I think it's great that you're going to such lengths to be responsible for your barn cats. I sure hope MY comments didn't come across as snarky!

As for the outdoor house-thing, whatever you choose, you won't want pillows/towels/bedding, because it'll get damp and freeze. The best type of house will be watertight, off the ground, WELL insulated, wind-proof, and have plenty of straw. Hubby made one somewhat like this - www.christinedemerchant.com/feral-cat-shelter.html - for my uncle's feral visitor cat, and he was toasty warm all winter. Other style options include these - http://www.alleycat.org/ShelterGallery. But if you've got a chicken coop, you can probably just open up two or three bales of straw, and let them make their own cozy nests. If you're somewhere that gets *insanely* cold, one of the outdoor heat mats in part of it would probably be welcomed, but most of the shelters in those links, with a bunch of straw, will be perfectly comfortable to -30C, particularly with multiple cats curled up together.

ETA: http://habitathaven.com/  We got our third floor deck enclosed with a Cat's Den. Even though our gang is indoor only, and we're in the city, just having this has made them super happy. They can watch birds and squirrels, etc.  Ours is just a big cube, essentially, with shelves/perches, but people can also get all sorts of tunnels, etc. 

Last Edited By: CdnHorseGal Feb 12 13 6:54 PM. Edited 1 times.