A small louvered vent down low on the side of the chest should be all the venting you need, you can get a pair of them online for like, $4.
If it wasn't a freezer, I wouldn't be too worried about it, but refrigerators and freezers are super airtight.
Ya that's why I was concerned. They are fantastically insulated but not made to let air through. Aside from the flap I do want to drill a few holes in the very bottom of the freezer for any moisture to be able to drain out but that doesn't seem like it would be enough. But I also don't want to overdo it and make it too drafty.
Yeah, the small vents down low should let out carbon monoxide and stuff (they're heavier than air), and keep most of the warmth in, since it'll rise anyway. If you want to isolate them further from any draft, you can put a chunk of wooden pallet on the floor and put the cushions on that, give them a floating floor kind of deal. That way, most cold air will be below them.
Ya I've got a few old pallets and was going to make a floor so the heating pad sits a few inches off the very bottom in case any moisture gets in, that way the pad stays out of the water, and the water can freely escape. And then maybe a second level and a little ramp to make more use of the room inside.
If you are able to, make some sort of foundation so that the bottom of the freezer isn't in contact with the bare ground, at all, even if it's just setting it atop some cinder blocks.
This will help with all of the aspects you're going to be tackling:
It will give an air pocket to vastly reduce the loss of heat from the freezer going into the much colder ground. Even a freezer isn't a perfect insulator, and the earth is a mighty large and cold slab.
It will give space for any sort of drainage system to function better, which you're absolutely going to want to do something for sure, as you'll have moisture condensation and bodily fluids to content with. Even though the cats will almost certainly immediately recognize the location as shelter instead of using it for "waste disposal", some may take some learning and/or may be too sick to regulate themselves. (I would recommend putting some sort of sloped and channeled water proofed material inside the "flooring", to guide any standing fluid towards your drainage).
It will also help mitigate somewhat the possibility of whatever critters might be in the brush beneath before full freeze, from having an easy path into the kitty hostel.
Sounds cozy!
Thanks, I'm hoping it will be. At this point some carpeting, a window and a nice coat of paint and they'll have a nicer house than mine lol
Forgot to add, Eventually I'd like to install a window into the freezer so the tenants have a better view, but for the moment I just want to keep them alive and healthy.
IMO spare yourself the effort on the window, they're just using it to sleep and won't hang out there. A window looks like another opening and makes the den less "safe"
You think so? The main reasons I wanted a small window was to let a little bit of light in, and for them to be able to look out. Kinda makes sense it may make them feel a little less safe though... my furry idiots fight all the time for the window shelf I have in the house, but they're not strays anymore like the one(s) that would use the freezer house thingee.
My evidence is purely anecdotal so take it with a grain of salt but I do think so.
My friends DIYed a box with a camera for strays. They got so many the first winter, they took an old carrier and replaced the metal grates with acrylic for a second one. Barely any cats used it that year so I suggested the window thing and the following winter, it was just as popular.
But there's a very real possibility that a full year outside was just enough to remove any lingering scent or unfamiliarity that kept them away!
Hmmm thanks, that gives me something to think about. Even if I did put one in, it won't be until next summer, so I've got some time to think about that one.
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