Outdoor enclosure?

momof3b1g

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I'm sick that its to late for the big kitty who died on Monday. But I kept telling dh we needed a place outside to keep them safe and to keep them from killing the wildlife.
Does anyone have an outdoor enclosure that's safe to keep them in 24/7. It would be temporary. This time I called the rescue and they could take them the following Wednesday. I want to build something that will keep them put. But safe from animals, cars, sun and rain, cold etc. I cant take them inside so this is the best option.
Over the 20 years we have lived her we have had strays show up. 7 which I still have. 2 I kept then had to rehome. They were not getting along with the resident cats. The last momma and kittens were pooping all over and we had to completely clean out my dds old room. Luckily this doesn't happen often. I dont think we had any show up all last year.
Amazon has some nice catios. Are those safe to leave the cats unattended? They don't look like they are good to keep them warm though.
We have joked getting an old camper or RV to keep them in. They need a safe, temporary sanctuary.
 

Willowy

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If it's only going to be a couple days, do you have a spare bathroom they could be put in? Or maybe a laundry room or mudroom? Should be easier to clean than a bedroom. A garage or shed might work but this time of year could be too hot for kitties.

If you need something more permanent, a dog kennel (a big one, like 10' x 10') with chicken wire/farm fence over the top, with a large doghouse for shelter and a tarp attached for shade/rain protection will work. But in this case I'm pretty sure it'll take you a while to get it all bought/delivered/set up so I don't know if you want to bother.
 
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momof3b1g

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Its to late for the last strays. One died and the kitten was given to the rescue on Wednesday. Im looking to the future. We have them show up out of the blue. I dont have a safe place in my home and have 7 indoor cats already. So need a place outside for the reasons I mentioned. Incase they are sick. My 7 got sick in 2018 after having a mom cat and kittens quarantined in my dds bedroom. I want to be able to save them. But not risk my own cats health.
 

Willowy

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In that case, yeah, a dog kennel is probably best. If someone in the family is good at building stuff, or you know a good handyman, you might be able to build an enclosure for cheaper (maybe, idk, with lumber prices the way they are).

But the absolute easiest would be a dog kennel with farm fence attached to the top (using zipties or hog rings), and a tarp ziptied to one end to block the sun and rain. Plus a doghouse or homemade shelter area.

Something like this (you buy the individual panels to build to your specs): https://www.menards.com/main/buildi...4-c-13935.htm?tid=-8820754970591372945&ipos=7
Or a premade kit.

And for houses there are a lot of options too: Amazon.com : Outdoor Cat Houses

There are those premade chicken coops that could work (as shown in the Amazon link), but I'm told they're a bit flimsy and will need some reinforcement to keep cats in or keep predators out.
 
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momof3b1g

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Yes dh can build something. We have plenty of wood. Just need the wire for the sides. The problem with a dog kennel would be the size of the openings. We have an old one. But not sure the 8 month old kitten was big enough to not get his head through.
 

Willowy

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That's smart; I've heard of cats who got their heads stuck in chain link openings, plus kittens can usually get through too. If you already have a kennel, you could line it with wire that has smaller openings to make it cat-safe.
 

fionasmom

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I really agree with what W Willowy is suggesting. When I did dog rescue we had cages like that set up on farm property where the dogs were kept.
Dog Kennels - Dog Carriers, Houses & Kennels - The Home Depot
We used the first one pictured which was exceptionally sturdy. We did put a top on it as well, although I am not handy and could not describe that to you. Putting an inside protective smaller wire would keep kittens safe.
 

Willowy

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We did put a top on it as well,
Yep, if you use the ones that come with a tarp like that, you still have to attach some kind of mesh top on it, because cats (and some determined dogs) can climb past the tarp and get out. But the tarp is very nice for shade and rain protection and they're pretty reasonably priced.
 
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