Montana winters can be brutally cold, with temperatures plunging to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
While most people can simply head indoors and turn up the heat, stray cats have no such option — which is why Melody Karle and her husband decided to step in.
After moving into their Montana home a few years ago, the couple wanted to help the local strays survive the cold. Using a picnic table, some old fencing, and a chicken heat lamp, they crafted a makeshift shelter in their backyard.
Melody added a little food to lure the cats over — but it didn’t take much. Before long, cats were frequenting the cozy space and even staying overnight.
“I don’t know what they did before we got here,” Melody told The Dodo.
The shelter quickly became a hot spot — literally — so the couple upgraded. This time, they used durable plastic deck boxes, lined them with straw, and added heating pads and cameras.
The new shelter was a hit. Through the cameras, they watched as shy, street-hardened cats finally let down their guard and curled up to rest, safe and warm.
Over time, Melody and her husband began to recognize the regular visitors, giving them names and getting to know their personalities.
One cat, a senior they called Old Tom Morris (or OTM), came every single day for a year. He ate their food, slept in the shelter, and kept his distance — until one day, he showed up with a serious bite wound on his shoulder.
Melody managed to gently coax him into a kennel and rushed him to the vet. After his injury was treated and his shoulder shaved, she couldn’t bear to send him back into the cold — especially with so much exposed skin.
She brought him inside, unsure of how he’d adjust. But to her surprise, he made himself at home almost immediately.
“Two days in, it was very clear that he was totally chill,” she said. “He was like, ‘I live here now … It’s warm and you’re feeding me and I’m not going to leave.’”
OTM has been a part of their family ever since. And he’s not the only one. Two other former shelter cats, Winston and Patrick, have also become beloved housemates.
“We didn’t plan to adopt any of them,” Melody said. “We already had cats, and we didn’t think the strays were friendly at first.”
But these tough, resilient kitties ended up winning their hearts.
Even with three new indoor cats, Melody and her husband remain deeply committed to the cats who still visit the backyard.
They've helped several find adoptive homes, worked with local rescues and vets to get them spayed or neutered, and continue to run the shelter through the harsh Montana winters.
Melody encourages others to build backyard shelters too, especially in cold climates. You don’t need to be a professional builder — just someone who cares.
“Even if it’s not perfect, it’s better than nothing,” she said. “Whatever people can do is good enough.”
And who knows? If you build it, you just might end up with a few new furry family members.
To keep up with the backyard shelter cats, you can follow Karle’s TikTok here.
