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Have community cats living in your area without any shelter during the winter? Or perhaps you are attempting to adopt a stray cat, and cannot get the cat to stay indoors all the time. In these situations, you need to set up a cat shelter if you want to keep cats dry, protected and warm.

You can purchase shelters, but a much cheaper option is simply to make your own. You only need a few basic supplies to do this, one of which is a large plastic tote. How large? That depends on how many cats you expect to be staying simultaneously in the shelter. Your goal is to trap the body heat of the cat(s), so if there will only be one or two cats, a medium plastic bin is a better choice than a very large plastic storage container.

Here are the basic steps to setting up your cat shelter:

1. Start with a plastic bin with lid. Take off the lid for now.

2. Cut a doorway into the bin. You should put this opening a few inches above the ground. That way water is less likely to run into the bin. Also note that the hole should be as small as you can get it without making it impossible for a cat to get in. This will help keep larger predators out.

3. Get some Styrofoam to line the floor as well as the interior walls of the bin. This will provide important insulation, helping the cats to stay war inside.

4. Now, get a slightly smaller plastic bin which can nestle inside the larger one. Cut a doorway into it as well to align with the outer one, and then fit it inside. The Styrofoam should go between the two bins, just like insulation between the inner and outer walls of a house.

5. Next, you need to add some interior insulation. The best option is straw. You want to avoid blankets and towels. These can absorb moisture, which in turn may cause cats to end up cold and wet.

6. Cut out one more piece of Styrofoam to go on top as roof insulation (if you can fit the lid on the inner bin, do that first, and then put the Styrofoam on top of it).

7. Finally, put the lid back on top of the outer bin.

To clean and maintain the shelter, all you have to do is remove the lid(s) and the top piece of insulation. If you want, you can also add a flap over the door. Set the bin somewhere it will be relatively sheltered from wind and precipitation, and try to point the entrance where it will be least exposed to rain. Make sure that you weigh it down somehow as well, since it will be very lightweight.

That is all there is to it! You now have created a safe and comfortable shelter for community or stray cats using nothing more than some plastic bins and Styrofoam!