Feral Cat Shelter Idea/Questions

Hi All -  I've been looking at cat shelters for our feral cat/kittens (6 of them!) and came up with a couple of ideas but didn't know if they were good ideas or not. Could old chest freezers or refrigerators be used with modifications?  They're insulated - I don't know how well or if the insulation is good enough. We're in South Carolina so there's heat, rain and some cold (even though this past winter was pretty non-existent). I could cut two holes for cat door installation (main door and escape door at the other end), attach cat shelves or a loft for sleeping, caulk the door/doors shut and lay it on its side on pallets, maybe under some trees.  Or I could caulk the door, keep it on top so it's like the roof, then it could be opened for cleaning. It could be spray painted with a good exterior paint. These are listed on Craigslist for free and/or cheap so it got me to wondering if this had any merit. In fact, a chest freezer is listed for free in our area. Thoughts? Pros? Cons? What about the coils and freeon?  Thanks for the input and help!

sounds like a big job. i've only used big thick styrofoam coolers. but this guy might have some good insight:

http://store.stabobspethouses.net/catpods.html

WOW that is pretty original, your idea. That is a new one for me :lol3: I guess it could work - but I think it would still get very, very cold being that is made of all metal.... just not sure though. The freeon your suppose to evacuate it and recycle old refrigerators and freezers. Here is a site that offers a few different ideas for making your own feral cat shelter. I also use the Feral Villa http://www.feralvilla.com/ Here is the link to shelter ideas. http://www.urbancatleague.org/Shelters.html

I like the shelters that Feral Villa has - a lot. I may wind up ordering one from them and working on the freezer idea on the side. I'll check the urban cat league site too! I had forgotten about the freeon but I can have that evacuated and the coils removed. I don't know how much insulation is used in freezers - I think quite a bit though. Ours is plastic lined, then insulation, then metal on the outside. I would probably add another layer of insulation on the inside, cover it with a painted plywood layer and build a ledge. My thinking is that the inside of a freezer would give me the room to build a nice home with sleeping space, give room for more insulation, still have access to inside the cat house for cleaning and maybe make it easy to heat in the winter. I'd paint the outside with good exterior spray paint, put in a couple of doors (being sure to cover any and all sharp edges) with clear plastic flaps. My little cat family is very close knit (Momma, 5 babies from latest litter and 1 teenager from previous litter) so it would give them room to all sleep together, have protection from the elements and predators. If I can find a freezer for free or cheap (I saw a free one on craigslist the other day and one listed for $25), I may get one and experiment. If I can come up with a way to modify them quickly and affordably, others might use them too.