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Skippy7397 t1_j6n0v1i wrote

You are a Legend for doing this šŸ„¹

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i_am_fear_itself OP t1_j6n1yri wrote

Replying to Cute_Clock (#1,659,040)

The lights are indeed brighter than what Iā€™d prefer. Theyā€™re a string of fairy ledā€™s that I modified from battery to plug in power via a simple 1.5v transformer.

When my ā€œliquid electrical tapeā€ arrives from Amazon, iā€™ll cover half of the lights to make it a little dimmer.

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iblvinaliens182 t1_j6n2ojt wrote

That's a really nice shelter! If you live in an area that gets cold and wet you probably want to switch the blanket to straw. Blankets can get wet and freeze.

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Fitphil t1_j6n55po wrote

Youā€™re a good person

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Dipping_My_Toes t1_j6n9nnj wrote

Cat will bless you for your kindness to her creatures. ā¤ļø

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Angryoldfatman t1_j6nba4j wrote

Looks very nice and cozy.

I used to have a few of these myself, never caught anyone in them but saw tracks in the snow. Now I just leave my garage door open enough for anyone who wants to get out of the cold to get in.

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loopnlil t1_j6ndbxv wrote

You're a good person for helping these cats out, OP.

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hatepudding t1_j6nfisq wrote

That's very awesome of you. Way to be a good person.

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i_am_fear_itself OP t1_j6njos8 wrote

Replying to bonescrusher (#1,666,216)

I suspect that might be too much heat. It's a small enclosure with 2" foam insulation on all sides. The heating pad underneath the carpeted maple "subfloor" + insulation makes the space probably close to 30Ā° over ambient, so in freezing temps, it's about 45-55Ā° in there.

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imisssammy t1_j6nlezy wrote

Nice. I take care of three and they (last night) learned to use the doggy door to the house.

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Shuggaloaf t1_j6nnu6x wrote

Replying to i_am_fear_itself (#1,660,782)

Looks like the floor of the actual enclosure is raised off the ground? If there is any space underneath you can put the lights there.

Many people do this with enclosures (strays, chickens, etc.) because heat rises up through the floor. It also keeps the light source away so the animal doesn't touch it (probably not an issue with your LEDs though). And of course also because it allows it to be dark for the animals.

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Anon9295 t1_j6nu6hg wrote

My first thought was that it was a giant cat

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bestj52 t1_j6nyoz2 wrote

Oh thatā€™s so nice to see . Good work

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Shuggaloaf t1_j6nzgm5 wrote

Replying to i_am_fear_itself (#1,670,303)

I was saying under a raised floor (you said over, but not sure if just a typo). Also want to make sure you know I wasn't calling your skills or the kitty's safety into question. :)

I like the way you did the LED strands. I'm a big fan of "keep it simple" and the screws work perfectly. The whole electrical setup looks really well done. (Personally if I had already done all that I wouldn't be thinking of making any big changes either. haha)

Crazy that that little strand of lights is increasing the temperature that much. I'm sure the little guy is nice and toasty and very grateful.

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i_am_fear_itself OP t1_j6o5cdx wrote

Replying to Shuggaloaf (#1,671,423)

> but not sure if just a typo

It was indeed. Fixed.

> Crazy that that little strand of lights is increasing the temperature that much

Guess I probably shouldā€™ve posted a picture of the floor.

The lights are simply for illumination. The floor is heated with a heating pad designed for plant seedlings.

So itā€™s:

  1. foam insulation
  2. aluminum foil
  3. 3/4 maple scrap
  4. Heating pad
  5. Maple scrap (over 100 holes drilled to make sure the heat radiates through.)
  6. carpet

Floor setup

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lorddoa t1_j6o5p2n wrote

I don't know you OP, but if this is real, I love you. Thank you <3

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Ranos131 t1_j6o7cce wrote

I love that you put a window in it so they can look out!!

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stevonl t1_j6ob10f wrote

That's a very grateful gaze.... good on you OP.

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PincheNano t1_j6ocglm wrote

Nice! What did you use as a heating element?

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Loveatlitha t1_j6ocjtf wrote

Thatā€™s so precious! What a lovely thing to do

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want2thinknow t1_j6od06q wrote

Love this I did something similar with a covered litter box. Put a seedling heating mat inside and a couple of blankets.

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bodaciousboozy t1_j6ofnbt wrote

Thank you for having a kind heart, OP. We need more people like you on this planet šŸ’–

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i_am_fear_itself OP t1_j6og5di wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#1,676,646)

They're all pretty tame by feral standards. I can pick 2 of them up and love on 'em. One I have to love on from a surface. The one pictured can be an asshole though. 50% chance of drawing blood after petting him.

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doctorscurvy t1_j6ogjnz wrote

Warm and cozy and lit like a thousand suns, luckily cats have a high tolerance for sleeping in broad daylight.

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NerfThisLOL t1_j6oikqo wrote

I love your setup!

I bought an outdoor cat house with a heated bed. It worked well until we were getting wind chills in the -25 to -35 range. We bought a dog house that could still fit the cat house in for extra shelter from the wind and snow. It still gets cold in there, but at least it provides decent shelter in inclement weather.

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MyFatHead t1_j6okl92 wrote

Bless you for making sure the cat has a place to stay.

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boringbutkewt t1_j6oktx7 wrote

Heā€™s so cute! I keep thinking about making shelters for the two strays we have in my neighbourhood. Iā€™m scared someone would steal them though.

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rbdllama t1_j6osblh wrote

Looks like its ear has been clipped, good on you if you were the one who did the TNR OP!

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imisssammy t1_j6owm4b wrote

Replying to MartinisnMurder (#1,668,981)

Well there's a doggy door to the porch where they usually hang out at night on their heating pads on my outdoor furniture, I guess they just figured they might as well take it to the next level. It was quite a shock to see them lined up on my couch in the middle of the night. They were escorted to the door.

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[deleted] t1_j6p406m wrote

Ditch the light. He will feel more secure. (and the window for that matter or make it smaller) It's very nice that you do that tho. Thank you.

−1

Huge_pens t1_j6p51wt wrote

At a glance I thought this was a picture of a store front.

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no5of7 t1_j6p5bmj wrote

PRAISE YOU. Do you have any directions or plans you followed to do this?

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pheipets t1_j6pa1tq wrote

This is so amazing šŸ˜»

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loo_min t1_j6peg47 wrote

I canā€™t wait until you find something thatā€™s not a cat in there.

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stylz168 t1_j6pernc wrote

This is awesome.

My wife and I build insulated shelters using 50 gallon storage bins from Home Depot and foil insulation. We then wire them up with heated blankets and regular blankets, and put cameras and motion/temperature sensors in them.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Sterilite-50-Gal-Stacker-Box-14794K03/308820153

Last year we maxed out with a family of 6 kitties all snuggled up in the box over the winter. Was so heartwarming to see.

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Loofa_of_Doom t1_j6pey9k wrote

What temperature are you maintaining for the kitteh?

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Level_Mango2395 t1_j6pj2sy wrote

What a nice and beautiful thing to do for these cats. You are Awesome!

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