K&H Heated Outdoor Cat House Review

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For winter, we use two K&H heated kitty houses for the outdoor cats. They’ve been a great way to help give the outdoor community cats a little extra warmth the past few winters when we have cold weather.

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We have three outdoor cats that we regularly provide food and shelter. When they first started coming to the yard several years ago, they were feral cats. However, they have become friendly with me (as their feeder) over the months and years.

We set up two K&H Pet Products outdoor heated cat houses and placed them in our cat shed (we also have two unheated dog houses in the shed).

We have the Multi Kitty model and the Kitty House, but K&H offers other models as well.

The Multi Kitty model is a larger cat house and will fit two cats (or possibly more if the cats are smaller and don’t mind sharing). This review will cover only models that I have.

You can see both of the cat houses in the video below.

Both cat houses were easy to assemble. It’s been a while since I put ours together, but I don’t recall needing any special tools. The manuals are available on their Chewy product pages (links at the bottom of the post).

The sides and roof are made of sturdy cardboard (or some other type of board) and covered with nylon, which helps the house to resist water.

Velcro is used to keep the sides in place. And zippers are used to secure the roof.

Then there is a heated pad that lays in the bottom of the cat house. There is a fabric cover that goes over the mat. You will need access to safe, outdoor electricity to be able to plug in the mats.

There are two doors on both of these cat houses. And there are plastic removable door flaps for both doors. They are attached by Velcro and can be removed if you do not want to use them.

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Or you may want to remove the door flaps at first so that your cats will go into the house.

Sometimes, the cats sit on the roof of the multi kitty house, and a corner of the roof gets crushed in. Placing a table or shelf over the house would prevent them from walking on the roof.

Where can the heated cat house be placed?

We have our cat houses in a small shed. We had an electrician place outlets inside of the shed.

The cat houses are water-resistant. The door flaps will help keep water and snow out. However, the houses do not seem to be designed to be in direct weather. But you want to avoid water (from rain or snow) pooling inside.

A covered porch, barn, shed, or garage is the best location for the heated kitty house. However, placing a tarp over it might work if you need to put it in a more open area (I haven’t tried this myself).

Remember, you will need access to electricity to be able to plug in the heated pad. The cord is about five and a half feet. Using an outdoor extension cord is NOT recommended.

You may want to consider other outdoor cat shelter options if you will not have access to electricity or a covered area. An alternative would be a shelter made from a storage container and filled with straw.

We have extra container shelters in the yard as new feral cats have shown up in the winter in the past. And I don’t think the current cats would let a new cat join them in the cat shed (at least not a first, as cats are territorial.

Last winter, we had a friendly stray stay warm in one of the unheated cat houses until we could get him into the Humane Society.

How warm does the house get?

The cat houses are heated by a mat that plugs in. The heated mat warms up to close to the cat’s body temperature when lying on it.

The pad may not feel very warm if you place your hand on it. I laid a meat thermometer on the pad and then set a beach towel over it to test the pad. The instructions say after 15-20 minutes, it will feel warm.

I was able to confirm that the heated pads warmed up in both of the cat houses.

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The instructions say to NOT but any blankets, straw, or anything else on the top of the pad. I have always followed these instructions for the cat’s safety.

There is a cover that comes with a pad that is designed for the cat to sit on. The cat needs to sit on the pad to feel the warmth!

So, the actual house doesn’t get warm. Instead, the pad the cat sits on is what is warm.

Do you leave the pad plugged in all year?

No, we only plug in the pad when it’s colder outside. I like to plug it in when it starts to drop below freezing at night.

Once plugged in, I leave it plugged in until spring.

The houses remain in the shed all year, so the cats can still sleep in them during the warmer months if they want to.

Are these Best Heated Outdoor Cat House?

I cannot say if the two cat houses we have are the “best” as I haven’t tried any other brands. However, when writing this article, I noticed that other brands of heated cat houses are available.

The two K&H cat houses have been fine for my outdoor cats. On cold mornings the cats come out of the shed for breakfast.

We are not sure if all three outdoor cats use the houses at the same time. But, there is room for all three cats as two would fit in the Multi Kitty model.

Pros:

• Easy to assemble
• Lightweight
• Helps the cats stay warm with the heated pad
• Protects the cats from the weather
• Two doors which provide two exits for the cats (if they need to flee from another animal)

Cons:

• Requires access to a nearby outdoor electric outlet
• Best if not placed in an open area. A barn, a shed, or covered porch which limits or eliminates direct rain or snow is best.
• The top (roof) of the cat houses isn’t designed to support the weight of a cat, which could lead a cat

Where to Buy

Your local pet store may sell outdoor heated cat houses. I bought ours on Chewy. Amazon carries the same models.

If you want to order online, I recommend checking prices as I’ve seen the houses on sale in the past.

• Amazon Multi-Kitty: https://amzn.to/3qtSpO5
• Amazon Kitty House: https://amzn.to/3qx09im
• Chewy Multi-Kitty: https://prf.hn/l/7AxDvvV
• Chewy Kitty House: https://prf.hn/l/7xAJepG

Related Posts for Community Cats:

• Using a shed as an outdoor cat shelter for multiple cats for winter
• How to delay the water from freezing for outdoor cats without electricity
• Outdoor Cat Feeding Station (our DIY design + tips)

Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Outdoor