In the Fall of 2002 I built a fairly large cat enclosure in a portion of my backyard that I rarely used. At the time Tiger was 12 years old and Linda was 8 - I didn't have any other cats at that time. The enclosure is located under two beautiful elm trees and is approximately 15 feet wide, 24 feet long and a little over 6 feet tall. I built this thing to last a long time - hopefully. I sunk several treated pine 4x4 posts in concrete and then ran treated 2x4 stringers off the posts. The sides and the roof are made of very strong 16 gauge galvanized fencing material. To minimize rotting, the 2x4's near the ground rest on top of bricks which I partially buried in the ground. The shelves and ramps are made of big 2x12 cedar boards. Cedar boards aren't cheap but even untreated cedar boards last very well in the outdoors and they have more texture for the kitties' claws to grip.
There are plenty of ramps, shelves and carpeted posts to keep the kitties busy in here. I might add a large tree trunk or limb in the near future for a more natural feel. I put hooks in a couple of the 4x4's so I can hang a hammock between them. It's a great place to relax!
Linda just entered the cat enclosure via the entrance in the right hand portion of the picture. That entrance is connected to a fenced-in walkway leading to a catrun that I built (with help from dad) seven years prior to my building this one. The older cat run has a kitty door leading into my house.
Above, Tiger is leaving the older catrun and entering the walkway leading to the new cat enclosure. Below, the walkway connects the older catrun (lefthand portion of picture) to the new enclosure.
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Describing the Cat Enclosure - September 2002Linda in Cat Enclosure - September 2002Linda in Cat Enclosure - September 2002Tiger & Linda in the Cat Enclosure - June 2003Other Related Links On My Site:
My Cats' Home Page
The Catrun
Catwalks Inside My House
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