Today I am thankful for my husband Michael and our shared compassion for Muffin, the feral kitty that arrived at our house last winter.   Muffin was a feral kitty that lived several miles from here and my young cousin had been watching over him for a number of years.  Somehow he got lost in the snow and ended up here.   At first, we had no idea where he came from and even when we learned he came from my cousin’s place,   he’s not the type of cat you can easily transport in a car, so we decided to care for him as long as he stayed here.  So far, he’s still here.  He’s actually gotten quite friendly.

Last winter, we quickly made him a make shift box home..actually a box inside a box with bubble wrap and a heating pad.   It was not great, but it provided him with heat and the necessary shelter to survive the -8 degree temps we experienced.

This winter, we wanted to make sure he had something more sturdy…so here’s what we did:

We bought two Rubber Maid storage boxes.  One was larger than the other.

We inserted pink insulation inside the large box surrounding the smaller box.

Mike cut openings out in each of the boxes so he could easily get inside.

There was a gap between the small box and the large box at the entry point.  We had to build Muffin a foyer.

We inserted this foyer in the entrance.  Muffin’s house is really quite well appointed.

His heating system is powered by a “pet pad” which is designed for outdoor cats.

This required drilling some small holds for the cord to exit the house and be plugged into the wall.   The great thing about this house is that I can open the top and look in and make sure that the bed is clean and dry.

I thought he’d be a little scared of the new house, but that was not the case.  He went right in.  And stayed the night. 

I am so grateful to Mike for fixing Muffin a solid house that is well insulated and dry.  His pet heating pad has a much lower temp than a heating pad that we’d use ourselves, but I know that with his fur, the insulation, and the heat that the heating pad does emit, Muffin will be snug and warm during the cold winter months ahead.

And that is what I am so grateful for as day four turns into night.