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Showing posts from August, 2014

How to build a cat gym in your backyard: suspended elements

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So with most of the angst and anguish of the previous couple of months over, now it was back to making sure that the cats were entertained, as well as safe. Cat proof fencing keeps the cats in the garden, but it is the use of a variety of climbing elements and the garden itself that keeps them entertained (in addition to nature's show). As well as adding a number of shelves and seating areas to the fence, I also used natural elements and swinging elements for interest.  Gardening wire, and webbing provide tree friendly options to hang a bridge.  I tend to use free (recycled) building materials, and add elements as I think of them or as the building materials present themselves.  Not only is this extremely cost effective, it also means that there are new things for the cats on a regular basis, and it's not a big deal if a tree suddenly grows(or dies) or if an idea doesn't work out as planned. One of the first things I started using was a type of wooden garden edging.  I

How to build a Cat Gym in the Garden

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Using simple or free materials, anyone can make their garden more fun for their cats (and therefore keep them in the garden, instead of looking for mischief elsewhere). I used free pallets, found materials (a building site down the road put out wood scraps on the roadside that they were happy to give away), and repurposed garden edging. Obviously if aesthetics or permanence are important then you might want to plan out a design and use more durable materials.  But for me, I just started with a few pieces, watched whether the cats used them, or not and went from there. If areas weren't used, I could rip them down, or change.  Popular features were repeated elsewhere. As I have a wooden boundary fence, this was the easiest way to create simple features for perches, and stairs. A simple perch, created using off cuts of wood, nailed to the fence.  Make sure they're stable and plan a series of perches so that they can be used both as steps up/down and as sitting/sleeping