Shelter For Our Outside Cats

When we had this concrete project done we did it with the outside cats in mind. They were using our deck for shelter where we had two dog houses with bedding inside for them. Their food and water dishes were also on the deck. As a result, we haven't been able to clean and paint the deck for some years and it is in dire need of that. When the cats started using the one for an outhouse, it was time to rethink what we wanted to do. So we had this concrete pad installed:

We were supposed to get a greenhouse-type shelter from one of my husband's former customers that he delivered goods to, but eventually that fell through. And before we knew it, the cold weather was upon us. Drat that cold weather. And so we started shopping around for something that would be feasible for the cats and would also enable me to enter so that I could feed them. We found a 6X8 greenhouse made of indestructible material and were lucky to get the last one in stock. With the help of my daughter's significant other, my husband put it together.

What I hadn't planned on was having tiny guests so soon after it was constructed. One of our resident queens gave birth in the wee morning hours of New Year's Day to five kittens. One didn't make it through the day and I imagine the same thing would have happened any other time of the year. It's nature's way. Needless to say, I have been worrying about the remaining four ever since they were born. They just opened their eyes and are starting to explore, so now I have to worry about keeping them on the bedding and not the concrete floor. We will be adding a barrier for that purpose. It will keep the kittens off the concrete while still enabling the other cats to be able to sleep in the bedding area.

I've never experienced a litter of kittens during the cold months; they have always been born from Spring through Autumn. But this little lady below is responsible for giving me more to worry about than I ever anticipated. She was born in 2006 and the oldest of our colony. She is the grandmother to our rescue, Punkin', who was lucky enough to be brought inside when his mother was killed by a careless car.
I have always liked this photo of Gizmo. Gizmo's daughter and mother of Punkin', Mini-Me, looked exactly like Gizmo and that is how she got her name, may she rest in peace.