Aivituvin Insulated Outdoor Cat House for Winter Weatherproof Outside Feral Cat Shelter with Liner

I sure everyone out there has experienced enough purchases that didn't live up to the advertisement, to not have high expectations for much of what you buy. Who hasn't bought at least once a piece of furniture, that comes and disappointedly can fit in the palm of your hand. I've bought enough DYI furniture, that I am well versed in the materials being of less quality than pictured, materials warped, screw holes not lining up, or non-existent, instructions that need an expert to figure out, or just time-consuming to put together.This is not one of those purchases. First off, it actually is the size they said it would be (not too large to be a nuisance in the yard and not too small to be of use). It will be perfect for cats since they like small spaces to curl up in but need an easy escape route. Second, the wood is lightweight, making it easier to cart around after construction, and solid (i.e. no hollow carboard tubes or plastic/metal stamped to look like wood). Third, it was easy to put together. The company used dowels to help strengthen joints, but which also makes it super easy to line up where things join before you screw it in. And let me just add that they predrilled the holes making it so much easier to hold the screw, the panels, and drill all at the same time. That may seem like a small thing, but having holes lined up perfectly, a dowel that also helps hold up a panel, and pre-drilled holes make things a lot easier to build.I was easily able to put this cat house together by myself and the results are really adorable. So my final comment, is that this outdoor cat shelter purchase was better than advertised.

I LOVE this cat house. It is so cute with the balcony. I did seal it with wood sealer before putting it together and outside. But it is well built, easy to put together as I did it by myself. Perfect for my front porch l!

The media could not be loaded. Shipping got here quick. Everything came in in good condition except a little chip, but it was OK. Still look great. The design is cute and felt sturdy. It says waterproof and weatherproof, but we still put a tarp outside just in case.Putting it together and the installation inside was so easy, we had to put it together inside our house because it was raining, but it wasn’t heavy for us to carry outside. This will help the feral cats during rain and hopefully winter season. We will put in self warming beds for the cat for more softness and warmth. The cat house is like big enough for four beast cats or many kittens.

It looks nice, and it should do quite well. I was concerned it was gray and white, but it’s a two-tone gray, and it looks nice. The roof is coated with asphalt granules like a shingle. The touch looks nice.Several comments, and ways they can be improved by the manufacturer:1: The paint is rather light and somewhat inconsistent. On the step panels, I faced the side up that had the part indicator letters because the paint was nicer. It’d be better if the manufacturer applied the paint a bit thicker. (The pictures show some examples.)2: The directions say that a drill is recommended, but it doesn’t say anything about how to use it. I quickly found that the outer holes are pre-drilled like the description says, but the inner holes are not. Since you’re often screwing into the narrow sides and ends of boards, you really want to pre-drill them. I used a small drill bit, probably 1/16”, which was about right for the smallest screws, and I just used the same one for everything. BTW, a variable speed drill as a screwdriver was also useful – there are a good number of screws here. Be careful not to over-tighten them – they’re rather thin and strip easily – I may go back and add a coating of glue to the screws on the steps. Lack of pilot holes also makes it unclear exactly where the door flaps are supposed to go - I placed mine so they overlap the frame at the bottom. It would be very helpful if the manufacturer started pre-drilling the inner holes – which also makes lining things up a lot more obvious.3: Some of the boards have chips and splits. Mine didn’t have anything that would cause structural problems. It would be nice if the manufacturer would glue and clamp the splits, both for strength and for customer impression.4: The hinge on the main roof section does not have a 90-degree stop. In operation, this isn’t a factor, because it uses a large hinge on the side to hold it in place – but this greatly complicated assembly, and it’s the only part where I needed assistance. (See the pictures.) The alignment would make it hard to clamp, because the roof overhangs the sides. Fortunately, I got married last year, and my wife was glad to help. She held the roof panel in place while I drilled pilot holes and then added screws. If the hinge had a 90-degree stop, the panel would have been able to sit propped in place as I attached it. Also, the hinge is smaller than the board it attaches to, and if it were the width of the board, the screws would be centered and less likely to split the board. They’re pretty small screws, so there’s not much risk of splitting – but it looks odd. Summary – a hinge the same width as the board and with a 90-degree stop would be a good improvement.And one note based on other reviews. The smell. This is made with Chinese fir, which is related to cedar. This gives it a cedar-like smell, and weather resistance without chemicals – and it’s lightweight while being pretty strong. The assembled unit isn’t that difficult to pick up and move around.

Why did you pick this product vs others?:It’s pretty but was a little blather. It easy to assemble nand seems well built

This is great quality and easy to put together, although you may need two people to put on the roof. Nice and roomy and I really like that I can close off the top from the bottom floor. My only complaint is there is a pretty strong paint (or something) smell. I’m not particularly sensitive to smells, so when I complain its pretty bad. It does seem to air out after a few days but I wonder if it’s something toxic for the cats. Maybe it’s just the type of wood. Some wood smells. I also wish I had know this house comes in an insulated version. I would have bought that one. When I went on the website to see if I could buy just the inserts, they were nowhere to be found. It might be nice to offer the inserts separately.