# best way to keep the inside of a cat house warm



## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

I think I've asked this question before, but I have no idea which thread it's in anymore, and I don't remember if there was a definitive answer.

Anyway, Casper's house is cedar, and the walls are all lined with that silver sheeting that's supposed to reflect a cat's body heat back and keep the inside warm. But I always put a really thick Polartec blanket around the walls inside. I feel like it must be warmer that way, since it puts another layer between him and the wall and fills some of the open space in the house. 

But I have no idea. Any opinions on whether I should use the blanket or let the silver stuff do its job? Or maybe someone here is a physicist and could give me a scientific answer?


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## meggie (Mar 13, 2014)

How about using straw?


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## meggie (Mar 13, 2014)

I just got some shelters for my feral colony from a feral cat resource group. The shelters are lined with the heat reflective foil and filled with straw so the cats can burrow in for warmth.

Blankets can get damp and hold moisture.


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

Well, there's already a heated pet bed (a pad) in the house, then an oval cup bed on top of the heated pad. Those raise the height a couple of inches off the floor, so if I put straw underneath, it would probably be hard for him to climb into the bed. And if I put it around the bed, I feel like it would just keep falling into the bed. :| 

I know he won't freeze, and I think he's got a fairly cushy set-up. I guess I just feel guilty that I don't let him in as often as he'd like in the winter.


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

Oops. I was typing as you posted that. 

Yes, that's true about blankets. His house is in my screened-in porch, though (he's a stray, not a feral), so maybe it's ok?? I do wash it every now and then, when it starts to look too furry. 

Wash the blanket, I mean.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Spirite, 
Your setup for Mr. Casper, sounds good to me, since it's protected from the weather!
My cat houses, are under the patio roofs, and filled with straw...just in case, for emergency use by any of them!


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

meggie, I'm curious to know what those shelters look like. I'm wondering if they're like the one I have, which is wood with a pitched roof that you can lift off for cleaning. 

Hm. I have a doghouse in the porch that could become a just-in-case second shelter. It's quite a bit bigger than the cat house, and the opening is a lot bigger as well, so straw would be good to fill up a lot of that space. 

Currently, his alternate to keep warm is another cup bed on top of a heated pad that I took out of a pet cushion, but it's just on the rug inside the porch. I wonder if it would it be ok to put straw in the doghouse, then put the heated pad and bed on top, if I make sure that the pad is completely covered and not in contact with the straw?


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## meggie (Mar 13, 2014)

My shelters are just large plastic totes lined with the foil sheeting and filled with straw. 
The feral cat resource group make and sell them as a fundraiser. 

I didn't realize that your shelter was on the screened in porch. In that case your setup is probably fine since you have access to it and can keep it clean.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

I agree, it sounds ideal. A nice thick blanket of straw would be great. If the door is a flap type the inside should stay cozy warm so in that case perhaps a fleece blanket or interior hut bed would be nice if it can be moved away from the door. I would check it daily to be sure it is not wet though.


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