Outdoor winter cat shelter = DONE!
What an awesome weekend this first one of 2012 turned out to be! I am determined to get off my ass this year, so this weekend I completed my first item from my list of things to do for the first time.
[See Balance and Firsts for the original list]
First completed item from my list of firsts on the first weekend of 2012– That turned out nicely! I chose something I’ve meant to do for years– I made an outdoor cat shelter for some of the neighborhood strays. It breaks my heart when it gets cold and I see them outside, so it’s about time I did something about it.
It’s not the prettiest thing you’ve ever seen, and it’s not the beautiful wood one that I imagined building, but this one was made entirely of repurposed items I already owned and some styrofoam (for insulation) contributed by a friend. I consulted various websites about building a cat shelter and chose this one as the most doable and the most free (!). Can’t hope for anything better than that! Other than some of my little outdoor buddies having a spot to keep warm this winter.
It’s a large rubbermaid tub, turned upside down with a door flap cut into it. Styrofoam has been attached to all sides, top and bottom, for insulation and the bottom has been covered with a mat. I put flower pots on top to weigh it down in case of heavy winds.
I’ll let you all know how it and the kitties do this winter. But for now, I feel very satisfied and happy that I’ve finally done this. As me and my friend were constructing it and putting it together yesterday, in the hallway of my building, several neighbors walked by and asked what we were doing. This opened the discussion to talk of our neighborhood strays and how we can help them. It made me feel good to know my neighbors are on board with taking care of the little buddies outside.
Here’s the finished product:
(Please excuse the winter twiggy mess that my back “patio” has become!)
Rebecca Faye's World 