
Ok! Let us start with number 1!
1. Helps Retain Heat Inside
During the winter time, when the temperatures are freezing, a cat loses body heat fast. When they seek shelter inside the house. Insulation is lined between the wall and floor. This allows for the cat’s body heat to be trapped inside the room thus allowing it to not freeze to death! Do you know that if someone tosses out a cat? Once the temperature gets to 45 degrees and below. It is not ideal for a cat. You would think their fur helps them a lot but it does not. So you at least have 4 to 5 months out of the year which has those temps(If you are living in the east close to NC).
Also when the mother has kittens, she has to ensure that it stays warm inside because the kittens cannot retain or produce enough heat to live. They have to rely on mommas heat to get by. If the momma cat does not have a shelter, she has to constantly stay and cuddle with her kittens. But inside the house, she can leave for a little and eat and get water and then come back and they will be safe.
2. Stays Cool Inside During The Summer
During the summertime, temps can hover around 82-102 degrees. Even though the shade is nice when a female cat has kittens. She has to make sure they are in the ideal nest. Having insulation in the house allows for the inside to stay cooler than the outside due to it reflecting heat away from the room. Do you know that cats are descendants of desert cats? But even being descendants, they can only really take the heat in the range of 73 to 80 degrees. When they are very hot, they tend to be lazy and pant until the evening when it cools down. when there is no shade trees, the house will be their next bet.
3.Helps Muffle Out Sounds From Inside
When a female cat has her kittens in the house. She is in a vulnerable spot. With the insulation, it helps reduce sound coming from the house. In this case, it will make it harder for predators to spot and attack her home.
4. You Can Find Insulation Everywhere
When you go looking for insulation. there are cheap alternatives you can use other than going to buy the good stuff at your hardware store. You can use styrofoam which comes from every package order you buy off amazon. The stuff is everywhere!
5. Ceder is a Very Good Insulator And Smells Good!
Other than styrofoam, you can build your Outdoor Cat House with Ceder. It is a good insulator and also if you are feeling extra friendly. You can build using styrofoam and cedar to get a double whammy.
6. It Will stay dry inside!
When it is raining outside, the first thing you will see is a cat not in it!. Most cats hate the rain except for a select few. Looking at you Maine Coon! But when it comes to having a cat seeking shelter from the evil wetness. Insulation helps keep moister from bleeding through and getting their beds and surrounding area wet. When it is wet outside especially during the fall/winter. That can lead to hypothermia. If the cat gets wet, it’s body temp will decrease and they will be in danger.
7. Put a door on it!
Along the side of having insulation in the walls. Pulling a door on the house would be a great addition. It will keep the cold air out. During the winter, just the air flowing through the doorway can be dangerous for the cat nesting in the house. Also, body heat escapes from the doorway. You can put a flap to cover the entrance and that will increase heat retention and also make sure the cat will stay warm all day long. Also, it helps keep the predators out too!
8. Being in a warm shelter will boost appetite!
During the winter, cats seek shelter due to the freezing environment. If it is too cold. They will hardly eat cause they spend most of their time huddled up with other cats or in a small place themselves. It is really dangerous for a pregnant cat or one that just had babies because they need the nutrition to support their offspring. They will have to either choose either not eating as much and starving or braving the weather to find something to eat. With an Outdoor Cat House, the cat will stay warm and also you can place food inside. Having the food inside will allow it to stay warm and at the same time be able to consume the right amount of food. Also, you will not have to chase them around trying to find them to feed them.
9. It is less likely the cat’s water will not freeze.
Even though I do not recommend leaving water inside insulated outdoor cat houses, if you have to, you will not have to worry about it freezing compared to being outside. Since the temps outside will be freezing. Inside it will most likely be above freezing. Some houses are built with a water bow mount/holder in which the cat or kittens cannot knock it down.
10. Awesome House Equals Cat Staying with you forever
Having an Insulated Cat House means that you have a good House for them to stay in. Cats remember that and when they do. They stick around! The longer they stick around, the better they get to know you. You can then work your magic and help them by bringing them inside or help them get their shots as needed. Even getting them fix. That will benefit everyone.
In the end, it is all about how we take care of our feline friends. Thanks for reading and I wish you and your feline companions good luck in making the perfect Outdoor Cat House.
Click Here Now To Learn More About The Best Insulated Outdoor Cat House!
The only time I’ve come across insulated outdoor cat houses is in the catteries where I deposit my cats when I go on vacation. I’ve never heard of a cat house like this being used in a domestic situation.
I can see that they would be useful when it’s very cold outside but I thought the days of putting the cat out at night were long gone!
I have a cat flap in the kitchen door which my two cats can use to come and go as they please. They’re microchipped and the door only opens when it identifies their chips near it. Stops other neighborhood cats from getting in.
I don’t live in America so maybe cat ownership culture is a bit different over there?
Heya Gary, Thanks for reading and commenting 🙂
That is really interesting with the cat door you have. Got some high tech stuff there. I need to get me some of that for our cats.
Yeah, the houses down here can be really useful. For example, where I live, you can expect to see 5 stray cats roam past your yard within a week. Also every week, it is different cats. They like to stay under cars at night too and in the early mornings.
It can get really dangerous for them.especially when you have to leave for work and they are up in under the hood sleeping. That is what I love about the Insulated Cat Houses because we can kinda reroute the strays into those instead of being in fear of them getting caught in the belts,fans, or ran over in the morning before work.
-Jeff
Hi Jeffrey, thanks for this post and although when it is cold outside I wouldn’t let my cat out all night as well as making sure she is in the house before going to bed. I really liked the idea of an insulated outdoor cat house.
I think it is a great idea, especially if your cat has gone out and you need to go somewhere and you can’t get the cat back in. You would certainly feel a lot safer knowing that the cat has it’s own wee house to go into until you return. Also, they won’t be trying to seek shelter from the cold and rain or even getting too hot in the sun.
I would never have thought of this till I read your article here. Thank you again.
Hi Cheryl, thanks for stopping by and reading my article!
I am glad you found this info useful. We gotta protect our fur-babies!
Just knowing that our cats will be safe takes a lot of stress off our shoulders when they sometimes get out or do not come back in time.
All the best,
~Jeff
Wow something I have never really thought about. Though we do have feral cats around they are usually staying in the barn with the horses during the winter months.
In our case they usually bed down in the hay, it seems to keep them warm and since they are in the barn they are usually kept dry during rain. However I can see were an outdoor cat house would be a better resource especially with the kittens.
Thank you for an interesting article you got me thinking more about how the kitties are staying warm.
Hey Cathy!
Thanks for your comment and sharing your experience with us. Although hay is an insulator, it doesn’t trap heat without a container to hold the heat.
Having an outdoor cat house helps contain the heat keeping your cats warm and dry. Hay is also ineffective if it gets wet.
I agree that an outdoor cat house would be a better place for mama cats to raise their kittens.
It is a pleasure to hear that you’ve started to think more about their well-being outdoors as it is common place for us to think cats are ok outside because they’re always there surviving. That’s not just you but in general people assume this.
If you’re looking for a good outdoor cat house for your cat then I recommend the Kitty Tube Gen 3 because it is very insulated and designed for multiple cats to fit into it.
>>CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE KITTY TUBE GEN 3
OKay Jeffrey! You got me!
Gotta build one this week! We live in the “country” and our outside cats are considered “barn cats”;however at the first sign of cool weather, I grab my pieces of syrofoam and a dog kennel and build a duct-tape version of a cat house for them.
Later on as the temps get lower, we’ll swing a low watt light bulb (securely attached) for extra warmth…oh- and there’s a dog bed in there for them as well. Thought I was doing pretty well til I saw yours – complete with windows – wow! I use a dryer tube stuck in the styrofoam as a doorway because we have racoons and other varmits (including feral cats) that try to get in on the action.
I really like the way you’ve drawn attention to how to care for outdoor cats in the winter…I really didn’t know the temperature variables, but now I’m informed!
Thanks for a well-written, interesting article. All the best!
Hey Sharon! That’s awesome that you build your own outdoor cat houses. Thanks so much for sharing with us and for keeping your kitties warm in cold weather.
Take care,
Marlinda
10 Benefits of Insulated Cat Houses is a very informative article. I have been thinking about getting a cat for my daughter which I don’t want to be inside.
Now I have the perfect reason to get one for her. This article is like a gift because now I will be able to get her what she wants and we will be able to keep it outside in her insulated outdoor cat house.
Thank you for this article it was beautifully explained.
Hey Quinn!
Thank you for reading and I’m so glad that we helped you and your daughter to find this awesome, happy medium 🙂
I hope that she enjoys her cat and be sure to get him/her spay/neutered to prevent unwanted extra mouths to feed. I know it can be costly at vets so I just want to put it out there for you or anyone reading this that low cost spay/neuter clinics are available to help.
Don’t be afraid to go to them. I know how pride and other things can make you feel different things but I use these services myself and can totally relate.
So if you’re reading this and feel some kind of way, please know that you’re not alone and the people at these clinics are really happy too help. I actually like them better than the vets in my area 🙂
I’ve also seen the effects of letting the cat population get out of control from not spay/neutering. They can destroy your house especially a mom looking for a safe place for her kittens but you can’t blame her for wanting to protect her babies! 🙂
The males get into really bad fights too. The aftermath can be pretty gruesome too without going into details.
Just search for ‘your area’ + ‘spay neuter clinic’ or something like that!
Hope this helps 🙂
Marlinda
Outdoor Cat Houses
The use of outdoor cat houses is not something that I would have thought of. Your article looks as a way to engage feral cats and tame them (at least in so far as a feral cat can be tamed).
I once had a feral cat and her kittens who ended up being sent to a shelter because they were never going to adapt to living indoors no matter what I did. It would be nice to take in these wild kitties and provide them with a safe place.
This is so true! Feral cats can find it difficult to adapt to indoor living because it is much less space and more rules to follow.
They are typically not used to human interaction and that sort of thing either.
Even though it didn’t work out, I’m glad that you cared enough to try and help them. It makes me happy to know that there are caring people like you in this world who help these abandoned animals.
Thanks so much!
Marlinda
Outdoor Cat Houses
I live in the country and have outdoor cats. They are pets but also my trusty mousers for the sheds and barns.
We have some pretty cold winters in Virginia so I set up two small cat houses on my front porch for them to get out of the elements. They stay snug and warm and dry.
It’s a must for them to stay healthy. Some of these houses look like chicken coops which makes sense as far as protection and comfort.
Like you said a warm home keeps them around and somewhat tame for shots.
Hey Tim!
That’s awesome and thanks for sharing your experience with us. I’m glad to hear that you care for your outdoor cats and provide them with shelter.
You’re right. Some chicken coupes and other outdoor animal shelters also work nicely as outdoor cat houses too.
If you’re looking for an awesome insulated outdoor cat house, I highly recommend the Kitty Tube because it is designed to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. You can also add and/or remove insulation as needed.
We have done a full review on it. You can click the link below to read more into it.
>>Learn more about the best insulated cat house for outside cats