As those of us in the northern hemisphere are starting to dip into chillier fall weather, this is an excellent opportunity for anyone that's looking to set up (or fortify) some outdoor shelters for community cats! Bideawee's Feral Cat Initiative from NYC will be hosting a free webinar on Wednesday the 21st, from 5:00-6:30pm ET that will cover four different DIY builds. This is a live webinar hosted on Zoom and requires registration in advance. But: if you aren't able to attend live, you can still register for it to receive a link to view the recording afterwards, along with the downloadable handouts to follow along yourself. We'll also be launching the updated r/Feral_Cats Winter Prep guide soon as an additional resource, though last year's can still be found at Cold Weather Prep: Let's Talk Shelters, Water Bowls and Care! if you'd like to get an early start! Details below are copied from Bideawee's webpage: Webinar: Building Shelters for Outdoor Cats (October 21, 2026). For those interested, the link to the Zoom registration can be found at the bottom of that page. the four builds that will be covered Webinar: Building Shelters for Outdoor Cats Learn the materials, tools, and skills needed to build warm, waterproof shelters to protect feral and stray community cats from harsh winter weather. We’ll show you a variety of effective shelter styles from simple to fancy, and we’ll discuss strategies for placing shelters for maximum warmth, comfort, and safety. The presentation will include video demonstrations for building four simple and inexpensive styles of shelter, using very basic equipment and little to no special skills. We’ll point out where you can use power tools, but all of these shelters can be made using simple hand tools or kitchen knives and a box cutter. Attendees will receive a downloadable handout with instructions for building the shelters in our demonstration videos. Descriptions of the shelter builds that will be covered (pictured above), from Bideawee's Facebook page: Design #1: Super Simple Foam Box Shelter This design is really easy for kids, teens, and adults to make — it's simply a foam shipping box with a doorway! You can get a box for free from a restaurant or seafood shop, or you can recycle your own shipping boxes. The box itself is waterproof, holds in heat, and is easy to cut using a regular kitchen knife. Easy, creative add-ons make the shelter more weatherproof, help it last longer, and make it easier to hide. Design #2: Easy Plastic Bin Shelter This shelter can last for years. It requires cutting and assembly, but no special skills or tools. It can be made large or small, depending on the size of the storage bin you're using as the shell. When deciding how big a bin you need, remember that the interior space will be smaller than the inside of the bin itself because the floor, ceiling, and four walls with be lined with 1-inch-thick insulation board. Design #3: Simple 2-Foot Foam Board Cube Shelter This elegant, economical design uses every square inch of a 2-foot by 8-foot piece of wall/roofing insulation meant for human homes. The boards are thick enough to keep cats warm and they form a sturdy little house with a built-in base and awning. Design #4: Deluxe Simple Ice Chest Shelter This design really only requires a plastic ice chest cooler and an entry hole. The cooler is made of heavy-duty insulation sandwiched between layers of plastic, so it's warm and waterproof. The material can be cut using an ordinary kitchen knife. These coolers are usually on sale in colder months, just when the cats need them.   submitted by   /u/mcs385   to   r/Feral_Cats [link]   [comments]