Insulated and Heated Cat House or Dog House - 398 

1. Daughter tells dad " My kitty will be cold tonight" 2. Dad says "Don't worry, I will make kitty a thermostatically controlled, ceramic heated, insulated cat house with a no-spill feeding area" 3. Cat... spills the food, uses the heated litter box and sleeps on the table saw. 4. #girlDadProblems

Cat has her own handyman. Sweet! Nice little cat house, too!

Bro… that’s nicer than the one my wife puts me in

great job but questionable idea

Just bring your cat indoors and spare the local wildlife

A better option is to be a responsible person and not have an "outdoor cat". Better for the cat, better for the environment, better for ecological integrity and biodiversity. Nice build though.

1:20 You should definitely use a ceramic socket, not that junky plastic one. They are garbage and will melt. You can get the ceramic version at most hardware stores or on Amazon, or from an electrical supply house.

Given how hot the surface gets on those things, one of those mesh cages they make for them might be a good idea (or make one from 1/2" metal fabric). Our cat we used to have years ago would love to crowd right up as close as he could stand it to a single-wall garage-type wood burner we had (the kind that can glow red on the outside from the coals). Sometimes his fur would get so hot, we thought he would ignite himself. No such mishaps occurred, and we didn't try putting up any mesh, primarily because we didn't think of it. Instead, our response was to mutter, "Stupid cat," smile and shake our heads. Luckily, he never seemed to take offense, but that may have been due to his already having cooked his brains under there.... 😎

A smaller door will keep it warmer for the kitty. Feral cat enclosures only have about a 6" hole.

As informative as Jay's channel is, it's never not disturbing when he clones himself!😳

Dude that's wildly cold for MS.

1800 views in 2 hours. Not bad but if you had showed the cat it would have been 180000

I like that you put in a thermostat.

That turned out really nice! I'm so glad to hear you did that for your cat. The weather has been crazy in many states and the critters aren't used to enduring that kind of cold.

I'm guessing every single cat owner out there that watched this video started laughing when you said your cat would knock the bowls down and then they said "Yep". Damn cat's. Ya love 'em and then ya want to strangle them.

I agree on not using a plastic socket for a heat lamp bulb Best purchase i made was a thermostat made by inkbird. It is mounted in my house and has a sensor lead that goes into the cat house along the ceiling. I use a 3"x5" ceramic heater wrapped in mesh wire for heat. The thermostat can be set at and minimum above 40° and up to 90° so mine turns on at 58 and off at 65. That way your bulb isnt cycling every 2 minutes.

+1 on putting the cat in the thumbnail... bait those clicks!!! 😸😸

they make ceramic lamp holders for 15$ that are for bulbs that get hot and they look identical to the one you have

I'd paint the body blue and just put some finish on what I'm assuming is cedar legs. Also, Kitty gets 10/10.

Ahh. The things you can do with incandescent light bulbs. My dad made a food dehydrator and used a light bulb and I believe a 12 volt computer fan. It worked great. It's still at my Mom's house.

Coincidentally, I heated my outdoor cat house (for a bully homeless cat who doesn't get along with the indoor cats) with the ceramic bulb. The ceramic bulb gets really hot to the touch, so I added a dimmer switch between bulb and receptacle to eliminate the possibility of scorched cat fluff. To further reduce the wattage, I added a timer switch because, where I live, it only gets really cold at night. For the six walls, I sandwiched the half inch PS between two pieces of quarter inch ply using spray adhesive to bind them all together. I also added a second emergency escape door made of the insulated wall panel and hinged at the top in case a racoon pokes his nose in the cat house so the cat doesn't have to fight her way past the racoon to escape.

isnt the cat going to get a hot arse from that ceramic heat lamp? would a reptile heat pad be better?

Does anyone remember a video where Jay nails (with a nails gun) to the beat of a song? I want to watch it again but can't find it

Great solution! Growing up, my dad made a doghouse/cathouse and just had an incandescent light bulb in there, and the dog house was out of the wind. It did just fine in Mississippi winters with a blanket the dog liked to snuggle in. ;)

Nice job on Heated Cat house.

$39! Wow when I bought Advantec two years ago for a bathroom remodel, it was $65 a panel. Good find!

nice job fair play .... happy cat .... but Polystyrene ... really Polystyrene ...its next to pure alchole on its flammability

Hi Jay, I'm a bit worried about you not wearing any type of respirator during this video.😞 Not a good look.

Having done this ages ago for an outside cat, some tips. Heat rises, do not make a normal door. Make a taller box with a lower shelf box inside of it. IOW door is on the bottom, they enter by going under then up. This also lets you heat it with a lightbulb or two without the cat or dog getting burned, by putting the lightbulb over on the other side of the entry opening from where they sit. The wind can get up into it blow out the heated air, so still have a secondary door and flap to stop drafts. The cat I had at the time loved it, warm when it was cold, but he still got to stay outside.

Now I want to be a cat hahaha... It's greattttttt♥ PD: I made a gift for you Jay, check your email box hehe

Perhaps add a very small light to the outside so you can see when it is heating. A friend of mine did something similar in a cabinet he stores his tool batteries and wood glue in. The cabinet is in an unheated detached garage. He can see the little red light from the house through the windows. I prefer porcelain lampholders over plastic. I think they cost about $1 more. I wonder if a reptile rock heater would work.

That looks really cool, but based on personal experience, a cat will scratch that insulation in no time.

Does the thermostat need some anti-tampering protection? This way the cat can't accidently turn up the temp and burn the whole house down lol

They say you can’t train a cat faster than it trains you.

I just purchased a medical grade styrofoam box cut a 6in. Hole and left it at that. I may put a heated pad in it

Yea... my dog would probably eat through all that he likes wood...

How much do you charge for one already built?

I use the same setup in an old mini fridge that I use in my shop for freezable goods.

Your baby is absolutely precious. From the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Smart idea! I like the thought process. Question: Does it get that cold in your garage? I'm just wondering.

That’s way too much heat for an outdoor cat.

Earth the foil ?

Have to keep the mouse patrol warm and happy!

what is that thing attached to your fence called?

I wish my Brad-nailer was that fast 💨.

Wasting my time succesfuly

Is guard cat a thing, other than south africa?

I know Jay!! I know the truth!

Longtime fan here, @Jay Bates! I love this concept and am using it to build one for an outdoor cat who thinks he belongs to us.

That is a great project and the pets are surely spoiled. Regards One Handed Maker

"Line" is power in, "load" is power out 👍

I'm not a safety freak but you really should put the wires in some sort of electrical enclosure. If any of your connections were to loosen up and spark there's a reasonable chance it catches the foam on fire. Like I said I'm not a "live and die by code" guy but that seems like a legitimate fire hazard.

Omg! I'm in MS! And this kitten showed up and I can't bring him indoors......the garage has our ZL1 so that's a no go.... I'm literally looking to build him a winter summer house......it's cold now and I have a make shift ghetto tub house lol 🤣 it's not going to work for the rest of the winter. Love this!

In the Army, on the rare occasion where we actually took our shelter halves downrange, I always brought a candle. Make a tent out of two shelter halfs, and one candle is enough to heat it up.

What a lucky, loved cat. I sympathise with you and the temps. We expect average 16 / 34 over the next week. ( Centigrade that is). 🤪🤪🤪. Have a Great New Year to all your Family. 😎

When you’re doing the nailing, it sounds like a 1940s John Deere B Actor engine

Always love your content. Curious what do you use for a camera and microphone?

Jay the question is which one did you find inside the following day, your outdoor cat or had the local wildlife moved into your heated cathouse. A lynx and a couple of nesting snake's 🐍 🐍. Hope you all had a great Christmas and hope you have a fantastic Newyear and all our best for 2023. As always buddy 💯% 👍 🇬🇧.

Nice project, but some concerns, here in Europe 150 watt lamp on a plastic fixture is for sure not allowed. and you use foam as isolation, if it melts the smoke will kill the cat for sure. and you leave lamp exposed maybe a small wire cage around it? so the cat ill not get burned? no critic just some suggestions. i know the rules on electrical are different there than here, here the temp goes way down in the minus 35 C that is about minus 31 F. so I started to think to build a heated dog house too, but than sheep Wol isolation and a 12V floorheat mat. with the current energy prices, and they are extreme here it can run from a big car battery and a small solar panel. I use the same heating mats in my greenhouse i build some years a go from recycled materials and it keeps the dirt above freezing and i can grow the whole year true, we have only three months warm weather and the rest is hars winter 3 mtr snow etc. so if it doesn't work let us know too and maybe you can use the 12V floor heating as well as a safer alternative. well thanks for the nice video and keep them coming.

Another cool project. I've always admired the beauty of Japanese woodworking, but I never really had in interest in learning about it. I guess western tools and techniques just clicked more with my brain. You have a way of making Japanese woodworking more accessible. Your woodworking and your humor kind of blend our cultures. Like The Great American Melting Pot I learned about in elementary school in the '70s. I'm still really enjoying your channel. It's very different from most woodworking RU-vid channels, in a very good way. Thanks for making this content.

Looks great Jay. Suggestion, It would be cool if got a few lengths of pre-painted hardy plank and sided all around within the gaps of the legs.

Jay, looks like you've rearranged your shop, so is there another shop tour coming? Like to hear if the work flow has changed

Interesting build Jay. Still a fan boy of yours.

Looks great. My cat doesn't do cat doors or plastic flaps, so I wonder whether yours will try to go in. Please let us know if the cat uses it.

Good looking cat house. Now to get the cat to actually go into the house. Amazon has pet heating pads with thermostats.

This is really helpful thanks. Also the little girl is super duper cute!

Isn't 70f a bit too hot for the cat because of the huge temperature difference when it goes outside?

Shorts weather in Minnesota because we’re crazy. Great video as always.

Very cool (warm) idea! Thanks for sharing.

You should try a golden rod. You can find them from West Marine

Nice. Kinda reminds me of the old furnace blower cart you made a while back, (I made one too)...Simplicity is key 🔑

That's an awesome super easy cat house. All my cats are spoiled and sleep inside so I don't need one tho.

Looks like your cat enjoyed the house. Was there any danger of the cat putting his face on the heat source though? Dunno about yrours, but our cat likes rubbing his face on just about everything.

No need for a cat house but I had to watch anyway. Jay is in my top 5 list of RU-vidrs (I'm subscribed to over 100 channels). All of those 5 are makers, not "10 tools you need" or "tips" producers.

Brilliant video. Thank you.

Jay Bates your a clever fella. Nice vid

Does the cat use it? I built an insulated cat house one year, and the f…..fantastic cat didn’t use it at all. So I stopped caring about her being cold in the winter.

I was thinking of building one of those for my cat, but I’m afraid the cat won’t go in it, does your cat use it?

Cute friend 61

Very cool project.

Are u not worried about the cat getting hurt on the light bulb plus most cats don't like bright light

What a cute cat!

I have a quick question? I live in chicago, and I have a partially insulated garage. I love your idea of a heat source for your cat. I'm now wondering if this could work for stains and finishes in an enclosed cabinet to keep the temp at 60-65.

Will the t stat turn on and off a lot because of the close proximity of the heater?

Love the cat and the house. 14:06

theres no way you were raised in the south.iwas born but raised to adult hood in ark so i know..were you from