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?

"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?

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.

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

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.

"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.

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.

dgk wrote:
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.

If you are going to furnish the house with a kitty bed:

http://cozywinters.com/shop/snugglesafe.html

Before my feral cats began sleeping inside the house, I used
this product. I cut circles in a piece of foam, put the
discs in the circles, and put the kitty beds on top. The
cats loved them.

On Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:33:39 -0400, "cybercat"
wrote:


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.

Cats must be tough this cat was accidently locked in deep freezer for
19 hours and survived (-18 degrees centigrade = 0 degrees fahrenheit)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkAdsJrI_14

Googling heated pet mats
http://tinyurl.com/pet-mats

On Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:55:35 +1100, Petzl wrote:

On Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:33:39 -0400, "cybercat"
wrote:


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.

Cats must be tough this cat was accidently locked in deep freezer for
19 hours and survived (-18 degrees centigrade = 0 degrees fahrenheit)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkAdsJrI_14

Googling heated pet mats
http://tinyurl.com/pet-mats

Thanks, but no point shipping them halfway around the world. There are
some in the US.

Pretty Girl was hanging out in her new home yesterday. Once I put in
some heat I'm sure she and Scooter will move in full time. Hmm. I may
need to make it bigger if their kids want to move in or it's going to
get crowded.