# Help with Feral Shelter



## NutellaBear (Jan 15, 2012)

I have a colony that I am temporarily taking care of while away at school. I already got them fixed on my own dime because the area I am in has atrocious stray policies — a greater than 95% kill rate shelter and no animal welfare groups worth contacting.

I want to put some decent shelter up for them and I was going to do some plastic tub housing. I was going to do the outer tub and inner styrofoam cooler with a couple of modifications to make them work better.

I never understood how the styrofoam coolers worked out long term because everytime my pet cats get ahold of styrofoam they rip it to shreds! But I found a coating you can put on styrofoam that will give it like a candy shell surface. 

Instead of shoving hay into the sides between the tub and cooler I was going to use expanding spray foam insulation. 

The modification I am struggling with is how to give the shelter some weight. My thought was to mix something in the bottom of the tub and then squish the cooler into the material whatever it is. My two thoughts were quick set Portland Cement or Plaster of Paris. Both materials are very cheap at Home Depot; $15 for a big bag full. I was thinking of maybe two inches of some heavy material and then fill the rest of the cavity with spray foam insulation. 

Maybe I am overthinking this, but does anyone have any experience with this or better ideas?


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Welcome NutellaBear! Hope some of our other TNR's can give you some ideas, for colony housing!!
Sharon


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Maybe an x-large tub lined with the Styrofoam siding material then an inner tub. Essentially two tubs with foam (and quick setting concrete on the bottom) in the middle?? I'm not a TNR person, but I like noodling out problems like this.


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

I wish I did, NutellaBear, but I'm hopeless with DIY stuff. That said, your plan sounds like it would work just fine. I looked back through some threads that I'd read before on building shelters using styrofoam, but I didn't see anything about how it could be weighed down.

There are some members here who've built some pretty impressive shelters, so maybe they'll be along with some ideas. I know builder is one of them - he's also made some pretty spectacular outdoor enclosures and such, so he might have some suggestions that would work.

If you haven't checked out the sticky on shelters on this forum, there are some links that might have some info too.


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## Mochas Mommy (Dec 9, 2013)

Have no experience whatsoever...but Pintrest has several photos.

DIY - Feral Cat Shelters & Feeding Stations on Pinterest


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## NutellaBear (Jan 15, 2012)

Thanks. I'll look at the pictures and maybe get some ideas. I can put a tub together like this and wish I knew how to build something. But besides not really having tools, I live in an apartment and don't have a place to put something more complicated together.


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