Bideawee's Feral Cat Initiative

11/28/2025

Join us for a FREE webinar on December 3 to learn how to build 4 different kinds of simple shelters to protect feral and stray community cats from harsh winter weather!

Design #3: Simple 2-Foot Foam Board Cube Shelter
This elegant, economical design uses every square inch of a 2-foot by 8-foot piece of wall/roofing insulation meant for human homes. The boards are thick enough to keep cats warm and they form a sturdy little house with a built-in base and awning. (Originally designed by Karin Hancock, Long Island, NY)

Free Webinar: Building Shelters for Outdoor Cats
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
5:00–6:30 p.m. ET

Can't attend on 12/3? No problem! Everyone who registers will receive links to the webinar recording and handout the next day.

Register: https://bit.ly/BFCIBSR

11/26/2025

It's ! 🌬️❄️🏠🌡️🐱 Join us for a FREE webinar on December 3 to learn how to build 4 different kinds of simple shelters to protect feral and stray community cats from harsh winter weather!

Design #2: Easy Plastic Bin Shelter
This shelter can last for years. It requires cutting and assembly, but no special skills or tools. It can be made large or small, depending on the size of the storage bin you're using as the shell. When deciding how big a bin you need, remember that the interior space will be smaller than the inside of the bin itself because the floor, ceiling, and four walls with be lined with 1-inch-thick insulation board.

Free Webinar: Building Shelters for Outdoor Cats
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
5:00–6:30 p.m. ET

Can't attend on 12/3? No problem! Everyone who registers will receive links to the webinar recording and handout the next day.

Register: https://bit.ly/BFCIBSR

11/26/2025

It's ! 🌬️❄️🏠🌡️🐱 Keeping rain and snow out of your cats' shelters can be challenging, especially in windy areas. A built-in windbreak may be the solution.

Design 1 (Black Bin-in-Bin): TNR caretaker Prem R. shared his design of a windbreak in a nested-bin shelter, using an extra-large bin as the outer layer, a small bin as the straw-lined bedroom, and insulation between the bins. The empty space outside the bedroom serves as a "mudroom" as well as a windbreak. The outer door is set at a 90-degree angle from the bedroom door, so any wind, rain, or snow that comes through the outer door will only reach the mudroom. This shelter design also has an awning over the outer door to keep the cats even warmer and drier, especially when they peek out to survey their surroundings. (See last week's post for more awning ideas.)

Design 2 (White Cooler): Picnic cooler shelters are also easily adapted to include a windbreak/mudroom. These coolers often have grooves inside, designed to hold a plastic divider to separate the cooler's contents. Just cut a cat-sized doorway into the divider, high enough so the straw won't spill out of the bedroom, and secure the divider in place near one end of the cooler. Now you've got a mudroom! Place the outer door on the broad side of the cooler, at a 90-degree angle to the bedroom door.

Windbreaks like these can be built into other types of shelters, especially ones that are built from scratch out of foamboard or wood.

To learn how to build 4 different DIY cat shelter designs, register for our FREE "Building Shelters for Outdoor Cats" webinar, coming up on Wednesday, December 3: https://bit.ly/BFCIBSR

Or to get started quickly with our Super Simple Foam Box Shelter, watch our all-ages step-by-step video: https://bit.ly/KidsCatShelter

11/24/2025

Join us for a FREE webinar on December 3 to learn how to build 4 different kinds of simple shelters to protect feral and stray community cats from harsh winter weather!

Design #1: Super Simple Foam Box Shelter
This design is really easy for kids, teens, and adults to make — it's simply a foam shipping box with a doorway! You can get a box for free from a restaurant or seafood shop, or you can recycle your own shipping boxes. The box itself is waterproof, holds in heat, and is easy to cut using a regular kitchen knife. Easy, creative add-ons make the shelter more weatherproof, help it last longer, and make it easier to hide.

Free Webinar: Building Shelters for Outdoor Cats
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
5:00–6:30 p.m. ET

Can't attend on 12/3? No problem! Everyone who registers will receive links to the webinar recording and handout the next day.

Register: https://bit.ly/BFCIBSR

11/24/2025

This winter: Less BRRRRR, more PURRRRR! Learn the materials, tools, and skills needed to build warm, waterproof shelters to protect feral and stray community cats from harsh winter weather at our FREE "Building Shelters for Outdoor Cats" webinar on December 3. Building cat shelters is a great project for adults, teens, and kids who want to help animals!

Can't attend on 12/3? No problem! Everyone who registers will receive links to the webinar recording and handout the next day.

Register: https://bit.ly/BFCIBSR

11/20/2025

It's ! 🌬️❄️🏠🌡️🐱 Join us for a FREE webinar on December 3 to learn the materials, tools, and skills needed to build warm, waterproof shelters to protect feral and stray community cats from harsh winter weather. We'll show you a variety of effective shelter styles from simple to fancy, and we'll discuss strategies for placing shelters for maximum warmth, comfort, and safety.

The presentation will include video demonstrations for building four simple and inexpensive styles of shelter, using very basic equipment and little to no special skills. We'll point out where you can use power tools, but all of these shelters can be made using simple hand tools or kitchen knives and a box cutter. Attendees will receive a downloadable handout with instructions for building the shelters in our demonstration videos.

Can't attend on 12/3? No problem! Everyone who registers will receive links to the webinar recording and handout the next day.

Register: https://bit.ly/BFCIBSR

11/19/2025

It's ! 🌬️❄️🏠🌡️🐱 Whether simple or fancy, an awning on your winter cat shelter will block rain and snow and keep your feral friends dry as they peer out the door to monitor their surroundings. Here are a few ideas:

Design 1 (Basic): The simplest awning is just a flat piece of material attached to the wall over the door. It can be a piece of foamboard, sheet plastic, or wood that's at least as wide as the door. Attach it with exterior construction glue, screws, and/or Gorilla tape.

For more protection from the weather and to add support, add side curtains to frame the door.

Design 2 (Tube): This type of awning is sort of a mini mudroom attached to a round doorway. It reduces incoming moisture and enhances heat retention. One of our favorite tube entrances is a plastic flowerpot with the bottom cut out. If cats come in dripping wet, the pot's tapered shape lets the water drain outside. The pot should fit snugly inside the door and be attached with all-weather construction glue and/or Gorilla tape.

A professional-looking option is pipe flashing, used for small chimneys. Cut the opening to the same size as the door. Line it up over the door and attach it to the outer wall with screws and, if needed, construction glue. Position the flashing so the opening faces downward — rain and snow will slide off easily.

There are endless variations on these ideas. Please leave YOUR awning innovations in the comments!

To learn how to build 4 different DIY cat shelter designs, register for our FREE "Building Shelters for Outdoor Cats" webinar, coming up on Wednesday, December 3: https://bit.ly/BFCIBSR

Or to get started quickly with our Super Simple Foam Box Shelter, watch our all-ages step-by-step video: https://bit.ly/KidsCatShelter

11/14/2025

🐾 Last call, caretakers!

Ants, raccoons, frozen water bowls—we’ve got fixes for all your colony challenges.

Join the team tomorrow and learn smarter, stress-saving ways to keep your cats happy, healthy and safe, and your colony running smoothly.

Registration is just $10 and your digital certificate included after you pass a brief test.

Get details and register at https://communitycatscentral.thinkific.com/courses/colony-caretaking

11/11/2025

It's ! 🌬️❄️🏠🌡️🐱 Size and placement of the door hole are critical to a cat shelter's efficiency and safety. How big? Small enough to minimize heat loss, but big enough for your largest colony cat to come and go comfortably. Ideal placement minimizes both drafts and heat loss.

A "big enough" cat door looks pretty small! But a cat can flex his entire body through a hole as big as his head, and that's the secret to making a perfectly sized shelter door. We tested this with the help of Thor, a 13-pound tom. A 6-inch round hole was too roomy, and a 5-inch round hole was a bit tight. But Thor says a 5½-inch round hole is ju-ust right. If you want a square door, the ideal size is 5x5 inches. Whatever shape you make it, the door's overall size should be 24–25 square inches. And a cat-sized door doesn't only conserve heat, it's also a safety feature that keeps larger animals out.

Place the door neither too high nor too low, and off to one side. Ideal vertical placement is slightly below the middle of the shelter wall height. Remember: Heat rises, so don't make the door so high that it vents out all the warm air. But don't make it so low that the straw bedding leaks out and rain splashes in.

Ideal horizontal placement for the door is on one end of the longer side. This gives cats a cozy corner away from the direct draft of cold air from the door. And it's a safe haven, out of reach of any predators that may come sniffing around.

For more cat shelter info, check out our recorded webinar, "Building Shelters for Outdoor Cats":
Recording: https://bit.ly/BFCIBSV
Handout: https://bit.ly/BFCIBSH

Or to get started quickly with our Super Simple Foam Box Shelter, watch our all-ages step-by-step video: https://bit.ly/KidsCatShelter

11/05/2025

It's ! 🌬️❄️🏠🌡️🐱 Are two doors better than one for cat shelters? We say NO! Two doors have several disadvantages, and they're not necessary for safety. Drawbacks of 2-door shelters include excessive heat loss, more moisture coming in, and an extra entrance for cats to monitor. We recommend a 1-door shelter that's part of a holistic colony management plan to maximize both safety and comfort.

Cats are safer inside a well-built shelter than they are trying to flee from a coyote, dog, or other predator. But if you still can't shake your concern about potential predators, put your mind at ease with these strategies:

1) Make shelter doors small (5x5 inches square or 5.5 inches round) to keep cats safe and warm. Small doors just big enough for cats minimize heat loss and keep larger animals out.

2) Give cats protected access to shelters by including a mudroom, entry tunnel, or breezeway in your design. Or place a shelter with the door facing a wall or fence to create a cat-width safety corridor.

3) Feed according to best practices (on a schedule, no leftovers) to discourage mooching critters from hanging around.

4) Place shelters away from your feeding station in case wildlife come by for fresh water.

A winter shelter should let cats conserve their energy and take refuge from the cold, cruel world. If a predator ever sniffs around a well-built, well-placed, 1-door shelter, the cats inside can just hunker down and wait for them to get bored and go away.

"The Myth of the Emergency Exit" by Feralvilla: https://bit.ly/FVEmExit

For more cat shelter info, check out our recorded webinar, "Building Shelters for Outdoor Cats":
Recording: https://bit.ly/BFCIBSV
Handout: https://bit.ly/BFCIBSH

Or to get started quickly with our Super Simple Foam Box Shelter, watch our all-ages step-by-step video: https://bit.ly/KidsCatShelter

10/29/2025

It's ! 🌬️❄️🏠🌡️🐱 Straw (NOT hay!) is our #1 choice for cat shelter bedding because its structure keeps cats warm and dry — plus it's eco-friendly. NOW is the BEST time of year to find FREE straw for your winter cat shelters! Straw can be ordered online year-round, but it's cheap and plentiful in the analog world in October and November.

But act fast! The bales you see on display as seasonal decorations today will disappear between Halloween and Thanksgiving. Ask your neighbors, community festivals, local stores, restaurants, religious organizations, orchards, and other establishments if you can take their decorative straw off their hands in November.

If you'd rather purchase your cat shelter straw from a hardware, garden, or craft store, be sure to check this off your shopping list before December holiday items fill the shelves, which may happen well before Thanksgiving. Reminder: Look for long, natural straw; avoid chopped straw or craft straw that has been treated with varnish or preservatives.

Save more lives by sharing your stash! If you find a good straw source and have a dry space to store it, consider picking up extra to pass along to other cat caretakers this winter.

For more cat shelter info, check out our recorded webinar, "Building Shelters for Outdoor Cats":
Recording: https://bit.ly/BFCIBSV
Handout: https://bit.ly/BFCIBSH

Or to get started quickly with our Super Simple Foam Box Shelter, watch our all-ages step-by-step video: https://bit.ly/KidsCatShelter

10/27/2025

Adopt a kitty from Bideawee! View cats and kittens looking for homes at: http://bideawee.org/adoption

Our Chelsea Adoption Center is bursting at the seams - every corner has a cat waiting for someone to notice them. We’ve got tiny kittens, seasoned snugglers, bold explorers, and quiet wallflowers… all hoping for a chance to leave the shelter behind for a couch, a window, and a person to call their own.

When a cat gets adopted, it’s not just one life changed. It opens up a space for another cat who’s still out there waiting for help. Every adoption makes room for another rescue. 🐱❤️🐱

Head to www.bideawee.org to view all of our available cats and dogs and to learn about our adoption process.