Will my outdoor cat be happy/warm enough in a shed?

vballchick103

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My parents aren't huge animal lovers but I always have been so they let me and my sisters have cats because we live near a grainery and have mice. So they are pretty much "barn cats"...except they are my pets : ) but they have to be outside. We have three but I rescued MY baby from a shelter almost 4.5 years ago. she was 1-2 years old when I got her so she is around 5-6 years old now...which for an outdoor cat is "getting up there". I live in Indiana and we have pretty cold winters, and if we have another winter like last year I'm afraid she won't survive outside. however, because she sheds like crazy, my parents aren't fond of cats ,and I am actually slightly allergic, its just not possible for her to be inside at all. I'm 19 but in college so I still live at home and am not prepared to move out before winter...and I'm really, really worried about leaving her outside. But I can't stand the thought of giving her up...I rescued her because my kitten before her was poisoned by neighbors and she looks almost exactly like that kitten, plus she was going to be euthanized the next day... so she has always held an extra special place in my heart. she is MY cat and has never really taken to my sisters and i would absolutely hate for her to feel abandoned by me. So i was wondering about buying/building a shed for her to stay in...so she can be an "indoor" kitty, at least through the winter. But I'm just wondering if it will stay warm enough? And will she be happy inside a limited space, having been an outdoor cat most of her life? I plan to go outside and spend plenty of time with her out there...I just don't want her to feel penned in. Any tips? 
 

chromium blues

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Get a large Rubbermaid storage tote and a Styrofoam cooler that fits relatively snugly inside it. Carefully cut a cat-sized hole through each for the cat to use as a door. Now is a good time of the year to get straw, which is the best insulation as it stays warm and dry, and the cat can snuggle and nest in it. Fill the cooler with straw. Put the lids on the storage tote and put it in a spot where the cat goes (near its food?). Try to face the entrance out of the wind. You can get "Dogloo" doors, too, which can be installed, but cut slits in them so they are more easily moved by the cat, but set it up without the door first so that she learns it is her winter retreat. You can get heated water dishes from some pet supply stores or co-ops. Sardines in soya oil don't freeze as fast as some other things, and make a good addition to dry kibble. Shovel her a path to her house when it snows, but leave the snow on the roof and around the sides because it is insulating. I hope this makes sense.
 

that guy

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I think a standard garden shed to allow them to stay out of the cold wind and show would be a great idea and then make shelters as described above would be ideal. Cats are tough, I saw a show decades ago where they had to abandon an Arctic research station and they could not get all of the cats and ended up leaving some of them. They had access to the research station so they could stay out of the cold wind and snow. They lived and hunted what little life was there and survived even in those harsh conditions. If you could provide a nice shelter such as a shed and then little cubbies that would be easy for them to warm then they would do fine. I would make sure they have water and food throughout the winter and I am sure they will all be fine. It is great you can take care of them and with a little help they should be more than fine over the winter months.
 
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