Large Outdoor Cat Run House- Kennel for Around $100

Intro: Large Outdoor Cat Run House- Kennel for Around $100

I have a cat that has a taste for the outdoors. The thought of him roaming around kills me. I don't want him getting mauled, trapped, or bringing back strange sicknesses for my other cat. So I thought instead of putting up with his complaining in the house, I could send him out to a safe outdoor house where he won't feel so much like he's in a cage.

There are a lot of expensive options and there are a handful of small cheap options. But as you know, if you have pets, most pet products are marked up like crazy and I knew I could do better by repurposing something. 

What you need:
-  6x6x6 Outdoor greenhouse from Harbor Freight (~$100) ( http://www.harborfreight.com/6-ft-x-6-ft-greenhouse-97439.html )
-  Chicken wire / fencing (only 6ft necessary but I only had a 50ft roll available)

Reasons I chose this greenhouse as the base
- Cheap
- Reinforced poly walls (because my cat has his claws and may want to claw out.
- Painted steel frame nice and rigid
- Large enough to add perches as well as for me to walk in
- Lightweight / Easy to move
- Watertight Roof over their heads to protect from rain

Basically all I needed to do was take a utility knife to the perimeter of one of the poly panels, creating a flap that I then pinned up. I covered the new opening with wide hole chicken wire (using a ton of zip-ties) to give them a view.

Make sure the soil around the footprint is level otherwise there may be gaps where fluff-fluff could crawl under. Fill with fill or rocks perhaps.

Comments

[wolfmaker]

make my own cat cage similar to this I need an alternative to zip tie? to tie the fencing wire to the PVC pipes any suggestions?

[Ferals8]

are in process of putting together the greenhouse. Not easy as instructions are not clear. Hope to duplicate your idea with the chicken wire open side but thought we would use plastic fencing and zip ties to tie down.

[smb90]

I was thinking about making this, but I have a few questions. How strong are the sides? Can they be scratched through? (I am worried about the neighborhood mutts that run loose)

[orionsbelt88]

Good idea for an economical project. In case no one mentioned this, I just checked the price of outdoor greenhouse at Harbour Freight and the cost is $299.99 on July 23/15...

http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=greenhouse+kit

[musiq021]

That's the one with the solid plastic walls and Aluminum framing. The $99 one is green http://www.harborfreight.com/6-ft-x-6-ft-greenhouse-97439.html

[carolynkeller]

This was posted some time ago, but wondering how do you or the cat get in/out of it?

[musiq021]

There is a zippered door on the side. Check out the bottom right picture in the grid above.

[ksanpaolo]

Great idea i've been looking for something for my 2cats & i think i'll go this idea. Thank you

[Scott Elkington]

Great job, my cats would love this. but for those who may want to set this up in an area prone to moderate to strong winds. I would suggest, bedding the polycarbonate in a clear siliconized acrylic caulk like ALEX plus, as the harbor freight panels are prone to blow outs. Further I would suggest some sort of anchoring system as the harbor freight greenhouse design is almost the same as a box kite.

[musiq021]

Ha! Thanks, I agree on all accounts. The greenhouse comes with stakes but you might still want to invest in something a bit more robust, like the corkscrew type.

[Penolopy Bulnick]

How awesome is that! Great idea with the chicken wire too!