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#1
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Has anyone let cats live in their garage?
I'm really torn. Scooter is the outside cat that I've been feeding and
just had neutered and tested. Perfectly healthy but I can't really take in another cat and Espy hates this one. Right now, because it's cold, windy, and rainy, Scooter is in my Cat Introduction Room but that can't last. He already wants to get out into the rest of the house. Espy is going nuts and making noises I've never heard before. I thought about building him some sort of cat house outside for the winter but I can't figure out how to keep it reasonably warm and dry. Oh, well there are these things: http://www.cozycatfurniture.com/cat_houses.html Some look about right and have optional heat and insulation. But that sure isn't cheap. I thought that maybe I could just put a cat door in my garage and let him live there, but I could end up with a whole colony of cats and have to neuter them all and/or deal with the kittens. That's a bit more than I want to deal with. Any advice? |
#2
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Has anyone let cats live in their garage?
"dgk" wrote in message ... I'm really torn. Scooter is the outside cat that I've been feeding and just had neutered and tested. Perfectly healthy but I can't really take in another cat and Espy hates this one. Right now, because it's cold, windy, and rainy, Scooter is in my Cat Introduction Room but that can't last. He already wants to get out into the rest of the house. Espy is going nuts and making noises I've never heard before. I thought about building him some sort of cat house outside for the winter but I can't figure out how to keep it reasonably warm and dry. Oh, well there are these things: http://www.cozycatfurniture.com/cat_houses.html Some look about right and have optional heat and insulation. But that sure isn't cheap. I thought that maybe I could just put a cat door in my garage and let him live there, but I could end up with a whole colony of cats and have to neuter them all and/or deal with the kittens. That's a bit more than I want to deal with. Tough spot. Is there a rescue group in your area that might TNR in a different area, or turn them into barn cats? |
#3
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Has anyone let cats live in their garage?
I have an outside cathouse that we've used for years.My hubby built it
out of plywood, but you can use a doghouse or anything else you can come up with. Just have a small cat-size entrance door, put a thick sponge mattress on the floor & a blanket. The secret to keeping it cozy & warm is simple. Hang a 100 watt bulb in the ceiling! That's all it takes & it'll be sooo warm you'll wanna crawl in there yourself...pj |
#4
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Has anyone let cats live in their garage?
On Oct 16, 8:04*am, dgk wrote:
I'm really torn. Scooter is the outside cat that I've been feeding and just had neutered and tested. Perfectly healthy but I can't really take in another cat and Espy hates this one. Right now, because it's cold, windy, and rainy, Scooter is in my Cat Introduction Room but that can't last. He already wants to get out into the rest of the house. Espy is going nuts and making noises I've never heard before. I thought about building him some sort of cat house outside for the winter but I can't figure out how to keep it reasonably warm and dry. Oh, well there are these things:http://www.cozycatfurniture.com/cat_houses.html Some look about right and have optional heat and insulation. But that sure isn't cheap. I thought that maybe I could just put a cat door in my garage and let him live there, but I could end up with a whole colony of cats and have to neuter them all and/or deal with the kittens. That's a bit more than I want to deal with. Any advice? Just my HO, but I'd think a prepared bed/box in the garage would be so much nicer for Scooter. As was discussed earlier, a lined box with a heating pad specifically made for outdoor use (inside the garage) would be good. I understand your hesitance to get a cat door -- what I did was just open the door a crack during the daytime, and shut the cat inside at night. Be cautious about the use of heat lamps. I wouldn't use one inside the garage at all, but if you do choose that option for an outdoor box, be sure the cord isn't exposed. Some cats do chew on cords. Good luck! Sherry |
#5
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Has anyone let cats live in their garage?
On Oct 16, 6:04*am, dgk wrote:
I'm really torn. Scooter is the outside cat that I've been feeding and just had neutered and tested. Perfectly healthy but I can't really take in another cat and Espy hates this one. Right now, because it's cold, windy, and rainy, Scooter is in my Cat Introduction Room but that can't last. He already wants to get out into the rest of the house. Espy is going nuts and making noises I've never heard before. I thought about building him some sort of cat house outside for the winter but I can't figure out how to keep it reasonably warm and dry. Oh, well there are these things:http://www.cozycatfurniture.com/cat_houses.html Some look about right and have optional heat and insulation. But that sure isn't cheap. I thought that maybe I could just put a cat door in my garage and let him live there, but I could end up with a whole colony of cats and have to neuter them all and/or deal with the kittens. That's a bit more than I want to deal with. Any advice? Having grow up poor (limited resources), we always had a garage kitty or two. We had a heated garage with a doggie door. In the Winter Mom covered the open exit with a flap so that snow/cold didn't come in as easily. If you get them neutered and they grow up being an outdoor/ garage cat (so they become outdoor-savvy), there's no reason they can't live in the garage with access to the outdoors. Just be aware that they are subject to outdoor risks (dogs, coyotes, cars, people, disease, etc.) IMO, it's preferable to no home at all. Our oldest garage kitty lived 17 years with us. We lost a couple after a year or two (hit by cars). Good luck, -L. |
#6
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Has anyone let cats live in their garage?
On Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:27:45 -0400, "cybercat"
wrote: "dgk" wrote in message .. . I'm really torn. Scooter is the outside cat that I've been feeding and just had neutered and tested. Perfectly healthy but I can't really take in another cat and Espy hates this one. Right now, because it's cold, windy, and rainy, Scooter is in my Cat Introduction Room but that can't last. He already wants to get out into the rest of the house. Espy is going nuts and making noises I've never heard before. I thought about building him some sort of cat house outside for the winter but I can't figure out how to keep it reasonably warm and dry. Oh, well there are these things: http://www.cozycatfurniture.com/cat_houses.html Some look about right and have optional heat and insulation. But that sure isn't cheap. I thought that maybe I could just put a cat door in my garage and let him live there, but I could end up with a whole colony of cats and have to neuter them all and/or deal with the kittens. That's a bit more than I want to deal with. Tough spot. Is there a rescue group in your area that might TNR in a different area, or turn them into barn cats? Horrible weekend. The weather wasn't as bad as predicted but it was still raining, cold, and windy. So I kept Scooter in the Cat Introduction Room. I think Espy is warming up to him a bit. The hissing was still there but seemed to lack some of its prior conviction. Scooter hasn't hissed at all. Still, it's unlikely that Scooter will be moving in on a permanent basis (at least until winter). Having freaked out over the price of an outdoor cathouse, I sketched what would be needed for a nice box and went to Home Despot Saturday morning. I had a big piece of plywood (pressure treated outdoor type) cut into smaller pieces, and built a 15" wide by 15" high by 24" deep cat house. The roof is 30" long so it overhangs the front door. The only work I had to do was to nail it together and cut a nice door in the front with a jigsaw. I put in a spare piece of carpet (and some catnip) and put it next to my front steps. It fits perfectly between the steps and the sunken driveway. Total cost $33. It still needs more work. I have to seal it but didn't have any caulk so I'll take care of that this week. I also need to put in some heat so I'm looking at one of those outdoor heating pads mentioned in another thread. I can run a line from the garage but need to covert it to a GFI outlet before I do that. I also need to put some sort of flap to keep the heat in. I tried to interest Scooter in his new home by putting some food in front of it but he wouldn't go in. So he came back inside the house. But last night I took a look and Pretty Girl (Scooter's lady friend) was inside!. She ran away when I looked in but if she is willing to go in then Scooter will also. So I put Scooter outside as I left for work today, puting some food right in front of the box. He was inhaling the food as I left; he is the sloppyist eater I've every seen. Food flies everywhere. Hopefully he moves in today, but it's beautiful outside and should be for the rest of the week. Anyway, he has a nice home and I'll make it better. Now, I need to see about getting a litter robot. That will take care of one of the reasons that the Significant Other objects to him becoming a permanent resident. |
#7
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Has anyone let cats live in their garage?
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#8
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Has anyone let cats live in their garage?
"T" wrote in message ... In article , says... I have an outside cathouse that we've used for years.My hubby built it out of plywood, but you can use a doghouse or anything else you can come up with. Just have a small cat-size entrance door, put a thick sponge mattress on the floor & a blanket. The secret to keeping it cozy & warm is simple. Hang a 100 watt bulb in the ceiling! That's all it takes & it'll be sooo warm you'll wanna crawl in there yourself...pj Indeed a 100W bulb puts out a hell of a lot of heat. Amateur radio people use them to keep the cans and repeaters at a nice toasty temp during the winter. I can see this, but weird as it may sound, in order to be warm the cat would have to be in glaring bright light all the time. Not a bad alternative to freezing to death, admittedly. |
#9
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Has anyone let cats live in their garage?
On Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:33:39 -0400, "cybercat"
wrote: "T" wrote in message ... In article , says... I have an outside cathouse that we've used for years.My hubby built it out of plywood, but you can use a doghouse or anything else you can come up with. Just have a small cat-size entrance door, put a thick sponge mattress on the floor & a blanket. The secret to keeping it cozy & warm is simple. Hang a 100 watt bulb in the ceiling! That's all it takes & it'll be sooo warm you'll wanna crawl in there yourself...pj Indeed a 100W bulb puts out a hell of a lot of heat. Amateur radio people use them to keep the cans and repeaters at a nice toasty temp during the winter. I can see this, but weird as it may sound, in order to be warm the cat would have to be in glaring bright light all the time. Not a bad alternative to freezing to death, admittedly. Of course it would make it easy to see inside the box but I don't really like the idea. I suppose I could use some sort of casing to block the light. But, there is also this: http://cozywinters.com/shop/kh-3093.html Now we're talking. I'm looking around a bit. Some of the pads says that they only go on when the cat is on them. That might be a good feature in the long run. |
#10
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Has anyone let cats live in their garage?
On Oct 16, 9:04*am, dgk wrote:
I'm really torn. Scooter is the outside cat that I've been feeding and just had neutered and tested. Perfectly healthy but I can't really take in another cat and Espy hates this one. Right now, because it's cold, windy, and rainy, Scooter is in my Cat Introduction Room but that can't last. He already wants to get out into the rest of the house. Espy is going nuts and making noises I've never heard before. I thought about building him some sort of cat house outside for the winter but I can't figure out how to keep it reasonably warm and dry. Oh, well there are these things:http://www.cozycatfurniture.com/cat_houses.html Some look about right and have optional heat and insulation. But that sure isn't cheap. I thought that maybe I could just put a cat door in my garage and let him live there, but I could end up with a whole colony of cats and have to neuter them all and/or deal with the kittens. That's a bit more than I want to deal with. Any advice? Alley Cat Allies has some ideas and plans for outdoor feral (or other) cat shelters. See: http://www.alleycat.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=631 http://www.alleycat.org/NetCommunity/Document.Doc?id=36 It is also a good site to get information about helping feral cats and TNR. http://www.alleycat.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=616 Debbie |
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