raccoons and cat shelter

I've been feeding a feral cat that comes to my back door every evening. I was worried a few days ago because it was getting extremely cold at night, way below freezing. I googled it and learned how  to make a shelter from a yard-long Rubbermaid box from WalMart, with two-inch thick styrofoam walls, floor and ceiling from Hobby Lobby, straw from Westlakes, and Mylar from a space blanket taped to all the six surfaces. Paper on the bottom so it wouldn't crinkle. Two doors facing each other at the top of the long sides, six inches high by four inches wide, I didn't think a grown raccoon would fit. Anyway, the cat slept inside it the night before last, there was a cat shaped hollow in the straw in the long, straw-filled room below the doors. But last night I heard a yowl, and this morning found the box pushed to the middle of the deck, it had been under the eaves against the house, the papers had been torn out, and the edge of the styrofoam inside both doors had been gnawed, I think the raccoon was trying to enlarge it to get in, but just gnawed the styrofoam, not the hard blue plastic of the tub. What can I do to make this a safe, warm place for the cat to sleep and be protected from the elements and raccoons?

Oh boy.  I am wondering if it might have been another cat.  Unless you put food inside the house, I can't imagine a raccoon would try to use it.  They don't usually seek shelter near humans.

Can you get a motion detector light?  This will alert you to the presence of critters and give you an opportunity to chase them, if needed.  The only other thing I can think of is building a platform for the house that is raccoon proof.

BTW - you did an amazing job on the house.

The raccoons will eat the food just about anywhere, but none of the wildlife have ever used any of the shelters we put out for the cats.

Are you sure the styrofoam was gnawed, not scratched on? The cats do seem to love to sharpen their claws on the styrofoam, and we put nothing in there but straw - and even that they often pull some out and ... rearrange things to their liking.

Obviously there was some type of altercation. Around here, when anything has been moved, it was dogs that did it.

Do you know if the kitty is male or female - and is kitty spayed/neutered?

The first winter I had my feral, Shadow I made 2 rubbermaid shelters for him.  My DH then made him a feravilla wooden shelter.  Unfortunately Shadow did not like the straw at all.  I tried enticing him to go inside by putting some treats inside.  On occasion I put a few pieces of chicken inside.  I had removed the straw and replaced them with blankets which I would check every day to be sure they weren't wet.  I thought for sure he was using the feravilla shelter as I would puff the blankets up each morning and by the next morning there were indentations.  One morning I went out to change the blanket and opened the  lid and I about passed out.  Inside was a huge raccoon.  I have no idea how it got itself inside the small openings.  The raccoon would not leave.  I had to have my son go out and turn the shelter on its side.  I had not been putting food inside it for well over a month as I was certain Shadow was going inside it.  Ha!!  So the shelter was removed from my deck as well as the rubbermaid container under my deck.

So in my instance, the raccoon was drawn first to the food, but then decided the shelter was nice even without the food. 

You could try putting the shelter up on a tall table.  The cat can jump.  You just have to be careful as raccoons can climb, but not jump.  There is an example of a feeding station someone made to raccoon proof the food.   Here is the link

http://www.forgottenfelinesofforsyth.org/newslettervol3page4.htm

I have used something similar.  I also have made the holes to the entrance and exits pretty small. 

Good luck keeping the raccoons away and thank you so much for caring for this kitty.

The biggest question is definitely whether you put food into it at any point - raccoons will stop at almost nothing to try to get at food. If you didn't put food in it - it is odd that a raccoon would even attempt to get in anything that is that close to humans. With food in it - they'll work hard at anything to open it/get in.

Putting it up on something high is definitely the best option - although if it did have food in it & that was the draw - perhaps just removing the straw and putting new straw inside without the "food smell" may help?!

Keep us posted! (btw - great job on the house - so nice to hear from people who care!)

I just found this site and your post after a Google search, because I just witnessed a huge raccoon somehow enter my feral cat shelter (Kitty Tube). I have never put food inside the cat shelter!

Welcome @WendyBerg

Keep searching for raccoon and you will find many other more recent posts.  I had a bad experience earlier in Feb. with a raccoon taking up residence in my ferals shelter.  Now that spring is on the horizon they are out again in full force.

Here is a more recent post

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/292593/raccoon-problems