10 Best Outdoor Cat Houses of 2023 – Reviews & Top Picks

Whether your cat spends all their time outside or just some of it, having a place for them to escape to is essential. These outdoor cat houses allow you to do just that—give your cat somewhere to escape the elements should they get stuck outside.

However, not all houses are made the same. Some work very well, while others won’t last long in the elements. Some are heated, which is great for cold places but not so great if you live in Texas! Many outdoor cat houses are extremely basic, but others have tons of features.

Below, we’ll help you find the best outdoor cat house for you. Read our reviews to figure out which house your feline may like.

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2023

The 10 Best Outdoor Cat Houses

1. New Age Pet Ecoflex Outdoor Cat House – Best Overall

The New Age Pet Ecoflex Outdoor Cat House is the best overall outdoor cat house. It’s made from a durable material that’s long-lasting, even against the outdoor elements. It features two entry points so that your cat always has an escape route. Many cats feel safer with two entries, as it helps them get out if something sneaks up on them.

This house does require some assembly. However, no tools are required. The elevated floor provides flow-through ventilation, ensuring that condensation doesn’t build up inside the cat house. It also helps keep the inside cool.

We particularly like the two vinyl door flaps. These provide added protection against all sorts of weather, which is often essential during heavier storms.

2. Trixie Outdoor Wooden Cat House – Best Value

The Trixie Outdoor Wooden Cat House is made from weather-treated pine that is durable and natural-looking. It’s made to ensure years of use with little maintenance. The elevated foundation ensures that your pet is protected from ground chill and wet conditions (as well as the wood, which would be prone to rotting if it sat in a puddle).

The roof is made with composite asphalt, which helps with durability. The roof can also open up if necessary, and the floor is removable for easy cleaning. The front door folds down and turns into a ramp. When it isn’t in use, you can fold it up and latch it, which makes storage much more straightforward.

This whole unit can be put together in less than 15 minutes and includes all the necessary tools. Plus, it’s much cheaper than most cat houses, making it the best outdoor cat house for the money based on our research.

3. K&H Pet Products Outdoor Heated Kitty House – Premium Choice

The K&H Pet Products Outdoor Heated Kitty House is interesting. First, it’s held together using Velcro, which makes it very easy to put together. It’s also made from 600D nylon, which is a rare material in the outdoor cat house world.

It is more expensive than most options, but that’s because it’s heated. It’s very large and can house many cats at once in poor weather conditions. It’s perfect for outdoor cat colonies or other groups of cats. Anywhere your cat needs additional warmth, this house can be used. It can even be used indoors if your cat loves heated houses.

There are two exits built into the house with removable door flaps. You can use the door flaps or not (a very useful feature if your cat refuses to use door flaps). Your cat won’t be trapped by predators thanks to the double entrance.

4. Frisco Outdoor Wooden Cat House with Elevated Balcony

We like the Frisco Outdoor Wooden Cat House with Elevated Balcony for several reasons. The balcony is a nice added touch, and it appears that many cats do like to use it. It’s also more aesthetically pleasing than many outdoor cat houses, so will look great in your yard.

The raised floor provides adequate ventilation and keeps the house off of the floor. The elevated steps make it easy for your cat to enter, though, even if they are older. The whole thing is made with solid wood and uses metal to keep it together.

Sadly, this unit doesn’t appear to be as well-made as other options. Therefore, it probably won’t last as long. It didn’t make the top three for this reason.

5. Trixie 3 -Story Outdoor Wooden Cat House

The Trixie 3 -Story Outdoor Wooden Cat House originally caught our eye because it has a very modern design, and is very tall. It’s three stories, giving your cat plenty of room to explore and play. However, it’s a bit more complicated than other cat houses and harder to assemble. Plus, many cats may not like the lack of two entrances on each floor. It’s nice to look at, but it probably won’t be as practical for these reasons.

With that said, it does seem very durable. It’s made from treated wood that’s designed to stand up to outdoor conditions. The bottom of the floor is raised to provide adequate airflow. It even has plastic flaps to provide some extra protection from the wind and rain.

6. Frisco Outdoor Wooden Cat House with Retractable Roof

The Frisco Outdoor Wooden Cat House with Retractable Roof is a very simple cat house. It’s made very similarly to a traditional dog house—only cat-sized. Therefore, it’s great for those that just want something simple and straightforward. It works, but it isn’t going to blow you away with any fancy features.

There is only one entrance, but it is covered by a plastic flap. The roof retracts if you need to get inside the house for cleaning. The floor is also raised, which helps preserve the wood and keep your cat off the ground. The roof is made from PVC and slanted to help water run down. This feature stands out from other cat houses, which may have trouble with snow caving in their roof.

Sadly, this house doesn’t seem to be extremely durable. The wood is somewhat lower-quality than other options on the market.

7. K&H Pet Products Outdoor Unheated Kitty House

The K&H Pet Products Outdoor Unheated Kitty House is a very simplified version of the premium choice above. It isn’t heated, but not all cats need a heated cat house. It features two exits, which is very important when choosing a cat house. You don’t want your cat to get trapped by another cat or a predator (plus, many cats just won’t use a shelter with an entrance).

It’s easy to clean and made out of nylon and vinyl. There isn’t any wood here, unlike most of the cat houses available. The construction is water-resistant, and the whole thing is kept together using Velcro. It’s very easy to put together, store, and clean.

Sadly, this house is extremely small. It will only hold one feline, and it likely won’t provide tons of protection. Its cheap cost may still make it worth it, though.

8. Frisco Outdoor Wooden A-Frame Cat House

It doesn’t get much cuter than the Frisco Outdoor Wooden A-Frame Cat House. It has a unique A-frame design that makes it stand out. It’ll look good in practically any yard and has a very modern design. However, you are paying for this design, as it is more expensive than many other houses while also being smaller. Therefore, you’re getting much less space per dollar.

The triangular frame does allow the house to stand up well to the weather. The double entrance works well for concerned cats, and the flaps help keep cold air and rain out of the house. Two different sizes are available so that you can choose the perfect option for your cat colony.

With that said, the wood isn’t the highest quality, according to many cat owners. Therefore, while it is very cute, it probably isn’t as practical as other options.

9. Trixie 2-Story Cottage Outdoor Wooden Cat House

We typically love the Trixie brand when it comes to cat houses, and the Trixie 2-Story Cottage Outdoor Wooden Cat House is no different. It’s a very adorable cat house with two stories, a large entrance, and several windows. We can see the draw right away.

It’s even made from weather-treated fir wood, which gives it a premium vibe. The wood also happens to be pretty durable, which is a necessary feature.

With that said, this house is extremely expensive. It’s twice the cost of other houses. While some of this is due to the size, even when you consider the two-story feature, it’s still more expensive than the competition. Plus, there isn’t much keeping the doors open. Therefore, in high winds, they’re liable to slam open and shut (we’re not very confident that cats would like that very much).

Simply put, this house is very cute, but it isn’t the most practical.

10. Petsfit Outdoor Cat House with Scratching Pad

In the beginning, we weren’t very sold on the Petsfit Outdoor Cat House with Scratching Pad. The design just looks a bit strange, especially compared to some of the more modern cat houses above. However, the design does seem to work very well.

This house is spacious enough for one to three cats (that are up to 18 pounds each). The asphalt roof has a raised design that can help keep your kitties dry in wet weather. The roof extends out past the base. While this does make the house look a bit weird, it also helps keep your feline dry. There is a front door and an escape door under the ladder, which makes it easy for your cat to come and go. The upper-level balcony provides some extra room for your cat to lay around and watch the birds.

This house is quite expensive, especially since it isn’t much larger than other houses. In fact, we found this house to be significantly smaller than most, even with the added balcony up top.

Buyer’s Guide: Choosing the Best Outdoor House For Your Cat

Choosing a cat house can seem a bit complicated. However, with a basic understanding of the possible features, you can easily pick out a house that works best for your feline.

Heated vs. Unheated

If you live somewhere that gets very cold, you may want to consider getting a heated cat house. Often, houses packed with something like straw are enough to keep many cats warm. However, if it regularly drops a lot below freezing, having a house that produces heat may be essential. Most heated houses must be plugged into a power source. Therefore, they work best when kept close to the house or inside a barn.

Heated cat houses also have more parts that can break, which often limits their lifespan. However, if you live somewhere very cold, that might not matter much. Sometimes, your cat simply needs a heated house.

Size

The size cat house you choose largely depends on the cats you have. If you have many cats, you’ll need a bigger house (or several). Larger cats also need more room, as you’d probably guess.

However, bigger isn’t always better. Bigger houses can be harder for your cat to “heat” the house. More air inside the insulated house means a longer time between your cat entering and their body heat making a difference in the internal temperature. Therefore, you do want their house to be a bit snug.

The size of houses can be a bit misleading based on the pictures. Therefore, we recommend looking at the listed dimensions. We were regularly surprised by how little or big certain houses were. The pictures just don’t do them justice all the time.

Also, consider how many stories the house is—and understand that all cats won’t use every story. Some will only use the bottom story, especially if the door to get upstairs is inside.

Durability

You want your cat’s house to be durable. However, durability can be complicated, as it’s affected by many different things. The material has a huge role, of course. Treated wood, vinyl, and plastic are often the most durable. However, the quality of the material also matters.

The easiest way to determine a house’s durability is to look at reviews like ours. They let you know how durable the houses are in a real-world setting, which can be hard to determine by looking at a product description. However, some houses are obviously less durable than others. Houses that don’t look well put together often aren’t.

Safety

The house should be safe for your cat. This means using only cat-safe materials and the wood used shouldn’t contain tons of chemicals. Safe glue should also be used. Remember, cats lick their coats when grooming. Therefore, anything that they come into contact with could end up being ingested. Your cat doesn’t have to literally eat the wood to ingest any chemicals that are in it.

The house should also have at least two doors. This is for two different reasons. Firstly, your cat should always have an escape route in case a predator or another cat shows up. The last thing you want is for a predator to be blocking the only doorway and your cat to be stuck inside.

Secondly, cats know this. Their natural instinct is to choose hiding places with multiple entrances—just in case a foe shows up. Therefore, many cats won’t use a house if it only has one door.

Conclusion

There are tons of different outdoor cat houses that can keep your feline dry and warm. We recommend the New Age Pet Ecoflex Outdoor Cat House. It’s well-ventilated, has two entrances, and is durable. It works well for many cats, as long as you don’t need a heated cat house.

Furthermore, Trixie Outdoor Wooden Cat House is a cheaper option (that also isn’t heated). It works well despite being quite a bit less expensive than other options.

If you need a heated house, the K&H Pet Products Outdoor Heated Kitty House works well. It is a bit more expensive, but because it’s heated it’s worth the extra cost.

Featured Image Credit: Alexas_Fotos, Pixabay