Moved and have "new cat enclosure"!!!

Well, it's been a long time since I was here.. So just a quick update on all.

We have moved back to Arkansas and my husband and I have nearly completed a 1200 sq foot cat enclosure for our ferals. We still have all our cats and they are doing A-ok!!

Here are some pictures of our new enclosure. We used sucker rod and welded it together. It is about 7.5' tall. The bldg is complete except for the human door and the kitty door and the front.. The entire thing is insulated with foam board so they will be very warm. We are going to tarp a 20x20 area and husband is going to build them a porch.

They have two kitty doors so noone gets trapped. We have the individual housing built but not installed yet also.

This spring I can plant all kinds of things in there for them. I am not sure if I am going to move thier gym or build them a new one. I envision a jungle setting....hehe

The enclosure is complete except for fencing the top and we should have that finished by this weekend.

well here ya go. They will be moving into it hopefully next weekend...


This is their NEW building..... Front is not yet finished. Still needs tin and the insulated human door...


This is the framework of one kitty door.


This is an interior wall. Husband did a great job! On the other side of the plywood is insulation and then the tin.


I am standing in the far corner here of the enclosure. It is huge. I love it!


This is a closeup of the bldg. You can see the two kitty doors and the human door.



See ya, Jenn C

p.s. Jimmy is doing great....!

ty very much!!...... I can't wait to see them in it.....! They love catnip so we have to have a catnip garden....

The structure and the perimeter are only the beginning..

great means --BIG AND FAT and HEALTHY and SASSY!!!!! He is probably as tame as he will ever get. He lets me pet him and occassionally I can pick him up and put him beside me and he might sit there for a minute and then he does the "cat dash"... But he comes right back. He actually loves to be petted but on his terms. But when he sees me petting and loving on the others, here he comes!!! I'll try to get a few pics of him.

This enclosure is not connected to the house but it might be next winter. If not, I will be hauling cats in the house. Juan says he built the bldg short enough that we can put a flood light in there and they will stay warm. I am not putting hay in it. I am going to put thermal blankets in their cubicles to lay in so I can bring them in to wash. I'm afraid of hay and fire. You know? I know there is such a thing a blankets that retain body heat so I need to look at those. I have read something about them. I told hubby it better be warm because when it hits 0 degrees I am sleeping a night out on a cot to see if they are warm or not. haha

We still own our house in Missouri but due to my husbands job we had to move to the state he is employed in so here we are in Arkansas. So we are renting this 100 yr old farm house in the middle of 200 acres dirt cheap and we love it!!! The creek/river is right in front of the house and is stocked with fish. We have deer all over the place. And one very large bobcat. Yikes!!

So I drive back and forth working on the enclosure and taking care of my family. Basically I live in two houses. I can't completely move till the cats are moved. I spend every other night in a different house.

We like this house better than the house we own in spite of it being old, needing work, cold, barren etc.... . This is an old late 1800's farm house with concrete floors, 2 story and a fireplace and a wrap a round porch. We have wired it, installed propone (just in case) and are painting like crazy to get it liveable... i wish they would sell it to us... Maybe in a few years. The owners parents bougth it in the late 1940's. I have never loved a house/property like this one and it is not mine... But we plan on living here for years. It was just a fluke that we found it. You ever been in house that just suits you?. This house has had a lot of living in it in the last 100 yrs. It was empty for a long time and we are bringing it back to life...

I brought a few of the cats down to Arkansas just to solve the mice problem since the house had been empty but the majority of my kitties are in their OLD enclosure in missouri with me. The dogs are already in arkasnas with husband.

A few will be house cats for good.
Yellow -- 16 yrs old
Snoopy -- blind in one eye
Pattie Cake -- Scared of being outside.
Wooley Bully -- His baby but also will be in the enclosure at times. (he sings to her)

And that's my update...... I have missed you guys too.... I won't disappear again!!!

Jen

Elly, last night was my night in Arkansas. All my camera stuff and the internet are here in Arkansas. I'll get you some fresh pics as soon as I get him and them moved. He is a big cat now.. It won't be long. So glad to hear from you guys....

LDG -- the anticipated move date is as soon as the top is on the enclosure so no escapes occur. We have the wire but my husband is in Ga until the weekend. I pick him up at the airport Saturday. Not sure right now what time he is arriving. If we can get the top on Saturday evening and Sunday, they will be moving. The little bldg require about one hr's worth of work more to complete it. If they don't move next Sunday it will be a day or two afterwards but by next week for sure!!!

Feralvr -- I also have wanted a house like the cat house. Isn't that awesome???

And white cat lover -- Name your price!!!! I might rent him out..........!!

You guys have a great day!!! Time to hit the tub...... (no shower here yet haha)

Jenn

Well, I have all my cats moved but 6... Jimmy, Toe, Cow, Hank, Buddy and Princess Minnie Pearl are still in Missouri. My others are not in the enclosure yet but in the house with me in Arkansas. Husband has been out of town the last week with family in GA but I am picking him up at the airport in the morning. He says by nightfall tomorrow the top will be on. I doubt that because it is storming outside. I think it is more realistic to say Sunday night "it will be finished!!!!!"

It took me several trips to move them yesterday and today. I had to bathe JJ when I got him here. He pooped 4 times on a 40 mile trip and with only 3 legs he just lay there like the ride paralyzed him temporarily .. It was horrible. So I put him in the bathtub and put a sprayer on him and shampooed him 3x with lilac shampoo. He smells great now! He was so scared but he feels right at home now...

Here's a ;couple of quick pics........

Here's JJ looking a little disgusted but in spite of it, he is working that paw! He smells so good.....He is still a little damp. That's Pattie Cake back behind him. I think he is embarrassed because he smells better than the girls....


And here is Tink and Star all snuggled in for the night....


I will be busy this weekend but during next week I will try to post at least one pic of all of them!! Nite all... I need to crash...........jenn

p.s. OK...got to check the link out L...

All the cats are officially moved. Should be in the enclosure by
Saturday evening........!!!!!

Jimmy was easy. I put soft cat food at my feet and while he was eating I was petting him. I just picked him and put him in the crate with Mini Pearl.

When we got here he stayed in the bathroom a couple hrs behind the toilet. When the lights dimmed, he ventured out. Now he is sitting by my feet grooming himself and appears perfectly content.

Easy move.

I'll try to post some pics of them this evening.....

jc

Well, they are in the enclosure.. I have a few pics. Will take more tomorrow when I am a little more rested. I have 15 in the enclosure and 4 in the house with me. I have JJ, Minny Pearl, Hank and Star in the house. I am going to transfer Star tomorrow. Hank and Minny are going to stay in with me for awhile. They are having a little trouble adjusting to a new house and I want to spend some one on one time with them with no competition until they get their kitty confidence back on track. The others absolutely love their enclosure. They have ran and played like crazy. I have got to research some plants now -- ever-greens so I can make them some tunnels and build some tings for them. We have a truckload of treated lumber to build some structures/gyms and play things for them to climb on.....

This was a very exciting day!!!

And (drum roll please) --- here's some pics of my crew...

Have to put zoey in here. She was very excited by all the activity today.


And this is yellow checking his kitty door out. He is nearly 16 yrs old!!


And Toe Man. He is pretty old too. Pushing 12 yrs now. That one is the rear is Tink.


He has an attitude and is a little peeved at being "stuck" in the enclosure.


And one of Jimmy...He is checking out his little house. This is his first moments out there. He was trying to figure out what was going on. That is Pebbles in the rear. She takes everything in stride.


After a few minutes, he settled right in to take a nap.... He was pretty easy to get out there. He let me carry him in my arms. He absolutely trust me and husband now. It has been a long road with him but worth every single minute of it. He is not the same cat as before. He is 100 percent relaxed in his little kitty group and with his two humans in his life. He is doing great!


And just a few general pics







And that's all for tonight... I went and checked on them just a few minutes ago and they seem to be doing fine. Tomorrow Husband is building their individual cubicles. Tonight I have blankets down on pallets inside the bldg for them to sleep on. The house feels so empty without them in here....

My little kitty colony has come a long way..

One more thing -- If you look closely -- one of the kitty door has disappeared. My husband forgot it was there when he put the front wall on. But when hot weather gets here, that wall is removable for air flow. He says he will cut it out then..... hahaha

More tomorrow.
jen

Well, they did great last night. Glad it was 50 degrees for the first night. Have a few morning pics......

And white cat lover, Zoey is a mess. She is only 15 months old. Still a pup.. She is actually 1/2 Great Pyrenees and 1/2 Golder Retriever. She is technically a golden Pyrenees.... My designer dog and has turned into the lead dog in my yard. Very protective of our family and the cats.. She is a great dog!

And here are some kitty pics. They seemed just fine this morning. I have to drive to my son's house this morning and when I get back we are building them some climbing things so they won't be bored waiting on their promised foliage.

Wolly


Snoopy


Pebbles


Cookies eyes


Dovey hiding in her blanket.


Cookie, Pebbies, Yellow and Wooley


Tink, Cookie, Yellow, Cow, Toe, Pattie, Snoopy and Wooy




Jimmy, Sam and Tink


Now off to Branson.... Then back home.

Jenn

I don't have to go to branson... thank god.......

More pics.....

Jimmy has not been out of the house that I have seen yet. He is not afraid but also not venturous. Since I have had him this is the most outdoor freedom he has had... By tomorrow I hope he comes outside of that little house. He comes to the door and peers out. He goes out the cat door and back in the big door. He has not ventured to the far side yet.


This is their catnip site. What I plan on doing is using a wrought iron entrance that I have as an opening to their garden with the entire section across it bushes and vines so it "appears" as if they are entering a room. In one corner of the"jungle room" line I want to make them a tiny little pond with ferns around it for their drinking area. The catnip will be the center. Probably take me all summer to do this.


This shows the area that is going to be their garden room. It will start on the other side of the catnip site. Where the lab is laying is going to be the water area.


Right now I put them a stump in there... with their garden chair.




More updates in a few days.....
Jenn

My wonderful husband added a couple things..... He is so darn sweet and handy....!!

OMG!!! When I got back from meeting my son in town this was done. The barrel is handing from ropes and he left part of it hanging in the barrel so they have something to swat at. It hangs freely and blows in the wind and is probably 18-24" off the ground. We stuffed it with hay and 4 of them have already tried it out. We will probably add another one. He drilled a couple holes in the bottom so "in case" it rains, it will drain. We have 13 of these barrels. At one time non toxic car soap was stored in them.


Snoopy is always the first to do anything. He has no fear..


Except for the barrell... Toe beat him to it.


But anyway, he wore himself out playing today......hahaha\\


My husband is still tweaking on the cat bldg. He closed off the top a little to give them a wind break. He also cut pallets up and put them against the walls to put their covers on to get them off the ground. When their cubicles are built, we can remove the pallets. But for now, they work and keep their blankets from getting damp in the dew.


Jimmy still hasn't come out... He is tucked away in a corner with a couple of his buddies. I went inside and talked to him and petted him and he acts fine but I think all the sawing and hammering has given him the jitters. That's over for awhile since the enclosure is basically done except for foliage, so hopefully he can relax.

I also want to say something I have been avoiding. I have lost 4 of my cats.

Three died in a two week period of bob cat tick feaver. My little Angie, Mama Kitty and my beautiful green eyes Socks kitty. The vet could not do anything. I don't remember off the top of my head what it's called but he told me frontline will not prevent this. He said that an infected tick can still bite the cat but with frontline it falls back off. And by the time the cat shows symptoms, it is too late. We still lived in Missouri when it happened. Mama was last and since we already had this house, she is buried in the front yard with a kitty head stone that my grandmother made. i have a concrete angel her.

The 4th cat was Tulip --Snoopy's brother. I had him outside with me while I was working and I stepped inside for a moment and when I came back out he was gone adn I never saw him again. Last Oct was one year. I seached for him and searched for him for a year. I put shelters in the woods with food out "just in case".. On one of my trips to feed, I sat out in the woods and called and called and I could hear a little meow in response. I could see a cat way away answering me. I went toward the cat and it was a scrawy dumped stray. I told him I was sorry but he was not my cat and I forced myself to turn away and walked back through the woods to my car. When I got there and it was a good 1.2 mile, "Sam" was behind me beggin me for something. I put some food out but he was absolutely uninterested in the food. He wanted to be petted. When I petted him I noticed a 3" knot in the middle of his back.

So.. Sam is now in the enclosure. He rode with me home. I could not leave him.

My husband says we lost Tulip and gained Sam who surely would have died without intervention. He is a huge fat cat now. And the knot subsided and eventually disappeared. We think hunters either hit him with a rock OR he was thrown out of a moving vehicle. We will never know for sure but he was homeless but definately not feral. He is a people lover.

RIP Mama, Tulip, Angie and Socks.....

Well, it stormed and stormed last night. About 9pm I brought Kissy and Toe back in the house. They stood in the cold rain at the gate and cried and meowed and yelled in kitty language at me. So I dried them off with a towel and set them in front of the fireplace to warm up. They were wringing wet. I might add that these two are not feral. Kissy is a cat that my daughter saved/found when she was just a couple weeks old. Toe we have had since he was 5 weeks old. They are downright spoiled. Buddy has slept in the barrel most of the night and the others are fine. Right now, all of them are in the bldg including buddy.

We have the sides propped up on bricks for air flow but I think it's too early in the season. I think I want my husband to set it flat on the ground. It is pouring outside and I want to make sure no water comes from underneath the house so they will be snug. It is 42 degrees out so they are not cold. I can't wait till daylight.so I can really see them. we are going to tarp the section directly in front of the larger door and also in front of the kitty door to prevent rain from getting inside and just a snug section around the bldg in general . And that will be done this week. But tonight I am worried about them...

The dogs woke me up scratching at my bedroom window because they wanted in. They have a two room doghouse also and no rain gets inside. But they like to lay in front of the fireplace too. So I let the big girls in too.

I am not sure why Kissy and Toe would not go in the bldg to get out of the rain. I am probably going to stay home today from work due to high water. I have to cross a creek directly in front of my house on bedrock and on a normal day it is only about 6-8" deep but it is probably several feet deep this morning with roaring rapids. We have swimming hole over our heads about 25' in front of the house. Summer and winter are great but rainy season sucks because I get trapped on the property till water levels go down. I am not in any danger of the house flooding as we are on a hill.

jc

Thank you Ellie.. It's gotten easier and I have accepted the fact of Mama, Angie and Socks passing but I still have a hard time with Tulip. It is unresolved because I don't know what happened.

Next time the creek floods I'll post a pic. It is really quite beautiful and peaceful even in it's raging state. I love it here.

I did make it to work today. Water was not flowing fast but it was about 2' deep so my truck went across quite easy.

It sprinkled most of the day so on the way home I stopped by the feed store and got some burlap bags. I doubled them over and stapled them in the doorways to the enclosure until we get that area tarped. It keeps the wind and the rain out. the bottom is loose enough they can go right under.

I have Toe back in the house with me plus cookie and Wooly. I'll probably rotate a few cats here and there so they all keep feeling special.

Jimmy is coming out now. I meant to let you know yesterday. If I go outside, he runs to the fence to be petted. However, if my husband goes outside he runs back in the bldg. This tells me two things.

(1) - Jimmy feels safe in the bldg and (2 )--it was definitely my husband's hammering and banging around that spooked him. He is associating those "scary noises" with my husband now.... He was just now letting Juan pet him "when he felt like it"... He likes me much more than Juan. He is really a hoot. His favorite scratching place is on the sides of his face.

You know Ellie, I keep comparing him to Star. They are my two absolute ferals. I have had Star 10 yrs and Jimmy is in the same place emotionally as her. I honestly think one day he will be my lap kitty. I don't think she ever will. He has slept on my feet on the bed before which is something she has never done. But he is sneaky about it. He wants that closeness but he doesn't want me to know he is there. So I pretend I don't notice him.

This weekend I am bringing Jimmy in for some loving if he wants me to. But he really seems to like it out there which is great. It is large enough he has a sense of freedom which is great for him.

I am thinking about putting some misters on one side of the enclosure this summer to keep them cool and keep my forthcoming plants watered.

Talk to ya later, Jenn