# Outdoor shelter heating



## Morzh (Nov 4, 2021)

Hi!

I am in NJ, and am taking care of two outdoor cats who came about 2.5 years ago as feral (we adopted and put for adoption who we could; these two live outside).
They are living on my back porch in a Insulated Kitty Tube Gen 3. A bonded pair. A much older tom and a younger female, Danny and Sunny. They eat together, travel together and sleep together. Sunny is sterilized.

Starting a year ago, in December, Danny acquired a URI. This summer I was able to treat him, with a temporary success; then again I had to treat him a month ago (he has a sinus problem, with snivel and such).

So I bought a feeding station for this winter, so they do not have to stand in slush while eating, but also am thinking of some additional way to heat inside the Kitty Tube.

The problem is, I cannot find a heater for this type of a shelter. The heating mats (like by K&H) should not be placed in the straw which is combustible.

So my question is: does anyone has a reliable way / experience heating a Kitty Tube or a similar shelter that is plastic with insulation inside and straw bedding? I'd really like to warm up the guys; they promise a cold winter this year.

Mike


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## Mosi (May 17, 2021)

Don't know if you are interested in doing this. I wouldn't do it because of the cost, but............I had a friend once who was trying to figure out the same thing and she put the shelter under her dryer vent and ran the dryer all night for the cat.


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## Morzh (Nov 4, 2021)

No. Not only it is unsafe, but also inexpedient. And this is not one night, but could be many.
There should be a better way. I wonder if someone eventually would create a product like this.
Low volt heater, 70-100W, with a slow quiet fan circulation.


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## miscellaneous (May 24, 2021)

Hello Mike. That's so good of you to take care of your outdoor cats! I like the self-heating cat mats. When I take my girls to the Vet in the Winter, I put one in their carriers to warm them up a bit. They're made out of a soft water-proof covering with a mylar center and are machine washable. I tried to post a link but it didn't work, so you could go to Amazon or elsewhere and type in Furhaven Self-Heating Water-proof Cat Mats for Indoor/Outdoor cats. Check it out if you want.

One question: Has Danny been neutered?


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## Morzh (Nov 4, 2021)

Miscellaneous

Thanks for the tip, I will try to find it.

Danny has not been neutered. First, it will be a tall order to catch him. And I do not want to lose his very fragile semblance of trust.
Second, we thought he and my cat and Sunny were siblings, but recently when he got sick and was panting and opened his mouth, we could see his teeth. He is old. So if anything, he is a much older sibling, or maybe they formed a clowder some time ago. They all came together and are of the same coat type (tuxes) so we thought they could be.
They do not seem to venture far from the property, and we do not seem to have anymore princesses of a child...kitten-bearing age, so I figured, let him enjoy his cojones as long as he got left. Sunny, on the other hand, is a young, jumpy playful girl so I thought she'd give us more kittens, and we had enough stress with 2 litters already. But then, maybe she was sterile from the beginning because by that time all females had already got pregnant, and she was not. She is a thin slender long-legged type; my wife calls her "A movie star". She also cannot meow, she only open the mouth and no sounds come out. She was as feral as Danny, but after I once was able to touch her (after spaying), she got full about face in the attitude and started coming to us, rolling and even giving me her belly to rub.

One should've seen when she came from the operation; Danny was waiting for her, and they came to the other side of the pool and were sitting there together.

Anyway, thanks again. Let me try to see what it is.


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## miscellaneous (May 24, 2021)

Okay, I won't nag about neutering... even though I really want to! 
Maybe next time you take him to the Vet, you could ask them about it? 
Let us know how they're doing with their cat house.


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