Now that the cat enclosure is built, and our replacement windows are installed, I’ve been focused on getting the connector built. The connector will attach to the house outside the dining room window and give the kitties easy access to their catio.
Now that we have new replacement windows [W00T!], I’ve been able to secure the cat door in the dining room window. Once I finish building the connector, the cats will be able to use the cat door to access their outdoor cat enclosure. We’ve always had a sage green file storage cabinet / sideboard / credenza thingy in front of the window.
Yesterday and today Rite Window was here installing our 10 double-hung sash replacement windows on the back of the house. It’s super exciting! We love how the new windows look. And I’m super DUPER excited that I’ll be able to connect the outdoor cat enclosure to the house now!!!
Until our replacement windows are built and installed, I can’t connect the cat enclosure to the house. So for now I’m carrying the boys* out to it. I’ve been bringing Bonkers out since construction started and letting him explore. He’s our “I want to be outside all the time!” kitty, and howled at the back door whenever he saw me in the yard working on it without him.
Two weekends ago I was standing in the yard, minding my own business, when I hip-checked the cat enclosure by accident. Moments later a torrent of water cascaded down my face, chest, and drill. D’oh! It turns out a flat polycarbonate plastic roof is great until it rains, and then it’s just FULL of surprises! So. I decided the roof needed to be angled. Stat!
Friday after work I began working on the door for the cat enclosure. I took measurements, then cut 4 of the 6′ 1×4’s I’d bought a few weeks ago into two 69½” pieces & three 36″ pieces, using my new WorkMate table and a handsaw. Then took them to the back yard and stained them.
This afternoon I finally attached the ramps I finished building last Thursday. It required that I climb into the enclosure to get the appropriate leverage necessary to secure the interior shelf! I also worked on cutting, staining, and attaching the slats to cover the chicken wire staples on front of the enclosure.
Poor Bonkers. So rickety, so muppet-y, so topple-y! The poor guy has loose joints, especially in his hips, so he can’t really jump very high or far. I’ve been carrying him out to the enclosure and letting him walk and sit on the top shelf, but he’s too rickety to jump down to the middle shelf, even though he REALLY wants to.
So last week I installed the roof on the cat enclosure. I also began the task of stapling chicken wire to the outside of the enclosure. It was very labor intensive and the hours of stapling aggravated my carpal tunnels. All told, it took 90 square feet of chicken wire and 1,400 staples to get the majority of the enclosure chicken’d. I still need to chicken the door, but that requires I actually build the door first, which is next on the list.
The cat enclosure has a roof! And what an ordeal THAT was! Not an ordeal, really, just… well, OK, it was an ordeal. But it was all worth it because I have a roof! A beautiful crystal clear polycarbonate roof! One I can sprinkle birdseed on and watch the cats go nuts 🙂
