This is the cedar cat house kit I ordered online for my outdoor cat, Emily. She’s an outdoor cat because she sprays and doesn’t get along with our 19.5-year-old indoor cat, Bud. Emily does fine outside, though. She rolls around in the dirt, supplements her PetSmart diet with a bit of hunting, and knows her way around the culdesac. The neighborhood cats know this is Emily’s place.
Still, I’ll sleep better at night knowing she has a warm house to come home to. Carmichael gets cold in winter.
The kit I bought was pre-built, then disassembled, then shipped to me so I could whine and cuss and reassemble the thing. I was having a hard time with the square-holed screws (WTF? Not flat-head? Not Phillips-head?) UNTIL I discovered the custom drill bit included in the bag with the screws. My bad. Took me a lot longer than the projected 15 minutes, but I did it all by myself! I am woman, hear me grunt, curse and whine!
This is actually a semi-enclosed front patio area. A hopseed hedge conceals Emily’s house from the street.
Emily’s temporary housing, clearly judged to be inadequate.
Emily’s first walk-through.
Emily’s imagining living here.
I think she likes it, but she seems to be saying, “Hey, this pad’s supposed to be heated. You better get crackin’ on that, Angela.”
Very Cute!
My luck, I’d go through all that effort and Dawson wouldn’t go near it! I think its cool that Auntie Em appears to like her new digs.
Do tell us how you trained your cat to use something purchased for her. Our cats never sleep in the cat bed we purchased for them.
As instructed by the manufacturer, I lured her in with treats; Pit’r Pat Fresh Breath treats in this case. I bought the house for my peace of mind. I can’t let Emily in the big house, so I need to know she’s warm, dry, fed, and relatively safe outside. She has options.
Now that I know that she knows the house is there, how often she uses it is up to her. I will report back on the effectiveness of the heated cat pad. I’m still searching for an extension cord. Both our cats seem to stay glued to their heating pads during winter, whether they’re indoors or out.
My old dogs never used their brand new, not cheap Igloo dog houses, by the way. I can still imagine them thinking, “Why should we go in that silly-looking plastic domed thing when we can just sleep in your bed, under the covers?”
Ah! Our cats prefer our bed–and most like to position themselves to insure maximum discomfort to the humans sharing the bed with them. Our younger cat discovered the floor vent last year, and now heads for it every time the heater comes on. I suspect a heating pad would be rejected in favor of the vent.
“I suspect a heating pad would be rejected in favor of the vent.”
Not if you put it on your bed… 😉
My 19.5-year-old cat, Bud, sleeps in bed with me. Why she has to jump up, walk across my pillow (stepping on my head, pulling my hair) before reaching the foot of the bed is beyond me. Cats.
Emily and Bud don’t get along, sadly. When Bud cashes in her chips, I’m going to try Emily inside again. Bud, however, doesn’t seem to know she’s approximately 95 in human years.
My old brood of dogs and cats all got along great, so I assumed any new additions would be welcome. Incorrect assumption.
I am happy to report that Operation HEATED Cat House is a success. When I peek out front in the mornings– the cold, cold mornings– Emily is in her heated house. I’ve even seen her in it during the day! I hope she doesn’t become a couch potato. 😉
She’ll get up once the weather warms — if nothing else to warm herself in the sunbeam (the preferred warming method for all cats). But it may be a couple of months…
My cat would have to think it was HER idea to use the cathouse. It’s very cool, tho!
OH THATS SO AWESOME! Hubby just got some wood to try to build one for the strays…we have a neighbor whos cat decided she liked us better, but doesnt want to come inside because she hates our herd….so she sits in our yard……24 hours a day…i keep bringing her home to her owners, she keeps coming back..that kit is great, i will have to check those out. BTW we had “spraying issues” and found that the plug in “feliway” and thorough cleaning with petzyme helped 99%. good luck
Very cool. Although I think Emily is wondering why there isn’t a scale birdhouse in front of her new house.