Outside Cat Enclosure..help??

[tinshopcats]

We're building an enclosure for the colony of cats we care for. It will be 24'x48' so 1,152 sq ft total.

Originally, we were going to build a floating deck and then build a shed with an attached run but that plan will no longer work. Back to square one.

We have the layout for the enclosure and how we want to set up housing, feeding, litter boxes.. all that. What we are struggling with is ideas for the ground cover. No deck because it's going to blow the budget and be a hassle in the long run.
So, here are the ideas we came up with:

- Sand. The play sand kind. It's cheap and easy to come by at the store where we can get a little discount on each bag and it has a good drainage ability. The entire enclosure will have a roof with a 1' overhang on all 4 sides and 2 of the 4 walls will be completely covered with plywood and metal siding. Are there any cons with using sand?

- Mulch. Worried it'll harbor fleas, other pests and be messy?

- Gravel. Wondering about cost for such a large area and what kind would be best?

- Pavers. Worried about cost?

- Grass seeds. It will take us at least a couple of months to build the enclosure, so would growing grass work? The roof will be corrugated panels so it's gonna be shady all the time. Would grass even grow? Is there a strong kind of grass that can hold up to heavy traffic, the cats using the bathroom in it, a lot of shade (we can water it as often as needed) and be able to fully germinate within a couple of months before we put the cats in there?

Any other ideas that might work for us? Something affordable, that drains well, won't be messy or harbor pests and will be safe for them.

Thank y'all!

 

[Willowy]

Crushed rock would probably be best. You might want some pavers for the high-traffic areas too. I don't know what the cost would be but it must be pretty reasonable, as people use it for their driveways. Call some gravel companies and see what they can quote you. Also, it would be easier to have the gravel truck back right up to the enclosure rather than dumping a zillion bags of sand. . .

 

[tinshopcats]

What about using potting soil for the entire enclosure? A natural kind like Black Magic? Or another kind?

If we keep it watered (how often?) and turn it all once a week (like the deep litter method for chickens), would that sort of compost the cat waste and keep the enclosure ground a healthy place for them?

 

[mani]

Sand works. I think there's still a need to clean up the poo .. if you're going to turn it over then you can scoop out at the same time. But cats just love to do their business in sand, and the wee just soaks away. If it doesn't, a good hosing down works wonders. I would put sand where you want the toilets to be, and something else in the other places. Here in Australia there is grass that will grow in the shade.. I think it's great for cats to have grass around. But you may need to mow it.

 

[Toni-Hamblin]

I'd go with pavers, you can usually pick up some seconds pretty cheap, you don't grass as it will need to be mowed, sand will just end up getting dirty.

 

[dragoriana]

Just with the grass thing if you go with pavers, you could still plant grass in shallow trays (even cheap litter trays and doesn't have to be mowed) so they have something to chew and play with. Just that if they are going to be permanently on pavers it would be nice to have some semblance to a yard.