Anyone heard of using reptile bulbs or ceramic heater bulbs?

Help! It's dropping to 3 degrees this week and I am panicked for my feral kitties. They use a Rubbermaid shelter right now, but I had to cut an emergency exit, which means two large holes in the box. It has to be freezing in there, I am worried sick about this cold weather coming. I want to build some kind of wooden box maybe- has anyone ever used either a red reptile bulb (not much light, just heat) or one of those white ceramic "bulbs" that have no light, just emit heat? It is a struggle to get electricity down there- right now I have 160' of extension cords just to get a heated water bowl down there. I will be pushing it to try to add enough feet to make it to their shelter box. I also thought of a heated kitty bed. I'm also worried about anything catching on fire.
Or am I better off just making a more sturdy wooden box that has no heat but less wind coming through? I don't want to mess with it too much and scare them away, i can't get anywhere near them yet. I lay awake at night worrying about them down there in the freezing cold.

We use regular incandescent bulbs for the chicken house. It doesn't take much.

My inside cat has had a heating pad on his bed for two years that has never been turned off. No problem. Just sayin.

Also, loosely hang a door made out of mylar over the exit holes. they will figure it out.

I figured a regular light bulb would be too bright. I think I'm leaning towards the heated pet pad because my indoor cats use one so I know it doesn't catch on fire. I'd also be afraid of a light bulb breaking. I might try the Mylar on the escape exit, that's a good idea, thanks!

If you can get electricity to the shelter, such  Infrared bulbs works surely nicely.  Another option may be heating pads, some reusable types warms  10+ hours.

But many caretakers dont bother about heating / dont have practical possibilities.  They tell having lots of straw in there does the trick, gives the cats good isolation, and the fleas arent thriving in dry straw. - So it hangs on the correct type of straw - NOT hay.

Also, observe, the back emergency exit doesnt need to be big, just so the cat gets out if need be.  But yes, emergency exit is more or less necessary.

Good luck!

I used a reptile bulb (75w) last winter when it was brutally cold.  I placed an old paint can over it with holes poked all around.  I also painted the paint can black.  It did work well and provided some nice heat.  Yet after a few weeks I was worried about the bulb burning out.  My DH installed a hound heater (uses a ceramic bulb) instead. 

DH and DS built an insulated cat house last winter and that is where the reptile bulb ( now a hound heater) was installed.  The hound heater is awesome.  I keep a thermometer inside and a earlier this season it was down to 10 outside and never got below 50 in the heated house.

Here is a picture of of the heated house inside their shelter.


Another picture


Here is what it loos like inside when I used the paint can and reptile bulb.

I use a outdoor heated pad that I ordered from Dr's Foster and Smith.  It is plugged in, but only heats when the animal is laying on it and it only heats is the spot that they are on.  I have a light made to heat chicken coops that I bought at a farm supply store. You could also use lights made for greenhouses, but they will be bright.  I have extension cords from our garage to the house and to the feeding station for their dishes. The cord that is for the heat lamp is on a timer to be on 15 minutes then off 15 minutes. 

KittyMomma1122 said:

 
I use a outdoor heated pad that I ordered from Dr's Foster and Smith.  It is plugged in, but only heats when the animal is laying on it and it only heats is the spot that they are on.  I have a light made to heat chicken coops that I bought at a farm supply store. You could also use lights made for greenhouses, but they will be bright.  I have extension cords from our garage to the house and to the feeding station for their dishes. The cord that is for the heat lamp is on a timer to be on 15 minutes then off 15 minutes. 

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Amazon has really good prices on heat pads.  I have a few of them.  I just saw one the other day for under $30 

ShadowsRescue said:

 
Amazon has really good prices on heat pads.  I have a few of them.  I just saw one the other day for under $30 

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Yes, that is the one I got from Fosters and Smith, it was a medium one. You have a better deal, I paid close to $50 for mine. I could have gotten two of those and laid them side by side. I have only used Amazon for my daughters text books.

Wow, thanks everyone! I wish I had a set up like that, it's amazing! I found online that someone used a big deck box for a shelter that looked great, that would give me more room to use a heating pad but they could get off of it if needed. Do you guys put straw in with a heating pad or not?

I do not use straw in my heated shelter because I was afraid of a fire.

I do not use straw either.  I used it years ago when I first built rubbermaid shelters, but my feral hated the straw.  He wouldn't use it.  I tried again the following winter, but he wouldn't use it again.  So I went to heat pads and other shelters. 

Also wanted to add the lady I work with at the TNR group lives in a condo.  She uses one of those bench like deck boxes that she lined with the mylar insulation like ShadowsRescue's box. Her husband had to tell me it was a shelter.  I did not even notice. They cut the hole in the end. He lifted the top for me and the cats all snuggled at the other end.  It was very roomy for them.

KittyMomma1122 said:

 
Also wanted to add the lady I work with at the TNR group lives in a condo.  She uses one of those bench like deck boxes that she lined with the mylar insulation like ShadowsRescue's box. Her husband had to tell me it was a shelter.  I did not even notice. They cut the hole in the end. He lifted the top for me and the cats all snuggled at the other end.  It was very roomy for them.

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I used Reflectix insulation to line the heated house and other rubbermaid containers I use.  It is different than mylar.  You can find it in rolls at Home Depot or Lowes.  It is very easy to work with and not very expensive.

I did see that at home depot, how do you attach it? I was afraid to use glue inside my little cat houses that I donate for TNR where they do not have electrical access. My old neighbor was a contractor so the dog house he built us has the Styrofoam insulation that has the silver stuff already on it. The ones I donate are large fish type boxes so I cannot afford to loose the inside room to use something like that.

They sell Reflectix tape and I have also used duct tape.  It all stays nicely in place.

Thanks!! I will do that on all my shelters I donate from now on!