ŠapicePet Shelter Engineering
Emergency

I need a shelter now

Tick what you have at hand and get the most durable solution you can make from it, with steps. These are emergency solutions: they bridge the gap until you build a real shelter.

EMERGENCY ONLY
  • It must stay dry; replace cardboard as soon as it gets damp.
  • Raise it off the ground (bricks, blocks, a pallet).
  • Straw, not hay, towels or blankets.
  • Film goes only on the outside and never closes the entrance.
  • No light bulbs, heaters or improvised heating.
  • Check every day and move to a durable waterproof shelter as soon as possible.
What do you have at hand?
Not enough yet

Tick what you have. The fastest free option is a clean foam box or a dry cardboard box with straw at a spot under a roof. Ask fishmongers, pharmacies and restaurants for clean foam boxes, always with permission.

After the emergency

The path to a durable shelter

  1. Emergency Cardboard Dry
  2. Waterproof Emergency Shelter
  3. Single Plastic Tote
  4. Tote with Straw
  5. Tote-in-Tote + Straw
  6. Double Tote Insulated
  7. OSB Economy Cat
  8. Compact Single Cat Winter
  9. Nordic Solo Winter

Each step adds protection; every model page says what you add, what you gain and what stays limited.

Printable card

EPS Core in Plastic Shell

  1. Check and clean the box. Use only a clean foam box with no fish, medical or chemical residue and a lid that fits well.
  2. Cut the entrance. Cut a 150 mm × 150 mm opening through eps shipping box, with the sill 80 mm above the floor so rain and snow stay out. Face the entrance away from the prevailing wind. Cover or sand sharp edges.
  3. Put the box inside a tote. Place the foam box inside a larger tote and cut an aligned entrance through both. The plastic protects the foam from rain, sun and outside scratching.
  4. Secure the lid. Tape the lid on the outside and weight it with a brick so wind cannot lift it.
  5. Raise the shelter off the ground. Set the shelter on four stable bricks, about 100 mm above the ground, so the floor does not touch cold, wet ground. Check that it does not rock.
  6. Add straw, not hay. Loosely fill straw to a quarter or half of the interior height. Do not use hay, towels or blankets in an outdoor winter shelter: they absorb moisture and chill.
  7. Choose the spot and secure it. Set it against a wall or fence, out of the wind, away from roof runoff and roaming dogs. Weight or secure lightweight shelters. Check the spot with the placement checklist.

Tote with Straw

  1. Cut the entrance. Cut a 150 mm × 150 mm opening through plastic storage tote, with the sill 80 mm above the floor so rain and snow stay out. Face the entrance away from the prevailing wind. Cover or sand sharp edges.
  2. Close and weight it. Close the lid and put a brick or stone on it. A light tote must be secured against wind.
  3. Raise the shelter off the ground. Set the shelter on four stable bricks, about 100 mm above the ground, so the floor does not touch cold, wet ground. Check that it does not rock.
  4. Add straw, not hay. Loosely fill straw to a quarter or half of the interior height. Do not use hay, towels or blankets in an outdoor winter shelter: they absorb moisture and chill.
  5. Choose the spot and secure it. Set it against a wall or fence, out of the wind, away from roof runoff and roaming dogs. Weight or secure lightweight shelters. Check the spot with the placement checklist.

Foam Shipping Box Shelter

  1. Check and clean the box. Use only a clean foam box with no fish, medical or chemical residue and a lid that fits well.
  2. Cut the entrance. Cut a 150 mm × 150 mm opening through eps shipping box, with the sill 80 mm above the floor so rain and snow stay out. Face the entrance away from the prevailing wind. Cover or sand sharp edges.
  3. Protect from rain. Cover the box with film on the outside without closing the entrance.
  4. Secure the lid. Tape the lid on the outside and weight it with a brick so wind cannot lift it.
  5. Raise the shelter off the ground. Set the shelter on four stable bricks, about 100 mm above the ground, so the floor does not touch cold, wet ground. Check that it does not rock.
  6. Add straw, not hay. Loosely fill straw to a quarter or half of the interior height. Do not use hay, towels or blankets in an outdoor winter shelter: they absorb moisture and chill.
  7. Choose the spot and secure it. Set it against a wall or fence, out of the wind, away from roof runoff and roaming dogs. Weight or secure lightweight shelters. Check the spot with the placement checklist.

Single Plastic Tote

  1. Cut the entrance. Cut a 150 mm × 150 mm opening through plastic storage tote, with the sill 80 mm above the floor so rain and snow stay out. Face the entrance away from the prevailing wind. Cover or sand sharp edges.
  2. Close and weight it. Close the lid and put a brick or stone on it. A light tote must be secured against wind.
  3. Raise the shelter off the ground. Set the shelter on four stable bricks, about 100 mm above the ground, so the floor does not touch cold, wet ground. Check that it does not rock.
  4. Add straw, not hay. Loosely fill straw to a quarter or half of the interior height. Do not use hay, towels or blankets in an outdoor winter shelter: they absorb moisture and chill.
  5. Choose the spot and secure it. Set it against a wall or fence, out of the wind, away from roof runoff and roaming dogs. Weight or secure lightweight shelters. Check the spot with the placement checklist.

Transit Emergency Carrier

  1. Prepare the container. Take a dry, clean old pet carrier. Close and secure the sides so the box cannot open.
  2. Cut the entrance. Cut a 200 mm × 220 mm opening through old pet carrier, with the sill 30 mm above the floor so rain and snow stay out. Face the entrance away from the prevailing wind. Cover or sand sharp edges.
  3. Raise the shelter off the ground. Set the shelter on four stable bricks, about 80 mm above the ground, so the floor does not touch cold, wet ground. Check that it does not rock.
  4. Add straw, not hay. Loosely fill straw to a quarter or half of the interior height. Do not use hay, towels or blankets in an outdoor winter shelter: they absorb moisture and chill.
  5. Choose the spot and secure it. Set it against a wall or fence, out of the wind, away from roof runoff and roaming dogs. Weight or secure lightweight shelters. Check the spot with the placement checklist.
  6. Check every day. This is an emergency solution only. Check daily that it is dry; as soon as the cardboard gets damp or deforms, replace it. Move to a durable waterproof shelter as soon as possible.

Waterproof Emergency Shelter

  1. Prepare the container. Take a dry, clean corrugated cardboard. Close and secure the sides so the box cannot open.
  2. Cut the entrance. Cut a 150 mm × 150 mm opening through corrugated cardboard, with the sill 80 mm above the floor so rain and snow stay out. Face the entrance away from the prevailing wind. Cover or sand sharp edges.
  3. Wrap the outside, keep the entrance open. Cover the roof and walls with film or a heavy bag and tape it on the outside. The film must not be inside and must never close the entrance; keep the lower edge of the entrance free because of condensation.
  4. Raise the shelter off the ground. Set the shelter on four stable bricks, about 100 mm above the ground, so the floor does not touch cold, wet ground. Check that it does not rock.
  5. Add straw, not hay. Loosely fill straw to a quarter or half of the interior height. Do not use hay, towels or blankets in an outdoor winter shelter: they absorb moisture and chill.
  6. Choose the spot and secure it. Set it against a wall or fence, out of the wind, away from roof runoff and roaming dogs. Weight or secure lightweight shelters. Check the spot with the placement checklist.
  7. Check every day. This is an emergency solution only. Check daily that it is dry; as soon as the cardboard gets damp or deforms, replace it. Move to a durable waterproof shelter as soon as possible.

Emergency Cardboard Dry

  1. Prepare the container. Take a dry, clean corrugated cardboard. Close and secure the sides so the box cannot open.
  2. Cut the entrance. Cut a 150 mm × 150 mm opening through corrugated cardboard, with the sill 80 mm above the floor so rain and snow stay out. Face the entrance away from the prevailing wind. Cover or sand sharp edges.
  3. Raise the shelter off the ground. Set the shelter on four stable bricks, about 80 mm above the ground, so the floor does not touch cold, wet ground. Check that it does not rock.
  4. Add straw, not hay. Loosely fill straw to a quarter or half of the interior height. Do not use hay, towels or blankets in an outdoor winter shelter: they absorb moisture and chill.
  5. Choose the spot and secure it. Set it against a wall or fence, out of the wind, away from roof runoff and roaming dogs. Weight or secure lightweight shelters. Check the spot with the placement checklist.
  6. Check every day. This is an emergency solution only. Check daily that it is dry; as soon as the cardboard gets damp or deforms, replace it. Move to a durable waterproof shelter as soon as possible.
Sources