Upgrading a cat house for feral cats

[Antonio65]

Wow, exactly two years ago I posted this thread
Feral cat sleeping in the cold
It was Dec 1st, 2021.

Now I have a question related to the cat house that you can see in the photo of that link.
I'm going to replace those insulating panels in the cat house, they are worn down and dirty. Those panels are XPS (extruded polystyrene), 3 cm thick, and it seems that at least one of the three cats that sleep in the house likes to scratch the inner surface, to the point that there are parts severely damaged.
When I replace the panels, I would like to line the inner side of the panels with a resistant material. This should save the XPS from their claws, and ideally make the cleaning easier.
Is there a smooth material, layer, that could still give a warm feeling inside like the XPS panels do? Any plastic sheet seems to be colder in my opinion.

Moreover, the outer sides of those XPS panels are exposed to the sun at certain times of the day, and they get affected by UV rays and tend to dissolve in dust after a few years. I don't like that chemical dust to fly around and end up in their food, water and coat. I'm looking for anti-UV films to apply to the outer side.
Any idea?

Thanks!

 

[DeesCats]

Nice DIY cat house you built!

We just built our first one and used thin 1/4 inch wood panels to cover the exterior of the box and painted them with exterior grade paint. The interior of the box is a double layer of one inch XPS but we didn't cover it with the wood panels.

You could try using thin wood paneling on the inside of the box, painted or not and just replace it as needed. If you wanted a cleanable surface, maybe using a plastic wall paneling commonly used in wet areas or bathrooms would be an option.

Here are a couple pics of what we built:

Side view with cat window


Inside view of entrance hole and before I added a second layer of one inch XPS foam board


Front entrance view of house when we were still working on it.

 

[poolcat]

For the outside, try doing an online search for "uv resistant coating."

That's a nice looking shelter... yours, too, D DeesCats !

 

[Antonio65]

D DeesCats ,
No, I didn't build it, it was a house that I bought in 2011 for Tom, a stray cat that arrived to our yard and stayed with us till he passed away.
A few years later, when Tom was at the Bridge already, another feral cat came to our house and I upgraded the house with those panels.
Here is the same house on the online shop webpage, as it was originally

I just created an enclosed space upstairs and insulated the ground floor.
The thin wood paneling of the interior was an option, but I thought it could be a strong temptation for scratching.
I thought about thin plastic panels, but I also thought they could give a cold feeling inside. Maybe I'm wrong.
Nice idea about painting the exterior! I didn't know you can paint the polystyrene.

I do love your cat house, and I really like the long and narrow window. It is something that I thought about doing in my cat house, but I thought it could lessen the insulation and add an element of disturbance and insecurity for the cats inside, because they could think they are less safe if they can be seen from the outside.

As for the round entrance hole, my entrance is square (it's on the side not visible in my photo), and I had cut it on the size of the cats, but they kind of reshaped it with their claws, and now it's a mess...
Is the transparent window a polycarbonate sheet?
How did your cat(s) liked your round entrance? Did they claw at it?

Now that I replace the panels, I am thinking about protecting the edges of the entrance with aluminum or PVC angle profiles.
I checked some stores in my area, and I can't find XPS panels anymore, they do have EPS panels now, that should be better. They are the same color as yours.

The lower side of the roof in my cat house is currently lined with a reflective foil, so to keep the warmth inside.
In my next upgrade I would like to add two LED bead lights on the ceiling powered by a 6 volts battery and with a switch so that I can check the inside even late at night. Two of three cats are black, I can't see whether they're in or not at midnight

Thanks for your post.

 

[Antonio65]

For the outside, try doing an online search for "uv resistant coating."

That's a nice idea. I will have a look, and also ask the local DIY store.

 

[DeesCats]

I am not sure if painting the foam board, XPS or polystyrene would work but I have seen recommendations on some feral cat sites that use Styrofoam boxes for ferals and they recommend using deck paint to make them blend more into the background. I actually painted the thin plywood panels on the exterior of my DIY cat house but used exterior paint so we'll see how it holds up over a year.

I actually had to modify the round hole on my cat house as Colly (the stray) was having a hard time getting through the opening. I just removed the front section wood and foam board and made a square cut on the bottom of the hole and it's working much better and is more aesthetically pleasing to my eye. I haven't noticed him clawing at the door yet.

I have since added some vinyl strips to cover the door to help reduce wind and help keep more heat in the house. I had to do this slowly over a couple weeks until Colly got used to it.

The 'window' is a scrap piece of clear acrylic leftover from another project and it is siliconed to the wood and held in place with 4 small screws at the corners. It was my boyfriend's idea to add the window as the cat house is about 2 feet away from our sliding glass door and I've seen Colly looking out the window as my cats are inside looking at him.

Using PVC angles might be a great option to protect the opening of your cat entrance especially since you have a square opening. You could probably attach them with silicone sealant or maybe small brad nails as long as the wood is thick enough. Just be sure that it can be removable when you need to replace any foam board in the future.

I kind of like the idea of small LED lights with a remote switch so you can check the house at night to see who's using the house. Another option would be a small camera mounted in the box you can view from your phone. I'm using a Wyze Cam V3 on my patio to watch when the cat(s) show up to use the house or the feeder box I also monitor.

Just to add, I don't think adding plastic paneling to the inside of the box will make it feel colder because the foam board is actually helping to retain the heat in the house. I'm not sure what those type of panels are called in Italy. Here in the U. S. it is usually used behind commercial kitchen sinks or in bathrooms where wood paneling wouldn't hold up well.

 

[Antonio65]

I actually painted the thin plywood panels on the exterior of my DIY cat house but used exterior paint so we'll see how it holds up over a year.

How thin is the plywood you applied to the outside? I would like a protective outside layer to save the EPS panels from the sun, but too a thick layer would reduce the room inside.
From experience, these exterior paints don't last long, three years top. Sometimes they start peeling off a year later.
BTW, I really love the house you built, it's really beautiful! Is the floor insulated as well? From your photo it has a different color from the side walls.

I have since added some vinyl strips to cover the door to help reduce wind and help keep more heat in the house. I had to do this slowly over a couple weeks until Colly got used to it.

I had thought of that too, but I fear they feel too contained and wouldn't use the house anymore.
Moreover, I wouldn't be able to check them inside without disturbing them too much.

Using PVC angles might be a great option to protect the opening of your cat entrance especially since you have a square opening. You could probably attach them with silicone sealant or maybe small brad nails as long as the wood is thick enough. Just be sure that it can be removable when you need to replace any foam board in the future.

The PVC angles that I saw at the DIY store are self-adhesive, so I doubt that they can't be easily removed when needed. I could even just use small screws.

I kind of like the idea of small LED lights with a remote switch so you can check the house at night to see who's using the house. Another option would be a small camera mounted in the box you can view from your phone. I'm using a Wyze Cam V3 on my patio to watch when the cat(s) show up to use the house or the feeder box I also monitor.

Yes, the lights would be a nice upgrade.
I had thought of a mini-cam too inside the house, but I have two floors, that means two cams, and I don't have the power near the cat house. The lights will be powered by a 6 volts battery that I will recharge every now and then, though I believe it can last a year long.

Just to add, I don't think adding plastic paneling to the inside of the box will make it feel colder because the foam board is actually helping to retain the heat in the house. I'm not sure what those type of panels are called in Italy. Here in the U. S. it is usually used behind commercial kitchen sinks or in bathrooms where wood paneling wouldn't hold up well.

I had read your post yesterday, and been thinking about these panels you're talking about, but I couldn't imagine what they can be. Could you please post a photo of them, even taken from the web?
Thanks!

 

[DeesCats]

Antonio65 , I actually need to take more pics of how we constructed our cat house but haven't been able to do so as Colly has been using it for most of the day.

We used PVC two inch x two inch square stock to make the frames and the boyfriend cut slots in it in order to slide 1/4 inch (6.35 mm) wood panels into the slots. Then we cut the foam board to fit the interior of the frames.

The floor is insulated underneath sleeping area and I used some scrap vinyl flooring on the inside of the floor to make it easier to clean and sealed the edges with silicone sealant.

It's difficult to get a good pic of the panels I'm referring to but check out This link for an example. You may also be able to use thin sheets of acrylic, polycarbonate (Lexan) or plexiglas.

 

[Antonio65]

Antonio65 We used PVC two inch x two inch square stock to make the frames and the boyfriend cut slots in it in order to slide 1/4 inch (6.35 mm) wood panels into the slots. Then we cut the foam board to fit the interior of the frames.

I think I haven't understood this part, but it's my fault, because English isn't my language.
What's a square stock that you used to make the frames?

The floor is insulated underneath sleeping area and I used some scrap vinyl flooring on the inside of the floor to make it easier to clean and sealed the edges with silicone sealant.

This is what I thought when I saw that tiles-like floor in the box.
That is a great idea, but I think I should line all the walls to make sure my cats do not scratch them.
Or I could use some plastic panels, as written in some above posts.

It's difficult to get a good pic of the panels I'm referring to but check out This link for an example. You may also be able to use thin sheets of acrylic, polycarbonate (Lexan) or plexiglas.

That link was forbidden probably due to some geographic copyright issues.
Anyway I searched with the keywords of that URL and found what you were talking about. Yes, I understand what they are, but I believe that some vinyl flooring material, or something like that, could be fine.

I need to cut all EPS panels to the exact measures first, in order to minimize the time for replacing the old panels and allow the cats to use the house again before sunset.
I hope that they don't get upset by the new appearance of their house and accept it right away, or they could sleep in the cold

Also, I'm considering installing a small solar panel with a battery nearby the cat house so to power two tiny cameras

 

[DeesCats]

I figured they may be some language barriers since you are in Italy so no problems.

Here is our local home improvement stores they sell solid PVC or vinyl 'lumber' in different thicknesses so we used this product instead of dimensional lumber to build the frame for the cat house. The product we used in made by a company in Canada called Royal Building Products and they make a variety of cellular PVC products that mimic wood but can be cut using regular power tools and can be secured together using screws just like wood products.

Square stock is just a term for lumber/wood products to describe the shape and it comes in different dimensions. We used 2" wide x 2" wide x 12 foot long PVC square stock which is equivalent to 5cm x 5cm x 3.6 meter long.

 

[Antonio65]

Now it's all perfectly clear, thank you
The word "stock" was the one that confused me.

 

[DeesCats]

Antonio65 , how did the update go on your cat house?

 

[Antonio65]

Hi D DeesCats , thanks for asking.
I'm gathering all the material I need. The problem is that I would like to cut the EPS panels to measures, and I would like to cut them neat and straight. I have a tool, a hot blade, that should cut that material, but it isn't a neat cut, so I am looking for a different tool.

In addition, the weather turned really cold for several days, and I wouldn't like to leave the outdoor cats without a shelter on such days. I will prepare all the panels cut to size, and fit them in the cat house on a (slightly) warner day.

 

[DeesCats]

Thanks for the update and I appreciate needing to wait until the weather is warmer.

I cut my first set of foam panels with a utility knife and it didn't cut cleanly at all across the grain.

For the second set of foam panels I used an electric jigsaw with a knife edge/smooth cut blade and it cut like butter in both directions. It's recommended for cutting carpet, rubber, foam board and other soft materials.