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Has anyone gotten a kiddie playhouse for their outsider cats?
I'm looking at something with a second level which would provide protection against ranging dogs, and of course a roof for some weather protection. PLUS of course providing a fun hangout. Here's a basic idea:
Yes, it is a kiddie playhouse, vs. a kitty playhouse. But kitties adapt well.
My thinking on this is largely driven by the murder of one of our outsiders, TJ, a couple of years back by what appeared to be a pair of large hunting dogs, 60 pounds or more each, who I'd never seen before or since. They apparently got loose and were doing the doggie cruise.
Whether walking or trotting or loping when they came into our yard I don't know, all I know is when I got to the back of the house and looked out the window I saw an inert cat in the yard and these two large strange dogs circling. I wish I'd been five minutes earlier, but I wasn't, and TJ was barely breathing but dead for all intents and purposes. The dogs ran off when I went out the door with my baseball bat.
TJ was a sweet sweet boy, one of three kittens from this cat, later named Pots (for Cat With Spots Who Circles) who just showed up in our back yard around April 2017 and started napping every day. Somehow her radar directed her to probably the one stray cat friendly house within hundreds of yards (distance, not number) in the area. She had three kittens in August, and TJ was the one boy.
Two girls, Curly (PJ) and Inky survive to this day. We brought Inky inside as she was the friendliest of the three kittens, and she was being unrelentingly pursued by the boys Taurus and White Dot before we trapped them and sent them to the chop shop as well.
These are all cats who just showed up, volunteers. We trapped them all and sent them to Humane Ohio for the fix. TJ and his sister Curly were BFFs, every day they hung out together and would sun on a rock across the creek. An adorable pair.
*To my point, I'm looking for a secure shelter to put on or near our patio, where the cats like to hang out. I have three cardboard boxes anchored down by the slider that looks out onto the patio, and they nap there and some will spend much of the night there in warmer weather.
But tactically it's not a secure area. Their kitty house (tool shed 14 x 22) is probably 60' away to the south, there's one big tree to the east, and no cover to the north. So the patio is very exposed and vulnerable. And if these two, or other similarly inclined dogs or other large high speed predators come through, the cats on the patio could be in big trouble.
But, if there's a two story shelter with a walled area they'll likely shelter there. They'll be freaked out, but secure as long as they don't panic and bolt.
If I'm home, and I usually am, I can go out and dispatch the dogs. I'll put it near the house so they can jump to the house roof for yet more security.
Secondary use is of course a hangout, nap spot, and playpen for the cats. Which is hopefully 100% of the use they'll get out of this structure.
OR I could put up a fence with cat cutouts at the bottom at regular intervals. Or do both.
Chicken coops? Really? I'm not looking for a jail, or something unsightly like a chicken coop. I want something they're going to lounge in and that has a second use should that be needed. And it's likely that dogs of that size and inclination have successfully dealt with chicken coops before.
So far, kiddie playhouses fit the bill more than anything else.
We have kitty playhouses, but in reality, our whole yard is a kitty playhouse. Many of the neighbor cats love to come over and play in and around our bushes, chase birds, and frolic. I used to chase them out of the yard, but don't bother anymore. Our cats love it too. Fortunately, no dogs around to harrass them.
I second catsmom suggestion. Chicken or turkey coop.
Rural King farm supply store had one a couple yrs ago that I could just about live in lol.
My dozen cats would have plenty of space in there together.
Not sure if they still have them but I may get one or I'll make one.
Think it was about $600 at the time.
Chicken coops? Really? I'm not looking for a jail, or something unsightly like a chicken coop. I want something they're going to lounge in and that has a second use should that be needed. And it's likely that dogs of that size and inclination have successfully dealt with chicken coops before.
So far, kiddie playhouses fit the bill more than anything else.
Yes really. Don't knock them until you actually look.
We have kitty playhouses, but in reality, our whole yard is a kitty playhouse. Many of the neighbor cats love to come over and play in and around our bushes, chase birds, and frolic. I used to chase them out of the yard, but don't bother anymore. Our cats love it too. Fortunately, no dogs around to harrass them.
There were no dogs around here either, except a couple of neighbors who didn't know how to contain their fairly harmless dogs. But they weren't 60+# hunter killers. As I said, I'd NEVER seen these two dogs before and I haven't seen them since. That doesn't mean they or someone like them won't come by again. This house is to address a big tactical hole. I could also make a concrete tunnel.
This is to be a rec center/lounge but also a defensive structure. Bushes don't work, and there are no bushes in the back yard anyway. It's 75' or so from their A.O. on the patio to their kitty house, a tool shed 14x22 with cat doors and which they also scoot underneath if desired. A big hunting dog will be able to chase down a cat in that distance. Especially if they enter the yard at a lope.
They chased down TJ and killed him. And I'd have done them all the damage I could if I got the chance.
TJ was young and strong and quick and fast. And the sweetest cat, and Curly's best bud forever. But 8-10 pounds vs 60 plus is not a fair fight. Now, if the cat was 60 pounds the odds change. But these are cat cats, not young mountain lions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by catsmom21
Yes really. Don't knock them until you actually look.
I looked. They've come a long way since my cousins' wood and chicken wire chicken coops. But my goal is not to contain the cats. I'm thinking rec center but also bugout house.
And dogs of that size, weight, and temperament I think would not be deterred long by chicken wire. And I want the structure to be tall enough that the cats could get access to the roof if need be. I'll take a look at the local Tractor Supply store but they don't look promising.
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