The Kitty Tube Outdoor Insulated Cat House-Feral Option with Straw

I thoroughly researched outdoor shelters and ordered the Kitty Tube Gen. 3 Feral option because of the positive reviews. This shelter is for a feral momma cat and her three kittens (TNR) that are six months old living in my backyard. First Impression - Good My indoor kitties immediately took to the Kitty Tube while it was indoors being assembled. They loved it! So I was very hopeful the feral kitties would eventually use the shelter. Shelter Design - Excellent The shelter is well built and durable with nice insulation around the walls and ceiling. The top lifts off easily to inspect and clean. Assembly was easy (I used the YouTube video instructions). I added two sheets of mylar to the bottom of the unit for extra heat retention for the upcoming winter. The straw sits on top of the mylar. Protection - Very Good We get windy rainstorms, and yes, this shelter kept the straw inside dry even after Hurricane Matthew visited central NC. Customer Service I contacted the owner about how much straw to use inside (3 inches). He was very friendly and helpful. Feral Kitties - Approved! It took several weeks of enticements (and cold weather) for them to go inside. I initially put out the first shelter on my deck for several days in September. I left the top off so the kittens could go inside and find treats. They were curious but leery of it. I eventually placed this unit near bushes where the family sleeps but they did not use it. So I put a toy pillow filled with catnip inside it. They would go inside to get the toy but not sleep in it. I kept periodically spraying the unit with pheromones or catnip. I ordered a second unit hopeful they would eventually begin using it once the weather got colder. I sprinkled catnip inside of each unit on top of the straw. After Hurricane Matthew, a cold front arrived and temperatures dropped to the low 40s. I saw one of the kittens walk out of the unit when she heard me come outside to feed them in the morning. Success! They are using it. Conclusion - Highly Recommend! I just had to be patient, give the feral kitties some enticements and wait for it to get cold enough for them to use the shelter. It gives me peace of mind knowing these little kitties have shelter for the winter. I am deeply grateful that Jim Bradac invented such a quality shelter.

These aren't cheap, I get that. I bought one a few years ago to help an outside cat colony on a farm. I have since tried multiple different cat houses - all with varying degrees of success and additional work on my part. Some I have to drill, some I have to insulate, some I cover with a tarp for extra protection. These are the only ones that I can set away from the house and be confident they will hold up and stay dry. I bought a 2nd one this winter. I change the straw out about 2x a year normally. I could probably use another 2 of them, but cost is a factor. Easy to maintain and minimal upkeep is necessary. The cats love them and they work. If I were a cat, this is the brand I'd want.

Update: Nov 2024 I've been feeding a few feral cats around my block and this house is used every year. I feel it keeps them warm. I use the straw they send with it. I just took it out from storage this weekend and I had one of my feral cats use it last night. I added a small battery light inside as well. Wish I had more money to buy another one for my stray cats as they seem to like it. If some kind person wants to buy me one I would be very grateful, it's on my wishlist. (WITH STRAW) I bought this in Nov 22 with double insulation which is a little more expensive than just the regular one. So far I had an elderly cat use it, she passed away already due to unrelated causes. Then I had another feral cat who would use it for 4 hours at night during the cold days but he was very timid so he would not use it all the time. Recently another female feral cat took over the house and she uses it constantly. We've had cold weather like low 30s sometimes high 20s F and windy. She loves it. It keeps her warm. I added the little door flaps once she got use to it. I use straw as I don't have a connection for a heating pad. The door is small enough for a cat to get in but that's a good thing. Less wind and cold weather get in. I definitely recommend upgrading to double insulation. Those are the pros. The cons are the appearance, reminds me of a trash bin lol but it's not such a big deal for me. The most important thing is keeping the cats warm. Also if the cats spray the insulation with urine, it's hard to clean. You can't just wipe it so it can start stinking. The price is another thing that bothered me. It was over 200 dollars for me. Something like this could easily have a price like 60-75$. It's a plastic bin! The plastic is good quality but it's still plastic. Also I think there needs to be some kind of clarification regarding returns. Around the time I bought it none of the cats would use it (later later on they did) so I wanted to return it. The description said I had 30 days to return it but amazon had the option of returning the product till Jan 31. The manufacturer declined the return as 30 days had passed but Amazon had 30 more days. So that made me a bit upset. Those were my cons. I have two other cat shelters from a different company that I purchased that are also being used but this one is definitely the best one. So overall I would still give this product 5 stars because the most important thing is to keep those poor feral cats warm.

Very much liked

So far it is great. This winter will tell me more and if the cats like it. If they do I might consider buying another for other areas in need. Evelyn Patrick

Good quality. Easy to assemble. A LOT of extra straw. Cat moved in right away. Planning to get the insulation kit before winter

Very sturdy. Easy to assemble. Real test will be to see if cat/cats use it in the cold weather.

Cats won't use it