Outdoor Cat Furniture/Play structures: Help Please!

Mani said:

Apparantly I have 'insufficient permissions' to see your photo   (Don't you just love computer-speak?)

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I got that message too. What in the world does it mean?

EmilyMayWilcha said:

I got that message too. What in the world does it mean?

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It was a link to the Private Lounge, and LDG hadn't realised...

So, have you put it up yet? And have you gotten anything to put inside it yet? I'm excited for your kitties! :lol3:

The whole enclosure is still sitting inside my house, LDG.  It takes at least two to put it up and all sorts of things have happened to prevent my helpers from helping, but hopefully at least the enclosure will happen this weekend.

I've decided to make the entry through the wall.. I have a little old cottage with fibro walls, so I'm going to have to take great care cutting into it.  I've done the research, so it should be relatively straightforward.  The cat flap is sitting there waiting (I have a tiny house that seems to have been taken over by outdoor cat enclosure paraphernalia!) It won't go straight into the enclosure, so I'll create some kind of tunnel.

I'm collecting containers as per your suggestion.

There will be pictures!

:lol3: Isn't that always the way! I'm sure you'll get there!

OK... after much mucking around and a big health issue that has really laid me flat, the enclosure now exists!  It's not huge and has no 'furnishings' as yet. 

And the cats haven't even been in.

I thought I'd take a photo tomorrow to show the space. 

  LDG or anyone else who stumbles on this threat, I'd love layout suggestions once you see the finished product!

The first photos are the whole thing and the front.  I've left things in.. upside down containers, the wooden work horse and ladder I used, just so that it wouldn't be completely bare, but they can all go, with the exclusion of the suspended hammock that came with it.  It is strung very high at the moment and I'd like to find a way for them to access it.


Then this is the fence side and the back.  It is very very close to the neighbours.  They are very good about it, but have a dog, so I may put up a bamboo fence attached to the net frame. However I'm a little concerned about this as then the cats only have two sides providing a view.

I'm going to plant out the strip of garden bed .. the upside down things are over the cat-unfriendly plants.  I don't like using plant poison, so this is how I deal with them.. they just cease to flourish.


And the very boring side wall is up against the house and kitchen window.  The house is fibro.. an old fisherman's cottage that was extended, so drilling into it is not my favourite thing.


I feel that high places, comfy places and some undergrowth in the garden are priorities.

Any suggestions and ideas are gratefully appreciated! 

Oh that is SO COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And it looks like it was a lot of work to put up, even though it was supposed to be easy? :dk:

They are going to LOVE it! I hope the neighbor's dog won't be an issue, it'd be nice to leave that open. But really, just being out, I think they'll love it! :rub:

As to what to put in there... I still like the idea of stacked storage boxes. :nod:

I'm not sure how you'd make open-sided shelves work in that space. But different levels of platforms - I'm still thinking tables of different heights. I don't know how to describe it, but here there are tables - very sturdy - with pop-out legs, meant to be used for parties and such - that come in all different sizes (lengths). I'm thinking something like that - where shorter tables are used on top of each other, with carpeting glued or tacked down on them so kitties have a "grip" might provide different levels to run/jump around (and sleep!).

Let me see if I can find a picture... OK. Here's one that's 30" wide by 72" long: http://www.webstaurantstore.com/cor...ogleShopping&gclid=CODqv7TSwrECFYeo4AoduDoAuw

And here's one that's 30" wide and 60" long... http://www.bizchair.com/dad-ycz-152...=30''W x 60''L Plastic Bi-Fold Folding Table [DAD-YCZ-152Z-GG]&CAWELAID=63972642&cagpspn=pla&gclid=CNqh-czSwrECFcne4AodxSkAww

This says 30 x 30: http://www.banquettables.com//foldi...erroundwedgeblowmoldedfoldingbanquettable.cfm

I know you wouldn't be ordering these :lol3: , but just providing links so you can visualize.

LDG, it took three days to finish, including putting in the cat flap in the wall and building the tunnel.

They hang around the cat flap in the morning waiting for 'opening time'

Your table advice is excellent... They had a small size (which is all I wanted) at Officeworks and I bought it today.. It goes really quite high and is perfect - weatherproof and all! Thank you for that

Now I can work on some stackable boxes.

Today when I looked out, Nilah was in the hammock.. I was amazed as it's really high and I only had some workhorses there to jump from.  She looked very happy and exceedingly pleased with herself.

I'll post a pic when it's 'just right'.

Thanks again.. you've been and inspiration

OK... so not really 'just right' yet.. more a work in progress.  The table is Officeworks.. the little greenhouse is from one of those cheapy shops... the garden is growing and I have lots more plans (maybe some more upper walkways.. just need to work on 'how'...  This is just one half of it.

Of course I put in lots of lovely soft beds and things and came out yesterday to find Sundar curled up in the grotty old red plastic box..so I just left it there.

It's looking great 

It looks like they really love it!

Thanks, missymotus and jcat.  They do love it.  I have a feeling I'll be putting up lots more shelving etc... I can't resist catifying it as much as possible!

I love seeing their pleasure in the morning when they demand I unlock the cat flap to get in.  I'm loathe to leave it open all the time as I want it to be a day-time thing.

Wow - it does look great! And more importantly, you can tell they really love it!

LDG said:

Wow - it does look great! And more importantly, you can tell they really love it!

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Thanks, LDG... I'm still working on finding cheaper sterlite boxes.. over here they are expensive, have wheels, or slant outwards etc, and I'd really just like ones that are like great big building blocks.

It's great fun, creating it and seeing them enjoy it.

Shelves covered with carpet are popular - you can use a staple gun or glue to cover them with old carpet.  You might also be able to find some old natural (uncut) wood you can make a tripod sort of thing they can climb, with some shelves as well maybe.  As well as high places things they can climb and scratch are great things to have.

Agree about the undergrowth as well, and if your cats like catnip grow some under an upturned and pegged down hanging basket.  On a hot day mine like to lie in the shade under the bushes rather than be in the house.

OrientalSlave said:

Shelves covered with carpet are popular - you can use a staple gun or glue to cover them with old carpet.  You might also be able to find some old natural (uncut) wood you can make a tripod sort of thing they can climb, with some shelves as well maybe.  As well as high places things they can climb and scratch are great things to have.

Agree about the undergrowth as well, and if your cats like catnip grow some under an upturned and pegged down hanging basket.  On a hot day mine like to lie in the shade under the bushes rather than be in the house.

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Yes, I'm just trying to work out how to fix stable shelving to the framework, as there are no solid walls... just the heavy netting stretched around the metal frame.

I have catnip growing but they are beastly careless about it - someone pointed out that the catnip that we buy from the plant nurseries may be pretty generic and has lost its 'oomph'. 

But I do want to mimic the type of bushiness you're talking about... I can just imagine how lovely it must be for your cats to have such a large and safe environment.

I had wondered, too, about a mini wood stack (the wood we buy for firewood, just stacked carefully and safely).  I remember the cat of my childhood just loving the woodpile.

No shelving, but a bit of landscaping.

No cats in sight due to the fact that I have just used THE HOSE (feline sacrilege in 'their space')

The palm at the back will grow tall and spread quite quicky putting up lots of branchy bits for playing in. The low green shrub is citronella, to try to keep the bitey insects at bay.  It will grow big and bushy and will be 'underneathable' in time (new cat enclosure word

Mani said:

t.

I had wondered, too, about a mini wood stack (the wood we buy for firewood, just stacked carefully and safely).  I remember the cat of my childhood just loving the woodpile.

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Just be careful with snakes, they love hiding in wood piles

missymotus said:

Just be careful with snakes, they love hiding in wood piles

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I don't really think I have the space for that anyway.  I'll work more on having 'layers' of height.

The big problem is going to be whether I'll actually be able to get in there once it's completed . It's not designed for humans.