8 Best Outdoor Cat Houses of 2024

Keep your kitty (and a friend or two) warm and dry with this roofed cat house featuring a scratching pad and a second-floor porch, perfect for bird watching. We appreciate the durable materials, which should help this house stand up to winter weather. "Asphalt roofing is an effective protectant against rain, and the house itself should be made of weatherproof, sturdy wood," says Dr. Conrad, and both are found in this kitty abode, which the brand says is weatherproof.

This pick has two doors, which can be important. The "escape door" allows a cat who is inside to get out, but prevents other animals from entering. It means your cat won't get trapped inside. A front door flap can help protect against wind and other weather elements and the raised floor helps keep the interior dry. Reviewers have found this house to be fairly straightforward to assemble, but do give yourself an hour to do it.

Some complain that the pre-drilled holes are not always in the right place, requiring some new drill work. Per the brand, this house can also be used for pet rabbits or small dogs. It comes in other colors too, such as beige and gray.

The same brand that makes our best overall choice also offers this smaller wooden A-frame cat shelter, which can fit just one cat. Its smaller size makes it more affordable and easier to tuck into a corner of your yard or patio.

We like this version with legs that lift the house two inches off the ground to help prevent the floor from becoming damp. PVC curtains on the door and the slanted asphalt roof which forms the sides of the house both help keep out wind, rain and snow. (The brand says the house is weatherproof.)

Like the previous choice, this mini version also has an escape door, on the opposite side of the front door. That way, if an unwelcome guest like a neighboring dog sticks its head in, the cat can sneak out the back way. Some online reviewers suggest placing this cat cabin on a porch. Also many report buying more than one if they have several feral cats that visit.

If you'd like to provide shelter from the cold and rain for a feral cat, this outdoor cat house could be a perfect home. According to the brand, its plastic-wood polymer composite is resistant to rot and warping and should not crack or attract bugs. We appreciate that you can simply rinse this house clean with a hose. And as always, we like that the house features more than one door — although both can be accessed from the outside as well as the inside, unlike a true escape door.

One online reviewer said, "it took five minutes to put together; instructions were so simple," and "it's really nice looking and won't look like an eyesore in your garden." Several users have noted that some cats are deterred by the vinyl door flaps. Others have added additional insulation to keep up with extreme weather. (For more on how to make a cat shelter warmer, see our advice at the end of this list.)

With more than 6,300 five star ratings on Amazon, online reviewers note that this house feels sturdy and holds up well during cold months as long as it's under some sort of covering. This cat house will keep cats nice and toasty even during winter, thanks to a heated cat bed with a removable and washable cover.

There are two exits with removable door flaps, but watch for heavy snow that can block the entrances. The water-resistant nylon and vinyl walls and roof should keep harsh weather out but can become saturated if the house is left exposed. It's best to situate this house on a porch, in a garage or somewhere under an overhang — be mindful that it'll also need access to an outlet.

The heating pad heats up when the cat is inside and turns off when it leaves. It won't overheat the animal since it's set to match the cat's body temperature. If you have more than one kitty companion, the extra-wide multi-kitty version of this house is great for two cats, a larger cat or those that like their space (and as of press time, it's a little bit less expensive). Since this cat house isn't made of wood or asphalt but rather polyester, the brand notes that the roof can't hold a kitty's weight — this house isn't for climbing or sunbathing.

If you've got a family of kitties (and room outside for a cat house almost five feet tall), this multilevel shelter can keep a small colony warm and dry.

With a variety of cozy cubby holes, secondary escape routes and perches for sunbathing, this veritable cat mansion will provide them with a home base. Dr. Conrad specifically recommends cat houses made of sturdy wood and an asphalt roof like this one. It's also elevated above the ground so you don't have to worry about the floor getting overly damp from leftover rain or snow, and the roof boards can easily be removed to help make cleaning up a breeze.

Online reviewers note that it's sturdy and has plenty of room for multiple cats to relax. If you live in an area that can get strong rain, the brand recommends you put the house under a porch, in an enclosed patio, or under some type of cover. Online reviewers also recommend protecting it with a coat of weatherproof paint, especially if the house can't be under cover.

While this outdoor cat house may look a little strange — kind of like an outdoor grill — it can keep cats warm and dry all winter long. The Kitty Tube is made of post-consumer recycled plastic bottles, according to the brand's website, and it's designed to protect your cat from the elements. Unlike other outdoor houses, this one only has a single door to ensure the inside retains as much heat as possible. When purchasing, you can choose to add a double insulation layer, custom pet pillow or pet heating pad to keep your furry friend toasty and warm.

Although this house isn't raised off the ground, it features a thick layer of foam insulation on the bottom to prevent the floor from getting too chilly or wet. Up to three cats can be housed in a Kitty Tube, and unique features like lid vents help the interior stay dry. Online reviewers like how waterproof this cat shelter is, and say it is easy to remove the top of the tube for cleaning or air-drying the house. Assembly doesn't require any tools but reviewers recommend watching the YouTube video that explains how to set it up.

Want to give house-dwelling kitties a little fresh air and bird-watching (but not bird-catching) time? An outdoor catio may be the cat enclosure that you're looking for. "Catios are meant to be an outdoor enrichment environment for otherwise indoor cats," explains Dr. Conrad. "They do not protect against rain, wind or snow."

This catio features an asphalt roof (a feature Dr. Conrad recommends) to help keep the shelter protected from the sun or a light drizzle. There are six perches for cats including two enclosures. There's room for jumping and playing, and space at the bottom for a litter box and a cat bed. The mesh walls are excellent for letting your cat experience the great outdoors without worrying about them wandering away, getting caught by predators or being predators themselves.

This is a large structure — nearly six feet high — with a tall door so that adults can enter the catio to clean it and carry kitties in and out.

A little cat psychology: They love to be up high, looking down below. That's the appeal of this outdoor cat house with a sheltered view from the second story. Your outdoor cat can climb up there, then survey its dominion. Dogs and other nuisances (kids included) can't bother a skittish cat in this house as easily, and just in case, there is an escape door that the cat can use to get out. For those reasons, we feel it's among the safest outdoor cat houses — and it's cute too.

The roof opens up which we love because it makes it easier to clean the second story and refresh any bedding you put in there. The board between the two stories can also be removed so you can clean out the first floor as well. Reviewers describe the wood as lightweight and soft, and worry that it will wear down in the elements over time, but the asphalt roof offers some good protection. Online reviewers are split over how durable they feel this is, with some saying it's very sturdy and others saying they're not impressed. We feel the quality is fair for the low price.