This is a dream place, for the kitties and for us. Wendy’s husband, Jim, designed and built this wonderful haven for our foster cats. Some will be here for a short time, when they will leave us to go to their forever homes, while for others, this is their forever home. The key word here is home, and it’s very much a home. There are no cages here. The cats are free to roam about as they choose.
There are nooks to get away and have some privacy. Discarded milk crates are securely bolted to the wall, with a piece of carpet cut to size for the bottom and the roof of the crate. These make for some great personal space, tucked inside or curled up on top. Various parts of the sides are cut out so there is access from any of several directions. Some crates are entered from the top only, and are favored by the more timid kitties. Other crates are cut out on opposite sides to make a tunnel-like effect. Open sides face outward, as well to to either side, and the cats definitely have preferences! An added snugglie, a crocheted or knitted 
mini-afghan, means a soft place to cuddle up and snooze. The ramps, made of 6″ wide outdoor decking material that is slip-proof, lead from crate to crate for easy access…or stretched out lounging areas. Some cats prefer to leap from crate to crate or ramp to ramp. Quite the show of athleticism! Stamped pawprint trails are just a bit of fun, as are the assorted feline-themed bits and bobs that decorate the walls.
For a bit of whimsy, Jim found some vintage wooden children’s school chairs and attached them to the walls at random heights with heavy-duty bolts. Using velcro, we affixed donut-style petbeds to the seats, so they could be removed for washing. (we do a lot of washing…) Again, each bed gets one of our famous snugglies. Tag sales are great for picking up leftover yarns, and it seems we’re forever working on them. Colors may clash, as you can’t be picky when you’re being frugal, but (so far), the kitties haven’t complained. If we ever managfe to develope a surplus of these “security blankets”, we’ll be able to let the kitty take their snugglie to their new digs… Hmmm…anyone want to volunteer for the needlework squad?
The kitties quite enjoy the windowseats, where they can peer out at the world from a safe perch. Apparently, kitties aren’t the only ones to appreciate the many places to rest. Wendy and Jim relax in the cat house, probably discussing just how great it must be to be a cat…or at least a cat who lives here. Or, judging from Jim’s gesticualtion, he might be describing his latest idea for kitty comfort. Above Jim and behind Wendy are some vintage hooks in the shape of cats…not that the cats have anything they need to hang up, but…
This is the perch, affectionatley known as “Jim’s Contraption”. (Jim in the background, assessing his creation) We asked him to construct a heavy-duty scratching post. A simple scratching post for itchy kitty-cat claws. A heavy base, a post wrapped in sisal, but tall enough for a cat to totally stretch upward to their full height, that’s all. Well, Jim does nothing simple. Once he gets started, forget about it. The post grew. And grew. And grew yet again. He added shelves. Then shelves with holes to crawl through. Then he carpeted the shelves. Then… he added a ladder. What cat doesn’t need a ladder? Then hanging bits for a kitty to bat at. While there’s plenty of room for several cats to occupy the contraption at one time, there’s rarely more than two on there at once. The cats actually seem to take turns playing “King of the “Mountain”.
What’s a house without a place to sit and relax on a nice front porch? As previously noted, Jim does nothing by halves. Once the house was pretty much completed, he decided it needed a porch. A screened-in porch. Full length. He used hog panels anchored to 4X4s, and gave it a entry gate, so we could get in for cleaning purposes. He carpeted the floor with indoor-outdoor level loop carpet. Then we come to the cat door. It 
started out as a basic pet door, allowing access from the inside of the cat house to the screenporch. Jokingly, I said, “But Jim, it needs a front stoop! A stone stoop.” Uh-oh. Jim doesn’t realize I’m not serious! Jim cuts a semi-circle from 2″ wood, and paints it to look like stone. Then he adds columns on each side of the door. And a pediment. And little signs…”Birds Welcome”, and “No Dogs Allowed”. Sadly, the kitties can’t appreciate the details. Or can they? Then, an addition. Cats like to climb trees, right? Since we stopped short of designing the cat house around a growing tree, Jim and Wendy went to the farm of our friend (and fellow animal rescuer), Margie, and searched out a very large tree limb to place inside. Problem? It didn’t fit through the gate. While most people would simply cut the limb to fit, Jim isn’t most people. He disassembled the long side of the screenporch, secured the limb, then reassembled the wire mesh panel. The cats love the limb, and from the looks on their faces when they’re lounging on there, they must be dreaming that they’re leopards on the savannas of Africa. On any given day, there are more cats on the porch than there are inside.
