Electricity-assisted winter shelter

I appreciate all advice I got re a small winter shelter for a
semi-homeless cat just in case the weather turns nasty during the 2-3
weeks we would be gone in Dec-Jan.

I found a room that is unheated but otherwise completely protected from
winds, rains, etc.. It lacks a functioning outlet, so I assumed there
is no electric option, and was thinking of a simple box-styrofoam-box
design with mylar blankets for lining.

However, almost one day after reading Tom's post about 150 feet long
cords I had my Eureka moment: I too could run a long cord! I still have
to secure the landlord's permission but I will probably get it. What is
my best option if I do have electricity?

Should I still build the box? Or just purchase something like

Heated Cup:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...atid=1475&N=20
02+113876 , or

heated pad:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...atid=10291&N=2
002+113876 ?

Which of these two heated options is better?

One thing that does worry me is that it would have to be plugged in 2-3
weeks straight with nobody to check everything is ok. It is more
convenient to plug in rather than build something, but on top of any
electric danger to her, any power interruption will leave her with no
shelter whereas a simple box will always be there.

I am kind of confused and would appreciate advice on the best course to
take if I have the option of running a cord.

to bad you could not rig up something that had a solar battery or solar
powered
or use a battery center that stores power and has outlets to plug into


Was it you that was looking at cat doors Wal-Mart had an electronically one
that your cat wears an id tag on it that is the only way the door will open


"Ajanta" wrote in message
...
I appreciate all advice I got re a small winter shelter for a
semi-homeless cat just in case the weather turns nasty during the 2-3
weeks we would be gone in Dec-Jan.

I found a room that is unheated but otherwise completely protected from
winds, rains, etc.. It lacks a functioning outlet, so I assumed there
is no electric option, and was thinking of a simple box-styrofoam-box
design with mylar blankets for lining.

However, almost one day after reading Tom's post about 150 feet long
cords I had my Eureka moment: I too could run a long cord! I still have
to secure the landlord's permission but I will probably get it. What is
my best option if I do have electricity?

Should I still build the box? Or just purchase something like

Heated Cup:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...atid=1475&N=20
02+113876 , or

heated pad:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...atid=10291&N=2
002+113876 ?

Which of these two heated options is better?

One thing that does worry me is that it would have to be plugged in 2-3
weeks straight with nobody to check everything is ok. It is more
convenient to plug in rather than build something, but on top of any
electric danger to her, any power interruption will leave her with no
shelter whereas a simple box will always be there.

I am kind of confused and would appreciate advice on the best course to
take if I have the option of running a cord.

Ajanta wrote:
heated pad:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...atid=10291&N=2
002+113876 ?

Which of these two heated options is better?

One thing that does worry me is that it would have to be plugged in 2-3
weeks straight with nobody to check everything is ok. It is more
convenient to plug in rather than build something, but on top of any
electric danger to her, any power interruption will leave her with no
shelter whereas a simple box will always be there.

I am kind of confused and would appreciate advice on the best course to
take if I have the option of running a cord.

I have the heated pad. Actually, I bought the dog one because it is
identical to the cat one, only a few inches larger. It stayed plugged
in my garage for weeks and worked wonderfully for a feral stray I was
keeping. The extra fleece cover is kind of a rip-off though; it is
simply a square of fleece material with elastic on the corners, and
cost $15. You could buy a fleece remnant and make one a lot cheaper.
You could still build a box and use the pad inside. It doesn't get any
warmer than 102 degrees. Good luck.
Sherry

wrote in message

I have the heated pad. Actually, I bought the dog one because it is
identical to the cat one, only a few inches larger. It stayed plugged
in my garage for weeks and worked wonderfully for a feral stray I was
keeping.

I don't have that problem with an outdoor cat, but I did just buy a heating
pad for my indoor cat. It gets cold in my apartment sometimes so I thought
she'd appreciate it. At first she wouldn't go near it, but I watched over a
few days as she'd gradually moved closer and closer to it when she wanted to
sleep. Now she's on it almost all the time. Just like the cat tree I built
for her, it's nice when your animal actually uses what you got for her.

Ajanta wrote:

However, almost one day after reading Tom's post about 150 feet long
cords I had my Eureka moment: I too could run a long cord! I still have
to secure the landlord's permission but I will probably get it. What is
my best option if I do have electricity?

Hi, that's great news.

You are probably going to get a pad of some sort right? not an electric
space heater...
sounds like all you need is a low powered heating pad. And with that,
for now, I would
put it on it's lower setting...

If the shelter is around 150 feet away you say...?
That sounds like two chords. 100' and then a 50' chord.

I would just get lite duty chords. like the orange tubular type...
be sure to insulate where one chord hooks into the other
especially where rain can fall into the connection.

(if you go with electrical space heater, yule want medium or heavy duty
chords....electric is just like sound...the further you get from the
source the weaker the useable power on the other end..a lite duty chord
would just melt at 150', if you go the space heater route)

I ran a 100' chord out of my back window, to the block bldg I told you
about.
I gave them a little electric cube. It's actually pretty warm in there.
I keep it on the low setting.
I have been checking the electrical socket here in the house, to make
sure it doesn't get hot.

If you leave any portion of the service chord rolled up...it will
gather heat and can catch fire...spread any excess chord around, but
not coiled or rolled up.

Cool Beans!

"Ajanta" wrote in message
...
I appreciate all advice I got re a small winter shelter for a
semi-homeless cat just in case the weather turns nasty during the 2-3
weeks we would be gone in Dec-Jan.

I found a room that is unheated but otherwise completely protected from
winds, rains, etc.. It lacks a functioning outlet, so I assumed there
is no electric option, and was thinking of a simple box-styrofoam-box
design with mylar blankets for lining.

However, almost one day after reading Tom's post about 150 feet long
cords I had my Eureka moment: I too could run a long cord! I still have
to secure the landlord's permission but I will probably get it. What is
my best option if I do have electricity?

I wouldn't use a heated pad. Ferals do fine outdoors in a small insulated
shelter with some straw over a space blanket.

If you decide to use a heated pad, use something like this- its only 6 watts
and covers only half the
bottom of the shelter so the cat still has a place to lie if she gets too
warm. Otherwise, she might leave the shelter.

http://tinyurl.com/887jr


Phil



a cord.

"Ajanta" wrote in message
...
I appreciate all advice I got re a small winter shelter for a
semi-homeless cat just in case the weather turns nasty during the 2-3
weeks we would be gone in Dec-Jan.

I found a room that is unheated but otherwise completely protected from
winds, rains, etc.. It lacks a functioning outlet, so I assumed there
is no electric option, and was thinking of a simple box-styrofoam-box
design with mylar blankets for lining.

However, almost one day after reading Tom's post about 150 feet long
cords I had my Eureka moment: I too could run a long cord! I still have
to secure the landlord's permission but I will probably get it. What is
my best option if I do have electricity?

Should I still build the box? Or just purchase something like

Heated Cup:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...atid=1475&N=20
02+113876 , or

heated pad:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...atid=10291&N=2
002+113876 ?

Which of these two heated options is better?

One thing that does worry me is that it would have to be plugged in 2-3
weeks straight with nobody to check everything is ok. It is more
convenient to plug in rather than build something, but on top of any
electric danger to her, any power interruption will leave her with no
shelter whereas a simple box will always be there.

I am kind of confused and would appreciate advice on the best course to
take if I have the option of running a cord.

Personally, I would be leery about leaving any type of heating element
running for 2 to 3 weeks without supervision - but then again even if you're
there you couldn't watch it every second.

Unless you live on the Alaskan tundra, I don't think the electrically heated
shelter is necessary.

What I would do is to get two boxes, one much smaller than the other. Open
the top of the larger box so you can work on the inside. Cut an entrance in
the larger box about 3 inches from the bottom then put a layer of either
insulation, styrofoam popcorn, hay, or even shredded newspaper about 2 or 3
inches thick on the bottom (any material that has pickets of air in it will
act as insulation to trap warm air inside) then cover that with a sheet of
newspaper, a blanket, or any other material that a cat can walk on top of.

Cut an entrance in the smaller box and place the smaller box inside the
larger box with the entrance facing the side from the entrance of the larger
box (to make an entrance "hall" that goes around the corner from the main
entrance. Fill the sides away from the entrances with the same insulating
material you used on the bottom. Fill the smaller box with hay or shredded
newspaper that a cat can burrow down into.

Place the whole "house" on blocks to keep it off the cold ground and turn
the main entrances away from the direction from which the wind is blowing.
Then tape down the top of the large box with duct tape.

With all of this, plus the cat's own fur coat, they should be quite warm
without the need of an electrically powered heating element.

Hugs,

CatNipped

A good insulating materiel is "bubble wrap". Walmart sells this for
protecting packages for shipping. Another would be the foam "peanuts"
used for the same purpose.


---MIKE---
In the White Mountains of New Hampshire
(44° 15' N - Elevation 1580')

CatNipped wrote:

Place the whole "house" on blocks to
keep it off the cold ground

That would not be the best thing to do. The cold air would get
underneath the box. It would be better to place the box on a sheet of
styrofoam.


---MIKE---
In the White Mountains of New Hampshire
(44° 15' N - Elevation 1580')

---MIKE--- wrote:
CatNipped wrote:

Place the whole "house" on blocks to
keep it off the cold ground

That would not be the best thing to do. The cold air would get
underneath the box. It would be better to place the box on a sheet of
styrofoam.


---MIKE---

That certainly makes sense. That way, the wind couldn't blow underneath
the house.

Sherry