Do you think framed 2×4s (with chicken wire) screwed into landscape timbers (4x4s or bigger) partially submerged in narrow trenches in the ground and fastened with long rebar spikes will be sturdy enough for a cat enclosure ("catio")? I'm trying to avoid securing one of the enclosure walls to the house because it has masonry siding. Thanks!
Outsider cat enclosure
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Just one guy, so he can get some fresh air. Four screened walls, one against the house. Egress through a window-mounted cat door. On Long Island.
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10 x 12 FEET? Are there plans for open floor plan kitchen/dining room? 
Occasionally I will build feral cat houses, insulated with 2" xps and double walls, roof and floor, Two offset means of egress. Pretty, no. Functional, you bet
Occasionally I will build feral cat houses, insulated with 2" xps and double walls, roof and floor, Two offset means of egress. Pretty, no. Functional, you bet
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Hmm.
Ok. I'm originally from Ohio, and it's cold and damp and metal rusts and wood rots there and Long Island is the same, more or less. I think your construction will be okay, just check regularly and repair.
If you have coyotes in your 'hood, you might want stouter wire. I say that because I've lost many kitties to coyotes and they can be aggressively clever about getting to them sometimes.
Here's Conan (right) und Der Baron von Komfy (left), in a moment of détente.
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Keep in mind, you want it big enough for people to get in there, and, er, clean up the [bleep] once in a while. :vs_cool:10 x 12 FEET? Are there plans for open floor plan kitchen/dining room?
Occasionally I will build feral cat houses, insulated with 2" xps and double walls, roof and floor, Two offset means of egress. Pretty, no. Functional, you bet
Yours looks more like a kitty isolation ward . . . . :biggrin2:
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For ONE cat??
Mine was to help keep feral cats warm and safe during the winter.
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It can be disappointing to build an animal nice luxury accommodations and they refuse to use it.
But I did feel sorry for a litter of worthless British Blue farm cats one winter and laid an old Styrofoam ice chest on its side and it would hold 5 cats because it was only a couple steps from the feed bowl.
But I did feel sorry for a litter of worthless British Blue farm cats one winter and laid an old Styrofoam ice chest on its side and it would hold 5 cats because it was only a couple steps from the feed bowl.
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Since it's so high to get up to the window access (and thus susceptible to folding like a parallelogram) make sure to provide some sort of partial-height bracing that can double as high platforms for the cat. If it's over dirt don't forget an easy way to remove the spikes so you can move it or a door to get in to mow or rake the mulch or whatever.
Side note you could build the Cat Majal and it'd still be cheaper than those fabric kitty tunnels they sell
Side note you could build the Cat Majal and it'd still be cheaper than those fabric kitty tunnels they sell
I spent $200 having a chicken-wire shelf put up on the wooden fence around a large yard. My 12 yr-old "baby cougar" jumped the gate, right away. It did keep neighborhood cats out.
They don't make cats like they used to. There's more wildcat & exotic cat in them & in outside cats. An enclosure would have to not be easily busted. Every night, I say "don't break the window!" as my cats wrestle near the window. I can hear the "Boom" and have already been planning for when it breaks.
If the cat will be in the enclosure at night, you will have to make sure predators can't break in, as DoomsDave alluded.
It would be nice if designers would create more attractive catios. Cats are the most common pet, next to fish, in the US. ( Yes, dog people, they are. :smile
They don't make cats like they used to. There's more wildcat & exotic cat in them & in outside cats. An enclosure would have to not be easily busted. Every night, I say "don't break the window!" as my cats wrestle near the window. I can hear the "Boom" and have already been planning for when it breaks.
If the cat will be in the enclosure at night, you will have to make sure predators can't break in, as DoomsDave alluded.
It would be nice if designers would create more attractive catios. Cats are the most common pet, next to fish, in the US. ( Yes, dog people, they are. :smile
Thanks again, all. This guy is a rescued feral, and I plan to keep him in (he can go "out" on the catio). All my other cats in the past have been inside/outside, but bad things have sometimes happened so he'll be kept in. I actually already built a small catio (3×4) on the other side of the house, but it's built on top of of a small square of concrete, which made it a pretty easy job.
I actually just spotted a 10 × 10 dog run on sale for $239 at the local Tractor Supply Company, and I'm giving it serious thought. Just not sure how I'd rig up platforms/shelves for kitty to jump up on since it's chain link.
I actually just spotted a 10 × 10 dog run on sale for $239 at the local Tractor Supply Company, and I'm giving it serious thought. Just not sure how I'd rig up platforms/shelves for kitty to jump up on since it's chain link.
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That might very well be worth it rather than the hassle of unrolling and flattening that much chicken wire and dealing with wood rot. Check Wayfare and Amzn too because they have some purpose-built catios in that price range.
If you go chain link, you could get sign brackets to mount to link or poles:
You could use threaded rod and nuts to hang platforms. Maybe even metal junction box covers could act as big washers with the chain link. If local to TSC, then you must have Menardz, where you can cut outdoor carpet for $0.47/sf to wrap the platform material.
Thanks Moily for opening my eyes to catios, I used to think they were way overboard, but after delving down this rabbit hole, I might consider one in the future. Or is it "geez, thanks!" (with sarcasm) :biggrin2:
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