09/12/2026
If you have stray cats around, or even people in your neighbourhood who let their cats roam freely even in bad weather, these are some good tips to help them stay warm and dry and protect them from the elements🐈⬛❄️
🥶COLD WEATHER IS COMING🥶
HERE’S HOW TO CREATE A SAFER, WARMER AND MORE PROTECTED SHELTER FOR OUTDOOR CATS
With spay-and-neuter access shrinking locally, more community cats and their caretakers are being left without adequate support. If you are helping outdoor cats survive the winter, please take time to create shelters that are warm, dry, secure and hidden.
🐾 ELEVATE EVERY SHELTER
Never place a shelter directly on the ground. Raise it evenly on sturdy, level pavers, concrete blocks or another stable base such as a wooden pallet. 
This helps prevent ground moisture from entering and keeps the opening above accumulating or drifting snow. A shelter is useless if its entrance becomes buried or melting snow flows inside.
🐾 FACE THE OPENINGS TOWARD EACH OTHER
When placing two shelters together, keep them close and position their entrances so they face one another. A large piece of plywood placed across the tops can create a protective roof over the narrow passage between them. It will prevent them from blowing away and help to keep vandals away.
This important placement gives cats a small, covered walkway where they can move between shelters while remaining protected from wind, rain and snow. It can also make access more difficult for dogs and other larger animals.
🐾 NEVER LINE SHELTERS UP IN EXPOSED ROWS
Community cats do not want to sleep out in the open. They survive by remaining quiet, hidden and aware of what is around them.
Do not line shelters up in obvious rows where they can be seen from the street, sidewalk or neighboring properties. Place them in different protected areas, behind fencing, beside buildings or among bushes and brush. Always turn the openings away from public view.
Shelters should make cats feel hidden, not displayed.
🐾 KEEP THE ENTRANCE SMALL AND LOW
Bigger is not better. A large opening allows body heat to escape and lets more wind, rain and snow enter.
The opening should be compact, low on the shelter wall and only large enough for a cat to enter comfortably. A smaller entrance may also discourage some larger raccoons, dogs and other animals, although no opening can guarantee that wildlife will stay out.
🐾 ADD A STRONG OVERHANG AND SECURE EVERYTHING
Place a sturdy piece of plywood across the shelter tops and allow it to extend beyond the entrances and outer sides. This creates a ledge that helps protect the shelters and their openings from falling and drifting snow.
Cover the plywood with an earth-toned or camouflage tarp, pull it tightly around the corners and secure it properly. Shelters and roofing must always be weighted or anchored with something heavy enough to withstand wind and storms. Bungee cords should be attached to secure metal ground stakes—not left dangling or attached to something unstable.
🐾 HIDE AND CAMOUFLAGE THE ENTIRE SETUP
Shelters should blend into their surroundings. Use dark, natural colors, camouflage spray paint, earth-toned tarps, fencing, shrubbery and carefully placed branches or brush.
Do not paint huge names on them or advertise them with words such as “CAT SHELTER.” Unfortunately, drawing attention to a colony may attract people who dislike cats or want the shelters removed or destroyed.
Keeping shelters away from watchful eyes is one of the most important ways to protect them from human interference, wind, storms and other damage.
🐾 NOT ALL STORAGE BINS ARE CREATED EQUAL
Choose sturdy bins that close tightly and allow one bin to fit inside another with enough room for insulation between them.
Rigid foam insulation can be fitted between the two bins, or using straw in between the bins is an excellent insulator. Properly secured reflective or Mylar-style material may also be used as a protective inner barrier so cats cannot directly scratch or pull apart exposed insulation. Never leave loose plastic, sharp edges or dangling material inside the sleeping area for at the entrance.
The shelter must still close securely. If you want to reopen it for cleaning, the lid can be secured with tightly fastened exterior cord rather than permanently sealing everything with tape. Never leave loose loops or string where a cat or another animal could become tangled.
🐾 USE STRAW—AND USE ENOUGH
The sleeping area should contain at least six inches of clean, dry straw, with more added when the size of the shelter allows it. Straw can also be used as insulation between nested bins when the shelter is designed to contain it securely.
Use straw—not hay, blankets, towels or pet beds. Fabric absorbs moisture, freezes and can make a cat dangerously cold.
Straw does not last forever. Check shelters frequently and replace wet, flattened or dirty straw several times throughout the year. Always inspect them after heavy rain, snow, wind or dramatic temperature changes.
🐾 KEEP CHECKING THEM
Even the best shelter requires maintenance. Make sure entrances remain uncovered, lids stay secured, insulation remains intact, straw stays dry and the structure has not shifted.
These cats did not ask to live outside. Their situation was created by people who failed to spay and neuter, abandoned animals or simply looked the other way. Criticizing the people working to repair that damage does nothing to solve it.
Safe winter sheltering requires more than putting a plastic bin outside. It requires planning, elevation, insulation, concealment, weather protection and continued care.
Please take the extra time to do it correctly. A thoughtful shelter setup can be the difference between suffering and survival for a community cat this winter. 🐾❤️
