Cheri color="#FFFFFF">626

 

The Crazy Cat Lady Kitty Corral!*

*and Other Kitty Paraphernalia!

 

 

Indoor Diversions

This site is having some issues. Please forgive the mess.

12/4/07 - We lost Sonny several months ago (enlarged heart), and it was very difficult to come to terms to. He was my baby, and we miss him terribly.

Cute Overload - LOVE IT!


Check out this website: Purrballs.com. They have a great page titled Fun for Your Cat with suggestions for interacting with your cat and keeping them entertained. 

 

Inside the house we have a new addition, a six foot cat scratcher. It started out around four feet high, then we added some 4x4's to give it some additional height. It's beefy and not very pretty, but they LOVE it! We also have an older, four foot commercially made scratching post, and a short cone-shaped one that we trained Sonny to scratch when he wants food. If you ignore him, he will go back to scratching the furniture, then knock over the plant, jump on your TV tray, dump your drink, and stare at you until you get off your rear!

 

My current pet project is knitting cat toys! They are SO cute! I'm using the instructions in Debbie Stoller's book: Stitch n' Bitch Nation from the library. And since I suck at knitting, I also checked out The Art of Knitting and Crochet 2 DVD!

 

Kitty Crafts:

 

 

The Corral!

 

We have made a few additions to the corral since completing the shell. Catwalks were put up along one side, and we plan on adding more this spring. I will put up more pictures as soon as they are complete.

 

The screen door has finally developed holes (after two years). I duct taped them temporarily, but will replace the screen with chicken wire ASAP.

 

I am also looking for a comfortable cat lady chair. I'll probably go with an Adirondack since they are low, laid back, and have large arms to hold your drink. The critters really enjoy the company and will hang with me for hours outside.

 

We brought our kitties inside where they stayed for nearly two years until we bought our first home in 2004. The first thing on my list of improvements was a cat enclosure. Now they are happier, and the anxiety of letting them roam free, and the guilt of keeping them indoors are both gone!

Approximate Cost = $125 lumber and galvanized nails, $70 chicken wire, $50 cat door, $15 galvanized staples, $15 latch and lock, $7 recycled screen door from Sound Builder's ReSource (which sadly, is now closed), $10 sod, 1 fall down steps, 1 giant bruise, & at least three weekends. There is no doubt in my mind that it can be built with much less money. I was impatient and bought everything from Home Depot so we could get it done fast. I expect it would be a great opportunity to use recycled materials, some of which you may already have. The only real requirement is that it must be safe for the cats.

SafeCat Outdoor Enclosure plans might be worth the $25 investment when you are spending $300 . I didn't order the plans because it used to take three weeks and I wanted to get started right away. My Dad and I had a good time planning the thing on post-it notes instead, shopping at Home Depot 8 or 9 times, and putting the thing together over three weeks between rain showers. Thanks Dad!

NOTES:

  1. If you can borrow an air staple gun, do it!
  2. The size of our enclosure is 10' x 12' x 8' high. Looking back, I should have made it 10x10x8 or even 10x8x8. It sticks out pretty far into the backyard and really disrupts the flow. Oh well, I wasn't planning on this one lasting forever anyway. I have learned a lot of lessons during this process, and when this one rots away, I will be armed and ready to put in a more permanent structure that meets the cat's needs without taking up so much of the yard and blends in better.
  3. My 20 pound cat qualifies as a "Medium" Pet - we had to go with the door for animals up to 40 pounds. When I put new siding on my house, I will probably look for a more permanent cat door solution. The PetSafe Dead-Bolt door is kinda funky, but it will work for now.
  4. A recycled screen door may look funny, but it probably shaved another weekend off the schedule. It is light and easy to open, and has spring loaded hinges so it swings shut nicely. I was concerned that the grey paint may be lead-based, so we painted over it. When they begin to shred the screen, I will cut it out with a razor knife, and cover the door with chicken wire.
  5. I noticed several enclosures where they have sunk the base of the enclosure into the ground or on top of rock. My back yard is fenced, and we don't own any dogs, so I laid it directly on top of the grass. I doubt they will try to tunnel under it. And if we get a dog later that does, I'll retrofit it.
  6. We put a combo-lock on the door to keep my little friends from setting the kitties free by accident. Inside we have a hook and eye latch so we can keep the door secure while we are visiting, and the cats can't push the door open.
  7. There was dirt next to the house which I could have seeded, but we put down three rolls of sod to avoid muddy paws and get them outside quickly instead.
  8. In the beginning, I only allowed my critters to venture into the enclosure when I was home until they had some time to locate any possible kitty-escape routes that needed fixing.
  9. The cat door was the scariest part of the entire project. We had to cut through the aluminum siding and sparks flew everywhere! Does a giant hole in the back of your house lower the property value?
  10. Some of my other decorating ideas/plans include: ♥ a chair and side table for myself, a book, and a drink, ♥ cat walks up and around the sides of the enclosure, and across the top, ♥ a hutch or two to hide in, ♥ shade cloth cover for hot days, ♥ a large branch or smaller log to shred, ♥ container for water on the "hose" side of the enclosure, ♥ and a kitty garden. I picked many of these ideas up from the links listed at the bottom. I am looking forward to taking my time and enjoying the process of adorning our enclosure.
  11. Since we built the enclosure two years ago, we have only been given one "present", a little mouse with it's head chewed off. I used to get these monthly when they roamed free. The worst was when they brought them in live and I had to catch them myself. Eeewwwww!
PHOTOS:

Luna - our eldest. She can be very mean and super sweet. Here she is trying to find a way out of the enclosure.

 

 

Sally - is our newest member of the family, adopted on 04/11/05. She enjoys licking your face and following Sonny everywhere.

 

 

Sonny (Santino) - is the second best cat I have ever had the pleasure to serve. He is our 20 pounder and is one solid cat. Three words can sum him up: mischievous, sweet, and heavy. He is usually a terror, but if you are sick in bed, he will nap with you all day long. He may just be tired, but I choose to read it as concern for my well being.

 

 

Here are a few photos of the enclosure:

 

  • Side 1


     
  • Side 2


     
  • Side 3


     
  • Lock


     
  • Cat Door


     
  • Final Inspection

 

LINKS

The number of websites on cat enclosures has increased quite a bit over the last couple years. I enjoy seeing how others built and decorated their spaces. It is really inspiring!
 

 

 

Thanks for visiting!

- Cheri.

cheri626@comcast.net