My experience of building a cattery

   Building an outdoor cattery will cost significantly less than buying a cattery house from a store. Making DIY is money saving for sure and I could make the design however I want. DIY means I didn’t hav to buy prefabricated model that might be cheaper and quicker to fall apart.

   Whilst our cats are indoor, I wanted to give them the freedom to enjoy the outdoors as well. Therefore creating a safe cat run becomes an essential part of our garden design and for freedom all garden is cat proofed with 1m mesh wide.

    We decided to build the cattery back of the garage, to be easily accessed by the boy, attached to cat run and garage. Building a secure and comfortable living quarters for our boy and queens would be a greater importance for our futures plans. Once the cattery is done we will search for our boy.

   Different breeders keep their stud cats differently. Most breeders keep their stud cats outdoors due to their unsociable urine spraying habits, where as a small number keep their stud cats indoors in one room, or at least give them extended time in the house with them.

   An outdoor stud cat will have his own enclosure outside of the house, with his own insulated, heated compartment. This also prevents any accidental mating with the queens which are next to him on the cat run. Of course, keeping a stud cat this way means that he is not part of day to day life in the house and extra time outside with him is needed.

   Our cattery is fully insulated with 75mm thermal insulation-PIR, including the door, ensuring a comfortable and energy-efficient space. The insulation helps keep heating costs down while providing a warm and cosy environment, making it ideal for any weather conditions.

   The cattery roof is pent design and slopes away to the rear to let rain water runoff, it’s made from external 22mm OSB and is covered with a heavy quality roofing for durability and total weatherproofing. Galvanized hardware is used and is secured with a double padlock.

   There are strict regulations set out by DEFRA, as to the required size for a cat pen.

   Our cattery house and run assembled together measures 10ft long x 6ft wide. The framework for the house and run is smooth planed redwood timber, pressure treated and all joints are secured with corners brackets. The cattery is secure and shielded from the wind.

   Both areas, cattery house and cat run, they have play and relax area, shelving’s steps and stairs. Cattery accessories: solar light with sensor, heaters, wall-mounted cat scratcher, litter trays, water fountain, ceramic balls for food, CCTVs  for live surveillance and security.