TNR Handbook - Neighborhood Cats

The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
When completed, the interior space of the shelter measures 18” W x 20” L x 12” H.
Three or four cats can fit comfortably inside, but even with only two cats, there is
relatively little air space and the two-inch Styrofoam is excellent insulation. In an
experiment one cold winter night, a volunteer taped a thermometer to the interior roof of
one of these shelters. The outdoor temperature was 11 degrees Fahrenheit. After two
cats had been inside for an hour, the thermometer inside the shelter read 56 degrees
Fahrenheit.
The shelter in the experiment had a plastic flap over the door. Flaps help keep cold
air out and warm air in. Flaps should not be added, however, until after the cats are used
to going in and out. They can be attached with duct tape above the doorway or, more
permanently, with the plastic nuts and bolts used to attach toilet seats. To use the bolts,
cut holes in the flap and drill holes in the Styrofoam above the doorway. If you don’t add
flaps for any reason, the shelter will still be very effective.
Once out on the site, the shelters should be weighed down – they are strong but light.
A large rock or heavy board can be placed on top. If a pair of shelters is being used,
place them about a foot or two apart with the front doors facing each other. Bridge the
gap between them by resting a board two feet wide and at least a few feet long on the
roofs of the two shelters. Then weigh down the board. This arrangement cuts down on
wind getting inside the shelters and offers more protection from rain. The covered area
between the shelters can be a good place to put food or water.
The shelters should be painted to match their surroundings, using grey, green or
Indian red latex deck paint. Draw the cats inside the shelters by placing catnip or tasty
treats inside. Bowls of food can be placed in the interiors, but never water.
• The Rubbermaid Storage Bin with Styrofoam
This shelter was designed by CSM Stray Foundation of Kew Gardens, Queens and
costs about the same as the Neighborhood Cats feral cat winter shelter. Purchase a large
Rubbermaid storage bin (a.k.a. storage tote) with a removable lid. It’s important the
brand is Rubbermaid or otherwise the plastic walls may crack in frigid temperatures.
You’ll also need an eight foot by two foot sheet of one-inch thick hard Styrofoam, a
yardstick, a boxcutter and straw, shredded newspaper or other insulating material. Then
assemble as follows:
1. Cut a doorway six inches by six inches in one of the long sides of the bin towards
the corner. To prevent flooding, cut the opening so that the bottom of the
doorway is several inches above the ground.
2. Line the floor of the bin with a piece of Styrofoam, using the yardstick and box
cutter to cut out the piece. You don’t need an exact fit, but as close as you can.
3. In similar fashion, line each of the four interior walls of the bin with a piece of the
Styrofoam. Again, perfect cuts are not necessary. Leave a gap of three inches
between the top of these Styrofoam “wall pieces” and the upper lip of the bin.
4. Cut out a doorway in the Styrofoam interior wall in line with where the doorway
has been cut out already in the storage bin.
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