I like the escape door with vinyl flap at the back. I do wish that the front entrance had a vinyl flap on it also. Other than that very pleased.My indoor cats love to venture outside, but sometimes venture too far into neighbors garages. They needed somewhere to hide out and this was perfect. So easy to assemble, and a beautiful design. Looks super stylish.I bought this exactly a year ago and just now when trying to move it, It completely fell apart!! Tried to fix it but it is warped and the whole bottom fell out and will not go back together. Paid way too much for this to have only lasted a year. Obviously not good for outside do not recommend. Very disappointed that now I have to purchase something else!!When this first arrived my husband did a "water test" by dribbling a few drops of water on the side part of the shelter. It soaked right into the wood. I didn't trust that this would stay dry on the inside so I painted it with two coats of exterior house paint, because that was what I had on hand. We also put insulating foamboard on the inside and sealed the parts together with silicone sealant. I believe there is a crucial step missing in the instructions: the two large sides have a top and bottom, because they are layered together sort of like slats or roof tiles. One side is sealed and the other has a slight crack which will make water penetration worse if you assemble it with the sides upside down. You can tell which side of the slats are sealed by pressing with your fingernail; you can slip your nail under the slat on the unsolid side.Despite all my work waterproofing and insulating this, my feral friend has yet to go inside. I did purchase a "self warming" pad to go inside but have since learned the best insulator is straw (and is there really such a thing as a self warming pad?) We had a pretty bad storm here a few weeks after putting this out, and the pad got really wet inside just from the blowing rain, and the fact that the door is very low to the ground.I've read a lot of the reviews and I'm really happy this shelter has worked for some people because that means there are comfy strays out there, but for me, so far it has not appealed to my garden cat. I think it's also in too high a trafficked area, so I'm planning on filling it with straw and putting it under a huge bush in my front jungle where the cats hide out anyway and hopefully the gigantic bush will protect it from the ferocity of the rain and aid in its waterproofness.This is a well designed outdoor cat house, made of quality materials. Judging by the grain of the wood and the smell, I believe it is a Chinese evergreen (I have a plant stand of the same material), so it should hold up well in the weather. There are no gaps between the boards that make up the sides and although I was thinking it might be good to put a bead of caulk or plastic at the top where the sides meet before putting the ridge piece on, it was not necessary. The board is not flat on both sides, but is milled with angles to precisely fit so no water can get in. The inside walls are covered with a heavy plastic sheeting that will also help keep moisture out. I really like the clear plastic escape door, which would prevent them from being trapped and also makes it more inviting for more timid cats. It was easy to put together, as the places for screws are all pre-drilled and there are small dowel protrusions on the sides that fit into holes, so before you insert the screws the parts will line up precisely. Even the packaging was top notch, with paper and styrofoam protecting all the parts from being scratched or dented. The screws are mounted on a piece of cardboard, printed with labels and pictures of the screws, so you can easily match them with the well written instructions. There is so much attention to detail, it makes it even more disappointing that they totally dropped the ball when it comes to the bottom part and floor. The floor is made of two sections that rest on a small 1/2 ledge that projects from the walls, and that is all that keeps your cat off the ground. There are no feet, so the sides of the wall and the floor will be sitting directly on the ground if you don't supply your own base of some type, so eventually it will rot. If it rains, the floor would very likely get water inside from underneath, as each section has a hole in it so you can stick a finger in it to move/adjust it. Also, if it is not on an even base and the cat puts more pressure on one side than the other, the section could tip up and pinch a toe/nail in it, which certainly would at the very least discourage them from using it. These problems could be easily solved at a minimal expense, or they could even make an optional base you could buy separately. For now, I put it on two concrete blocks, one at the front and rear, with a little bit of the block protruding past the doors to make it easy to step up. That leaves a gap underneath between the blocks, which they like to sneak under. If you don't want a gap, one more block would do the trick. You could also use patio stones, or buy a 4 x 4 at H*me Dep*t or L*we's and have them cut it in smaller sections and use that instead to sit it on. Plan on the fact that it will definitely need to be raised off the floor or ground, which they also mention in the description. I also plan to put a heavy waterproof mat on the floor to keep toes out of any gaps and also weatherproof it a little more. All that being said, I think it is a very nice cat or small dog kennel and my cats seem to agree. It gives me a little more peace of mind when my stubborn cats refuse to come inside.NASo easy to set up I did need a power drill though which I didn’t expect. Very sturdy, the roof/side panels are lined with a waterproof barrier. I wish it was up on little feet but those won’t be too hard to do myself.I bought this with my small white cat in mind because she likes to sit outside and our winters are quite cold in northern BC. to my surprise my little white cat didn’t take a liking to it but it’s the bees knees to my large male cat. He’s in it all the time!I’m not sure either of them would be able or willing to push the rear flap door open with their heads, it’s a bit stiff, I might replace it with something easier to use.Edit: 1 year later and my cats use their cat cottage a couple times a week which always brings me joy. They use it mostly tor scale rain and wind if it gets too much. It is still the black cats favourite.I purchased this for the homeless neighborhood kitty to have shelter from the wind and rain. He's a large cat but he fits in it and uses it.(I was worried he couldn't fit in it as he avoided it for the first week but he in the house all the time now)It's a little smaller than I anticipated so I could only fit a medium size towel for him to lay on and keep the food and water outside his house, but overall it's a great outdoor cat house!Nicely organized screws, extremely easy to assemble (good instructions, all holes pre-drilled, not many screws needed to get it together). Did not take long at all. Bottom panels are loose/resting in place, but didn't seem to be a problem. The two half panels inside the bottom each have a hole cut in the corner (less than 1" in diameter) to feed a cord through. My cord has a plug on the end and did not fit through so I took a tiny hacksaw and just opened a slot from the edge into one of the holes. Easy peasy, now have a heated pad inside. Looks adorable on my porch.We bought this cat house to protect a few Canadian winter feral cats in our neighbourhood. Not only is it super cute, but it also provides great protection. We have used it for 1 winter so far. We elevated it a bit off of our deck, with a tarp over it, as our winters are quite harsh. I have not had it long enough to see how it weathers, but I'm sure it can be touched up again with stain or paint. We added straw to the bottom and had some late night visitors several times over - curious squirrels and opossums included! We also purchased a heated water bowl (also reviewed). Super easy to assemble, great quality product and aesthetically pleasing. Highly recommend.Great little house!Everything comes ready to just fit together. Even comes with a screwdriver so theres nothing to go searching for. (One reviewer said she needed a drill- not true. I had this together by myself in 10-15 minutes with just the complimentary screwdriver)