Our Cat Enclosure

Building Our Cat Enclosure

Stage 1.
I looked at other people’s enclosures to see how they had designed theirs. We had a small enclosure out our house in Essex which my partner Neil erected without too much difficulty. I wanted another enclosure built similarly to the one we had in Essex in our new garden in Northamptonshire - just much bigger and built as an extension from our work shop at the end of the garden! How hard could it be? So I tried to plan exactly what I wanted. But later I realised it wasn’t quiet as easy as I had thought as I had never taken in to consideration the fact that the ground where the enclosure was going to be wasn’t level.

Stage 2.
Once we had decided where the enclosure was going to go we had to clear the area. We had a local company come in and cut down a few huge trees and also cut back the apple tree that would be integral to the area. But I didn’t have the apple tree taken right down as it would be a great climbing/scratching feature for the cats in the enclosure. Then we tidied the area in front of the work shop, planted some cat friendly plants and gravelled the area.

Stage 3.
Our enclosure in Essex had been built from pre-fabricated wood/wire panels. I then looked into buying similar enclosure panels from local suppliers in Northamptonshire but they were double the price of the ones from Essex. So we decided to travel back to Essex to get them. Luckily Neil had a pick-up truck so it wasn’t too much of a problem to load them in the back - but we still had to make two trips as I needed 26 of these panels.

Stage 4.
Other supplies were then needed to build a frame to attach the panels to; 6 and 8 foot wooden fence posts and met posts, brackets to attach the panels to the posts and dozens of screws, cement, sand & gravel.

Stage 5.
As I'm no builder this stage was very frustrating as I knew what I wanted but didn’t know how to go about it. But once we had the supplies Neil then began concreting the posts into the ground at intervals suitable to attach the enclosure panels; we decided to fit the panels horizontally for strength and stability, and to have the enclosure lower at the front than at the back, thereby mimicking the shape of the workshop which has a sloping roof from back to front. At last the enclosure began to take shape and we were finally getting some where.

Stage 6.
The end of the enclosure also needed some planning. Neil had to make sure that the back and front of the enclosure came off the workshop square so that the end of the enclosure was the correct width to accommodate the width of four panels and include a door to allow access to the enclosure from the garden. And we still had to take into account the unevenness of the ground.

Stage 7.
Now that the external walls are completed, we have to come up with a suitable idea to fill the gaps between the bottom of the enclosure panels and the uneven ground.

Stage 8.
We then built a timber framework capable of supporting a roof which also braced the enclosure walls. I bought two rolls of galvanised wire sheeting which Toni (Neil?s dad) rolled out and cut to fit the span of the roof framework of the enclosure. This we held in place using a variety of staples, clips and wire, thus finally creating a lightweight roof to the enclosure.

Stage 9.
To fully complete the enclosure perimeter, we had to fill the areas between the bottom of the wall panels and the uneven ground. We knew this was going to a problem when we started the enclosure, and decided to fill in the gaps by attaching a series of vertical feather-board panels to a wooden frame-work, which finishes the front of the enclosure really attractively.

However, the final job was to ensure the roof was fully secure and escape-proof, as I was worried that the cats could find a way through any gaps that we hadn‘t noticed (we know that they are excellent climbers and very inquisitive). To combat this, Toni, Neil’s dad, added extra timber joists so we could fasten the chicken wire roof without leaving any gaps for enquiring kittens to climb out through. Paying particular attention to the roof was a good thing because as soon as the cats were inside they were either up the tree or on top of the Wendy house, looking skyward.

Stage 10.
The outside of the cat enclosure is finally finished and is now fully cat friendly, providing a large area for my girls to roam, whilst being filled with stimuli such as scratch posts, a Wendy House, trees and various cat friendly plants and ground cover.

The cats are really enjoying it in their Cat Garden. When it’s time for them to come in at night I normally have to chase them around to catch them as they enjoy their time outside just us much as they enjoy being indoors. At least this way they have the best of both worlds.

I’m really pleased that they love their cat garden. It makes it all worth the while. Please have a look at some of the pictures of them having fun.

Watch this space for more developments !!