I'd like a simple outdoor enclosure for my kitties.

[Lisa0825]

I am a kitty foster mom for an animal shelter, and while my policy has always been "indoors only (unless closely supervised)," I know how much they love the outdoors, and I'd like them to be able to lounge in the sun and feel the breeze on their little faces.

I am NOT a very handy person. So, I am looking either for something very simple, or something with detailed instructions geared for a novice. (I can put together desks and bookshelves, for example, but have never actually BUILT anything)

I was thinking about something like this, but maybe with one more beam running up the middle of one side so I could put a couple shelves for them to lounge on.

Has anyone here built something like this? How hard do you think it would be for someone admittedly not very good with a hammer?



I also found a site which sells blueprints/insstructions on how to build them. It might be worthwhile to me just for things I wouldn't have thought about, like digging a trench so the wire fencing can be buried so they can't crawl under it. Here are examples of two people made with their instructions:

http://www.just4cats.com/post7.html

http://www.just4cats.com/post9.html

[Stinky The Clown]

1. First off, that appears to be a both simple and forgiving project .....

.... for a novice. If you're feeling bold, go for it. The worst thing that can happen is it looks a little ..... odd .... or crude. So long as its functional, you're fine.

I'm virtually certain there are no fancy carpentry tricks involved in building an enclosure like that.

Go for it!

[Lisa0825]

2. Thanks:-)

I have a week off the end of this month, so I thought it might be a good project to try then, since I will have plenty of time.

Do you think $23 is worth spending for a 48 page book of instructions and diagrams for someone who has never done anything like this?

[Stinky The Clown]

3. In a word .... yes!

See, here's the thing. That book, while it focuses on the specific project, will also have, as a side benefit, some good basic construction tips and how-to's.

[Lisa0825]

4. Thanks for the input!

I appreciate it! :pals:

[Warpy]

5. I can't tell from the picture

but there has to be a "roof" of fence material over the top, or those puddy tats will climb up and over very quickly, especially if they're fearless kittens.

[Lisa0825]

6. Yes, it will be totally enclosed.

I'd like to make it big enough to have a small tree or bushes in there, so they really feel like they are outside. There are fences made for cats that supposedly they cannot climb over, but I don't trust them. I would be too worried about them figuring it out, so I'd rather just do the full enclosure.

[Stinky The Clown]

7. I assume the plans will also show that the fence material runs under

the grass at the bottom too .... to prevent overzealous kitties from making a break under the fence.

[Lisa0825]

8. Yep!

Actually, that was what made me think that 23 bucks for the book would be worthwhile... that was one thing I doubt I would have thought of myself. I figure if there is one helpful tidbit like that in it, there are likely several others in the plans that will either make it better or easier or both, than if I just tried to wing it.

[Jamastiene]

9. I made a kickass one years ago.

Back before my aunt lost her home (and I did too), I built a playpen for my cats to go outside. It was big enough that I could go inside it with them. What I did involved a bunch of treated 2 by 4's, some 10 penny nails (although if I had it to do over I'd use screws), some u-shaped brads/staples and chicken wire. Granted you could replace the chicken wire with some sort of better looking fencing material if you could afford it. I couldn't afford it so I went with the chicken wire. I sure miss my cats' playpen. They don't seem to care though. They like the indoors. Back then I had dogs too, so I made it dig proof too. You may be able to get by with less labour if you forgo the trench part.

Granted you envision the playpen's dimensions and make a rough drawing of your perimeter first to calculte for materials:

Basically, what I did was dig down about a foot below the ground around the perimeter. It looked like a trench. I then dug holes (using post hole diggers) about 6 to 8 feet apart for the 2x4 "posts." I spaced them about 6 to 8 feet apart, but you could probably get by with 8 or 10 feet apart. This part can be made tons easier if you have a building or some other vertical object to make sure the 2x4's are level in the upright position.

I placed the 2x4's (I used 12 foot long 2x4's and left them uncut for a more spacious feeling) down in the ground about 18 to 24 inches deep in a vertical position as playpen "posts." I filled in the holes up to the trench around the posts to make them stay put until I came back for the next part.

Now here is the really hard part. I busted my knuckles a lot during this part, so like I said, for cats only, you may be able to skip this part or not go as deep.

I nailed some cut 2x4's (treated wood only for this part for sure) horizontally between the "posts" to give them support and as an anchor point for the wire. You'll want to make sure you keep the horizontal distance between the support braces close enough so the fencing/chicken wire you plan on using will reach between them. The best bet is to find out what wire you are going to use and then plan for that distance between the horizontal support braces. It might be best to paint the posts once you get the frame built, but before you put the wire up. That's one thing I wish I had done in hindsight.

The Trench Part:
Down in the trenches, what I did was nail an additional horizontal (treated) 2x4 down under what would be the final surface of the ground. I did this part the same as the other horizontal support braces, but below ground.

I stretched the chicken wire down below the surface of the ground and stapled/nailed it to the horizontal 2x4's in the trench. This part is tricky. You have to make sure that you get it level or the next step will look all wrong. I learned this the hard way. When that part is done, the best bet is to lay the chicken wire down flat with some rocks on the edges to get it to straighten out some. Fill in the trenched area with the dirt where there are no posts.


Where there are posts, get some Quicrete (bags of easy to make concrete) and fill the areas where the posts are. Water them down really well and let them set for a day or two. After the concrete has set, you can begin stapling the chicken wire or fencing wire everywhere else. I would recommend painting the wire white so it can be easily seen. At first, my cats took off running when they saw a rabbit and I had to stop them before they crashed into the wire, because they didn't see the fence. I later painted the wire white so they could see it better.

If you want it covered, you can build support beams across the top of the enclosure. For cats, I'd recommend at least a layer 3 feet from the edges of the playpen. Once you start building, it'll get easier to see how this part can be done. Much like the joists for a roof, you can lay 2x4 beams across the top of the enclosure for that part.

Also, I built a chicken wire door out of some of the same 2x4's and put a lock on it so only I could get it open. That made it so I could make sure the cats stayed safe inside the playpen. Plus it gave me access from the outside so I could mow and weedeat inside the playpen.

If I ever get a chance, I'd like to build a new one here. I think I'd use fencing wire instead of chicken wire next time through, just because it looks better.

Hope this helps. I'm ok with a hammer and nails, so this project was easy for me. The hardest part was stapling the wire below ground in the trench. Like I said, the dogs liked to go outside some too, so I built it to be safe for them too. You might could forgot the trench part or not go so deep (4 to 6 inches maybe instead).

[DrDan]

10. here ya go - even easier

(hmmm - link did not work - here is another)

[Lisa0825]

11. LMAO!

Not quite what I was looking for, but thanks!LOL