Top positive review
126 people found this helpful
We now have five of these.
By eliza on Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2022
We live in an area that is just far enough from the city to get a lot of idiots dumping cats, so we always have strays and ferals around. We also live in an area that routinely gets very cold in winter. There are 3.5 crazy cat people in the house, and we've maxed out our indoor cat capacity, so we keep expanding our stray/feral feeding and shelter operations. (Yes, we also have a cat trap and local TNR options.) We've made a couple diy shelters, but these are a lot faster and easier to put together, and I really like having the heated pad. It only warms when there's pressure on it, and the temp doesn't get very high, but it's enough to help a cold, damp kitty be more comfortable. That said, we don't just drop them on the ground, plug them in, and walk away - there are a few modifications needed to make these good outdoor shelters. First, our outdoor population doesn't appear to like the flaps, so I usually leave one on and remove the other. However, snow gets in on the flapless side quite easily. Also, they're only kind of waterproof - I wouldn't trust them to resist a hard rain or a wet snow. The solution to both problems is to get a roll of reflective-foil bubble insulation and use it under and over the shelter. I place a rectangle of it underneath the house to insulate from the ground - it's even better with plywood or something under the insulation. Then I cover the top with a piece large enough to overhang the flapless entrance by several inches. The insulation is quite waterproof, and also helps keep warmth inside the shelter. I use extra-large binder clips to attach the top piece, which means the overhang can't go all the way around, but it's worked pretty well so far. Another option would be to basically wrap the whole thing in the insulation - underneath, up the side, over the top, and back down the other side. If you need to place a shelter where it can't be plugged in, adding a piece of insulation under the pad, and/or replacing the pad with a self-warming cat mat, can help retain warmth. I do recommend locating them as far as possible from high-traffic areas, so shy kitties won't be afraid to hunker down in them. With the modifications described, we've kept these outdoors year round for several years, with no maintenance other than washing the pads once in a while. The oldest one has been out there since 2017, and other than fading a bit, it's as good as new. I highly recommend these as an affordable option for those who want to help homeless kitties.
Top critical review
61 people found this helpful
Hoping my review helps everyone else looking to buy an outdoor shelter!!
By Sophia Sunshine on Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2021
I usually don't like writing negative reviews but for products that cost a lot of money I want to give my feedback for someone else to read before considering the product(s). I purchased this K&H Outdoor Heated House on Amazon in the olive color and one K&H Outdoor Heated House on Chewy in the barn print. They both were roughly the same price point (between $70-$75 when I purchased them). I'm part of the TNR efforts for the community cats in my neighborhood and care for them all year round (food & water/shelter/vet care). Here in Minnesota we're currently in incredibly dangerously low temps (especially with wind chill!!) and I needed extra shelter asap for the cats. Previous years all we needed was a styrofoam house with hay and a heating lamp hanging over a cat bed. After noticing frostbite on one of the cats I immediately went to research additional outdoor shelters. I didn't have a lot of time to find a heated shelter in nearby stores so I placed an order on Amazon and Chewy to see which shelter would arrive first. Amazon arrived a day earlier than Chewy so I set it up the house and tested it out. It was very easy to assemble!! The directions said it could take up to 30 minutes to "warm up" so I set a timer and noticed absolutely no difference. Then I tried other outlets again waiting for 30 minutes. The directions state that after initial warm up the bed will feel cooler to the touch and to place an insulating object over the bed, wait a few minutes, then to feel the "warmth" the cats will experience to test out the heat. Lemme tell you this house generates NO HEAT and I'm incredibly disappointed. I was really hoping for the "warm to a cozy, pet-pleasing temperature even in the coldest of weather" promise. Even tho it does NOT work I am still keeping it to use for a wind blocker. Because with wind chill at -36°F you'd at least want something to block that breeze. Our garage door is lifted about a foot to allow cats to come and go as they please. Even tho the garage is only up by a foot it still gets drafty. Upon entering the cat cam notifies me with any movement and starts recording for live viewing and to view later. On the cat cam the night I received the shelter from Amazon I saw that one of the cats actually used it!!! That's enough for me to keep the house and to skip the return/exchange. The next day the Chewy house arrived. Being as the shelter is the same brand I wasn't excited to set it up or hopeful it would work. I did so anyway and actually noticed the "heat". With this bed I actually experienced the self regulating temperature. It's nothing like the crazy heating pad I use for that time of the month so for anyone expecting it to actually feel "hot" just know that a human heating pad would be ridiculously hot and overwhelming for a cat to sleep on. You want one steady constant temperature for your cat to enjoy and keep warm and not overheat. I felt positive the Chewy outdoor house would be popular and be preferred over the Amazon house so I set it up and waited for the cat cam to alert me. Sure enough all the cats piled in to the outdoor house purchased from Chewy!!! It made me so happy to know they appreciate it and use it nightly!! Now I don't know if this means anything but the K&H outdoor heated house purchased on Amazon arrived in an unlabeled box. The K&H outdoor heated house purchased on Chewy came in the manufacturer's box. So overall I recommend this product if you get a working one!!! I'd say get it on Chewy. It only took one additional day to arrive and was in the same price point as the one on Amazon. Side notes: this house is low wattage and can easily share an outlet. I have what I like to call an "outlet multiplier" and share the outlet with other necessities. I have thermo bowls plugged in to prevent food and water from freezing, the outdoor heated shelter, the outside food freezer, the heated lamp, and there is still extra wattage to spare!
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