raw · articles · ingested 2026-07-19
How to Build a Feral Cat Shelter
Source: https://www.christinedemerchant.com/feral-cat-shelter.html
Practitioner build guide, publication date not stated.
Key findings
Concrete wood-shelter build specs: 12mm (0.5”) exterior-grade plywood minimum, 1” Styrofoam sheet insulation, screws over nails, white glue + exterior caulk for sealing, 3+ coats of latex paint with emphasis on edge-sealing. Entrance sized “just short of 6 inches,” positioned so a resting cat can see out; the entrance is explicitly the shelter’s only ventilation — i.e., in most feral-shelter designs ventilation and entrance are the same opening, a meaningful constraint/contrast against a more deliberately engineered ventilation design. Practical details: sloped roof, ~1” roof overhang, elevating strips to prevent rot, plexiglass viewing window.
Gap
No predator-safety or summer-heat discussion; material toxicity not addressed.
Why it matters for this archive
The closest analog to an actual OSB/wood-box build (versus the plastic-tub designs) — useful for construction-detail precedent: sealing method, sloped roof, exterior-grade material as the default.