Giz/Emma and everyones pets on the board

She acts like 71° is cold.

 

You got it! It's a Schrader.

 

Ahh, poor Max. Hope he heals quickly.

 

He's actually in very good condition and is easily 15 pounds and is not starving by any means. There are others around here with indoor/outdoor cats so I'm sure he was sneaking food from them. I think there is a place close by with barn cats and he might have joined them for a while too. He has spent the last two nights on the back porch and really acts like I'm his.

Cat house came in yesterday and I put it mostly together last night. It went together well. The instructions say 30 minutes and 2 people. I got the main part done with only me in 30 minutes. They made it pretty easy as they had dowels to guide and keep the sides in place until you get them screwed together. The wood is a bit lighter than I expected and whatever they treat it with stinks to high heaven (one of the reasons I didn't complete the assembly - to let it air out). Probably a non-low VOC oil stain or paint (made in China). I did make an error when I was looking at the cat houses as this is larger than even this big boy needs, which will not make it as efficient at keeping his body heat close. It could actually hold 2-3 cats comfortably. At the same time, I could put his food and water in there if I wanted and he'd have plenty of room.



I don't plan on installing the "benches" that go on either side. There is no need (interesting aside, this was made with expansion in mind with additional units of this house). Here is the post where I have pictures of what it is intended to look like. I think the interior insulation pack will do pretty well, but I had some leftover thin pink "rigid" foam sheets so added a piece on the bottom anyway. Will also cover that right side door (that is, and will stay, closed/locked). I may cover that left swinging door (which is in the pic below - even though you can't tell it is there) for winter to help keep his body heat in.

 

Nice looking unit. Can you wash down the interior with something to get the smell out? Nice to have food and water out of the elements as well.

 

Since this will be on my back porch, there is little probability that a predator will come up.



Was out in the big city yesterday for general shopping and found a nice sized cat snuggle. You can see the box he uses back behind. I laid it back down in front of the cat house so he can use it until he gets used to the cathouse and will push past the plastic strips in the doorway. I've shown him that they move, and he looked curious. Will just be a matter of time before he decides to go in.


I did figure out why I thought the house was a bit smaller. The dimensions on the website show the inside dimensions, where I thought they were the outside dimensions.

 

It looks comfy to snuggle into. Eventually will he become an inside cat? or is he too feral for that? What did you name him?

 

Roscoe had fun in the snow today.


Caught a funny face in this pic.

 

I've taken to calling him Big Boy. He may become an inside cat - depends on how he and the Destructive Duo get along.

 

I think he likes the snow more than the water!

 

Big Boy was not a fan of the plastic strips in front of the doorway, even when I tried to tempt him by placing his food in there. With snow and low temps on the way, I wanted to ensure he went into the cat house. So, I removed the strips and placed his food inside. He was more than willing to eat that way. First pic was about 11 am on 1/6/24.



I left the box there because he wasn't convinced he actually wanted to go inside completely. But the next morning, when it was 10*, I found him inside as intended. Picture taken at 8:30 on 1/7/24

 

He looks quite comfortable.

 

Good on you! Probably made a new lifetime friend!

 

Would fabric feeling strips be better? They might not be stiff enough to keep the wind out though. We had a small dog door that one of our dogs didn't like going through because of the plastic dragging across her head. I put a piece of denim on it and she would use it.

 

I thought of that but since the cat house is on the porch, it doesn't get much wind since I have it mostly "enclosed" with plastic strips. I put my hand into the enclosed bedding and it was nice and warm in there. And then there is this:





I finally received the 61" tall pet gate and got it installed. Then I was able to persuade him into a cat carrier and got him inside. Kinda weirds the Destructo Duo out a bit, but no one is hanging out at the door yet so there are no sparks flying. big Boy likes hanging out in the window.

 

Might be a bit of fur flying, but they'll get it sorted out.