Raccoon has taken over one of my shelters

http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/mothballs/

I know people who put them on their property to keep cats away (thankfully, not on my block). I supposed that's kinder than shooting or outright poisoning the cats, but it's still cruel. It's amazing how some people will go to extraordinary ends to help feral and stray cats, and others will go to extraordinary ends to drive them away or kill them!  

Ziggy'smom said:

 
You should be able to find straw locally much cheaper than that. I bought a bale of straw for $6.50 at a local pet store. It's pretty big and contains enough straw to fill several shelters several times. It took up most of my back seat when I drove it home. I live in a Chicago suburb so it's not exactly farmville around here but it was still not hard to find straw.

I tried to find a cooler like that with no luck. I looked at Target and the grocery store but neither seemed to have anything of the kind. In what section of the store are these usually kept? I thought about getting a styrofoam cooler and putting it inside a plastic dog house. Do you guys think that would be a decent shelter?

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in the local grocery store, they are on top of the freezers. check your local Walmart. they have the medium one at Walmarts in Chicago, Skokie, Villa Park http://www.walmart.com/ip/LIFOAM-45-Quart-Huskee-Styrofoam-Cooler/16537216#about  . just put your zip code in to check availability. i have also found them at Academy Sports, so you can check your local sporting good store. 

i think the styrofoam cooler in the plastic dog house would be a good shelter. i use the styrofoam coolers alone, but i live in the south. the cats like to lie on top when it's sunny. 

detmut said:

 
i have used the lifoam huskee coolers http://www.lifoam.com/huskee.htm   3 different sizes. feral cat tested and approved. $10 for the medium and $20 for the large. can get them at walmart and even some grocery stores. just cut a hole in the side by the corner for a door

i got the straw from feralvilla http://www.feralvilla.com/Bedding_c_9.html

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I found one of these coolers at Bi-Mart but they only carry the medium size, they are $13.00 for one. Would that fit 2 good size cats in it or should I buy 2 of them? Also I read somewhere to but a silver emergency blanket on the bottom, is this something I should do or would the straw be enough? I need to get this done because we are going to start having very cold weather this weekend. I am hoping to make another shelter like the one that got destroyed this summer.

Thanks for every ones suggestions.

I use the 18 gallon Rubbermaid tote inside a 35 gallon tote for my houses, with insulation between.  The 18 gallon is 23x16x19 high, which is more than enough for two cats and lots of straw.

So depending on how big the medium is, it should be OK.  The reflective blanket will help keep the heat in, so it won't hurt to use it.

Ondine said:

 
I use the 18 gallon Rubbermaid tote inside a 35 gallon tote for my houses, with insulation between.  The 18 gallon is 23x16x19 high, which is more than enough for two cats and lots of straw.

So depending on how big the medium is, it should be OK.  The reflective blanket will help keep the heat in, so it won't hurt to use it.

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The medium size cooler is 25 1/4"x16"x12 5/8 it's the huskee cooler that's mentioned above. They only have a medium size not the large. Do you use the totes upside down or with the lid on top? You only put insulation in between the 2 totes and not inside the tote they sleep in? Sorry with so many questions, it's just I suffer from anxiety and I am really stressed out on what to do. I am actually in a panic mode right now because I still have two cats sitting on top of the one shelter in the rain, wind and cold and the other two cats are inside the shelter. We are going to get down into the 20's at night this weekend.

That should be big enough for two cats, especially if they already cuddle together.

The houses I made are a little involved. I cut a piece of flat styrofoam to fit in the bottom of the big tote, then put the smaller tote inside and cut the opening in both totes. I use10" a length of 6" PVC piping as a "porthole" entrance. I use it as a template to mark the openings and then cut them, Then I slip the porthole through both totes, thus linking them together. It also keeps water out of the totes. I then pour stryrofoam packing peanuts (the non-biogradable type) in between the two totes, shaking them into all the crevices. I use spray foam between the two totes, around the top and on top of the peanuts to keep the peanuts from blowing out. Then I put the lid on the inner tote, top it with a sheet of flat styrofoam that covers the lid of the inner tote and put the lid on the outer tote. I try to cover the whole house with a tarp or plastic to keep the outer lid from deteriorating.

This way the entire inner tote is surrounded by insulation. When the straw goes in, it stays nice and toasty. In your case, the cooler replaces the inner tote and insulation, so it can be tucked inside a doghouse or bigger tote for protection. You would just need to cut the entry holes and fill the cooler with straw.

If you can't tuck it inside another tote or doghouse, tape a piece of black plastic over the lid and down the sides, covering the edges of the lid. It will help keep the rain out. Covering the whole thing with those reflective blankets will help seal out the weather and keep in the heat, too.

Snugglecat said:

 
I found one of these coolers at Bi-Mart but they only carry the medium size, they are $13.00 for one. Would that fit 2 good size cats in it or should I buy 2 of them? Also I read somewhere to but a silver emergency blanket on the bottom, is this something I should do or would the straw be enough? I need to get this done because we are going to start having very cold weather this weekend. I am hoping to make another shelter like the one that got destroyed this summer.

Thanks for every ones suggestions.

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yes, the medium would be better than the large for 2 cats. and the huskee coolers don't leak and it rains a lot here. you want to put the lid on top for when you change out the straw. the pvc pipe door is a good idea. but what i do is get a cheap styrofoam lid and hang it over the door entrance to keep the rain out. usually, i just secure it with a brick. you can also use duct to seal the lid to the cooler if you want extra sure it's airtight. 

i've often thought about making a 2 story shelter with a medium huskee cooler on top of a large huskee with only an interior door to the 2nd floor (with the outside door on the 1st floor). not sure the best way to attach the 2 coolers together. 

We do something similar to Ondine. We buy 2 plastic storage bins (we get ours at Target) one slightly smaller than the other so that it fits inside the other (we use the two Rubbermaid totes described above -18 & 35 gallon). We then cut styrofoam to fit bottom of large one & then do that at bottom and add a very small layyer of straw (NOT hay)-although if we don't have styrofoam we just do a thicker layer of straw. We then set smaller one in larger and stuff straw around all sides on inside in gap between the large & small box. We put straw inside small one - on the "floor" and up the three "non-entrance" sides. We also add an outdoor approved cat heating pad because we have an electricity source near our shelters--but your guys will still be warm & snuggly without that expense if you can't afford it. We then cut a large hole entrance hole through both boxes & do the PVC "porthole entrance" described earlier. We put the smaller lid in, pack more straw on top, and put large lid on. We do also then add a small clear acrylic sheet (available at any Home Depot type store) that we slant against the porthole with enough room that cats can slip in under it (we drill two holes in it at the top, 2 matching holes in top of PVC where it sticks out front) & secure it with zip ties so that they can enter/look out but rain/snow can't even drive in through porthole. That part's not necessary -but we often see our guys peering out - so we think they appreciate being able to look out without getting drenched. We do secure top kid with duct tape -since it keeps outer lid more secure but we can still get in to change straw periodically, clean etc.

Good luck -and at least it's cheap enough to do them to maybe even provide an extra one for your injured coon buddy I used to foster baby raccoons for a local wildlife shelter until they changed raccoon laws in our state -so I'm a sucker for them. We have 2 injured ones that now come early for our cat food -we do pull food up in early evening, but these 2 injured ones can't hunt/function like "normal" so they're out early. Drives my husband crazy -they terrify him-but like I said, I'm a sucker

Keep us posted!

I got one medium size cooler and put it in the corner where the other one was. I took pictures of the little area and will have to post  those so you can see what I used to have. Mama cat took over the new shelter so I might have to go get another one although 3 cats can fit snuggled up in my other shelter. I feel better that they can keep warm this winter until my son builds another shelter like the one that was ruined. I thought about doing the tote one but I really like the ones we made although they are very hard to clean because they are all sealed up and I have to reach my hand in the opening to pull the straw out and wipe it down. I have 3 adult son's but none of them like to help me with anything that has to do with the cats. They get mad that I worry and do so much for them. Not sure if one of them would help build or put together a shelter. I will have to just wait and see.

I have not seen the raccoon since that last night he left here so I hope the lady down the road put straw and food for the raccoon like she said she would.

Thanks for all these idea's on making shelters, maybe it will help someone else who needs help with building a nice warm place for cats to sleep.   

I found a cedar dog house at Lowes with a hinged lid.  It makes it so easy to clean it out every spring.  Maybe you can modify yours.  You will need a heavy duty piano hinge along the top ridge, attached to the roof, then a piece of roofing shingle to cover the whole ridge and prevent leaking.

I've also seen houses with one side or the back on a piano hinge.  A hook and eye keeps it from coming open.  That will also give you easier access to the inside.

Any thing you provide is better then anything else they probably had access to -so yeah for you! And particularly if you can put some straw in, they snuggle up pretty tight.

If you do end up wanting to go with the other kind of shelter at some point - it really isn't too difficult (I know our descriptions sounded tough).  

And here's a link to the rubbermaid site where they have a program to buy discount containers (at wholesale prices) to build the Rubbermaid shelters for feral cats (such a great program!) -- and detailed instructions with pictures. It really, really isn't hard! (but again - something is better than nothing - and a little straw inside goes a long way!

http://www.erubbermaid.com/roughneck-homes?mid=57

(and glad to hear the raccoon has hopefully found a new home)