I’ve actually been working on fixing up the donated catio today. I’ll cover that in another post, but at one point I had to wait for a board I had to scrub clean to dry. That gave me time to work on a scratching post/ramp for inside the lower level of the cat isolation shelter.
In the first photo of the slideshow above, you can see the piece of scrap lumber I cut to fit into the space. It had started out as a 2×4 but had been cut in half at some point.
Once I determined it was long enough, I used the vertical supports it would be set against to determine what angles to cut off, so it would be flush. You can see the bottom cut in the second photo. I cut that one first then, once it was set in place, could mark off the angle for the top cut.
In the next photo, you can see the materials I used. I had picked up some hemp cord from the craft section of a dollar store. Usually, sisal cord is used for scratching posts but 1) I wasn’t finding any that was a good thickness for a scratching post without buying online and 2), the hemp cords price for the amount in the hank was right.
One of my frustrations with scratching posts is that, once the cats tear through a strand, the whole thing comes undone. With that in mind, I dug out a can of spray glue I’ve hung on to for years. This actually came out with us when we moved here, almost 7 years ago. This is the first time I’ve used it, since.
Sometimes, being a pack rat, has advantages!
I sprayed the board in sections of about 6 or 8 sections. The first few inches of the cord was secured under the initial wraps, and making sure to press the cord against the spray glued surface, I’d wrap until I was a couple of inches from the end of the sprayed section, spray the next section, then keep on wrapping. The final few inches of the cord was secured with a couple of large headed roofing nails. That end will be the bottom of the scratching post.
In the last photo, you can see how it will be set up in the isolation shelter. As a ramp, it’s really more for any kittens we might had to keep in there. Larger cat would be able to jump straight up the large opening, or use the shelf “step” in the front to get to the small opening.
There will still be room for a litter pan under there, and even an insulated shelter box as well.
By the time this was done, I could start working on the catio again. After my daughter came out and we took care of supporting the tomatoes together, she mentioned that she was going to be making herself a breakfast. That made me realize I was feeling hungry. I was a bit surprised. I’d had a large breakfast. Why was I hungry already?
Then I realized, more than 5 hours had passed!
Uhm… yeah… time for food! I’d say lunch, but it’s past 3pm, sooo…. lupper? 😄
Once that’s done, I’ll head back to continue on the catio. I want to get as much done as I can, since it’ll be a day or two before I can work on it again.
Which means I should probably stop writing blog posts, and finish eating!
I was not expecting to be able to work on the cat isolation shelter at all today, but with my afternoon appointment cancelled, I was able to get a bit done.
There really isn’t a lot left that I can do right now. I installed the larger shelf across the back of the shelter, then the small one in the front that is meant to act as something a cat can use to climb up to the second level.
Then I dragged the whole thing outside for pictures in better light.
I’m hoping that shelf across the back will hold up without a support in the middle. It seems sturdy, but this is salvaged wood, and there is some damage on the underside.
In the front view, you can see the little shelf on the bottom right – and the areas on the second level floor boards that will need paint, since that all got changed quite a bit!
The cats have definitely been checking it out when I’m not around.
Syndol likes to hang out with me while I’m working. He kept very politely asking for attention! I’d be working on something and feel a paw gently grab and pull on my arm.
I pet him, of course.
With the shelves in place, I took the time to take the bits of wood and nails off the 2x4s left from the pallet I’d cut apart to use for “nesting” boxes. The wood is pretty damaged, but I might be able to salvage it for something.
Right now, I’m trying to figure out what to use to support the roof. I want just enough of a slope for rain to drain off. I might have come up with a solution, but I’m not sure, yet. I’ll have to grab out the sheet of metal roof I’m hoping to use and take some measurements, too. I might need to find a second matching sheet in the barn.
Until I figure out and acquire what is needed to make the main door/ramp and the access panels on the second level, I’m not going to put a roof on, though putting the supports in place first might be useful.
At this point, it looks like I’m going to have to start buying material, and that will have to wait until pay comes in.
I am quite happy with how well the whole thing moves around. It is better on the grass than the dirt floor of the garage. I can foresee a time when the wheels would need to be replaced, but it would take a while before that becomes necessary.
It’s not a lot of progress, but I’m happy with it.
I’m glad I set up shop in the shade of the garage to work on this, because even in there, it got so very hot!
I got progress done on the isolation shelter, but also discovered some things I neglected to take into account. I am definitely getting tires, though, as I made some pretty silly goofs today, too. Nothing that couldn’t be worked around, but still… Yikes!
I won’t be able to do much on it over the next few days, though. I will be heading out over the next three days, and while I might have time to do something before I have to leave, I don’t want to be getting covered in paint or sawdust or getting all sweaty before I need to go out in public!
Anyhow.
The first thing I needed to work on today was adding the verticals. They are not needed, structurally, but they will be needed to attach things to, whether it’s a door or access panel, or to support the welded wire, etc.
I’m not going to go into too much detail right now, but gosh, some of them were a pain to put in! I had painted the cut ends, and on a couple of them, I had to sand the paint off to get them to fit. In others. I actually had to use the miter saw to shave off some of the wood.
I did want them to be very snug, and most of them were. I used a piece of scrap wood and a hammer on some of them, to tap them into place without damaging them.
Then I had to cut out a chunk from the floor board that was to go against the back wall.
I don’t really have the tools to do that properly, but I managed.
That was my first goof.
I measured out the hole to fit around the vertical, forgetting that the board was not intended to fit flush with the back, but flush against the next board. So I ended up cutting a deeper opening than needed.
Ah, well. It’ll still work.
After setting the long floor boards across the back half of the shelter, I realized something else I didn’t take into account. I’d added an extra, narrower, board that straddled the center line, with the vertical 2×4 placed in the middle, the 1×4 boards fit exactly in between the new vertical and the outside frame.
The long, narrow board could no longer fit.
A 1×4 could fit, but there was nothing to support it at the vertical.
After debating it for a while, I ended up attaching one of the triangle blocks I’d made out of regular 2x4s (not the true to size 2x4s) and attached it to the horizontal bar, to support a floor board, and I just had to cut one of the pre-painted boards a bit shorter. That worked out fine.
But I was then left with a gap.
If I cut a new floor board to fit the space between the two “floor joists”, I’d have to just barely trim off a bit at one end, to fit around the corner post. That would leave a gap between the frame and the front horizontal piece. Or the wide board was cut to fit between the frame could still be added, with a corner cut out to fit around the front vertical piece, but that would leave a gap between it and the next floor board.
At that point, I decided to leave it and work on other things while I decided what to do next.
Which was to make a shelf.
I had a short length of true-to-size 2×4 that I could cut in half with opposing 45° angles to make shelf brackets.
I had piece of 1×8 board that I’d brought from the barn some time ago, with plans to make a shelf against the garage wall. It was pretty damaged and needed to be scrubbed down with water. I was able to cut a 4′ length, and the most damaged part will be the underside.
At that point, I decided to leave a large gap in the floor at the front, but to add a small shelf under it that a cat could use to access the second level like a step. So I cut a piece to fit, and will use a couple of 2×4 triangle blocks to support it.
Then, since I had to wait for the board I scrubbed to dry in the sun, I started working on the “nesting box”.
I measured the space under the shelf that will go across the back, as I wanted to make the box to fit under the shelf. It was 11 inches, so I decided to make the box 10.5 inches tall.
I took some of the 12.5″ long pallet wood pieces I cut yesterday, picking out the least damaged ones, and cut them to 10.5 inches. The longer pallet wood pieces are 13.5 inches, so that would be the length of the board.
After some consideration, I decided to make the box 3 of these boards deep. I had some scrap 1x2s and I cut a bunch to match the width of 3 boards to be used as cross pieces. I was going to make 3 short sides and two long top and bottoms, so I cut 8 cross pieces. The idea is that the cross pieces would be on the outside, and rigid insulation would be cut to fit in between them.
I started by using cross pieces to join the shorter boards using glue and nails. All those finishing nails I’d sorted out of the pile the cats spilled on the garage floor came in handy, but I had to watch not to grab any that were too long – after accidentally nailing it to the table with my very first nail!
After the two side pieces were done, I was going to do the same thing with the 13.5″ pieces, but realized I could just attach them across the top and bottom of the short pieces, using the same cross pieces.
Which worked perfectly fine…
Except…
Yeah, I goofed.
With the longer pieces attached this way, the whole thing is now higher than will fit under the shelf.
No matter. It can still be used. It just won’t fit under the shelf across the back.
I also decided it will be a “summer” nesting box, and not have insulation added. I’ll make another one – this time, one that will actually fit under the shelf – another day.
By then, the shelf board was dry, so I painted the new pieces, as well as the shelf supports that were already attached, then went around finding spots to touch up. After the painting was done and put away, I added a back to the “nesting” box.
I still wasn’t sure how to do the front. This is supposed to be a closed up, cozy space for a nervous cat do feel secure in – but also fully accessible. After showing the photos to my husband, he suggested leather. He has some really thick leather that he isn’t able to use for the projects he had in mind that I can use. A piece cut large enough to cover the front, then cut into strips or flaps that a cat can easily push through, would work just fine!
The inside of the boxes will also get something soft put inside. We’ll just have to make sure whatever we put into the insulated box is breathable, since the insulation will hold in moisture as well as warmth.
Once the shelves and boxes are built, I need to work on the door and access panels. I took measurements of what will be the main door/ramp in the front, but I have absolutely nothing suitable to make it with. There was one thing I thought I could salvage, but it’s full of nails that won’t come out, and it’s not worth it to cut them, either. Of all the things I have that are large enough, they are too thick and heavy. I might have to get creative with the lath that I picked up, but that is really thin. For a door that will double as a ramp, it would break too easily, I think.
I’ll figure something out. I’ll have a few days to think about it. Since I’m going to meet with the Cat Lady in the nearer city tomorrow, I might do some window shopping and look for inspiration.
So that is my progress on the isolation shelter for today. I still have to track down some half inch welded wire for the open sides, and figure out what to use for access panels on the second level. What I’d really like to do for the upper level is enclose it more. The question is, how to do that, and still be able to see inside. None of the salvaged windows I’ve looked at will work. Ideally, I’d just use some Lexan or Optix (both handle UV light better than Plexiglass), but even Optix is pricey.
Ah, well. We’ll figure something out.
As long as it gets done before we start trapping cats for spays and neuters!
I started out with more of the 1×4 boards, but found a bit of a problem at the edge. The remaining space was too wide to use another of these boards by around an inch.
I did have a single 1×6 board, left over from when I guilt the low raised beds in the east yard. This one was never used because it has some damage and is rather warped, but I only needed 23 inches.
The board was too wide, though. I marked the overhang from below, but was stuck with how to cut the excess off. I wasn’t about to drag the table saw out of the sun room for just one cut, and the piece was too small to use the circular saw. I ended up getting my jigsaw and using that. The cut was a bit wonky, but it’ll do!
The next step was to paint the floor boards and half the verticals. I didn’t have a lot of room on the saw horses, so I painted the verticals on their edges, as well as their ends. I supposed the cut ends didn’t need to be painted, since they’ll be hidden once they are screwed into place, but I did them anyway.
While those were drying, I needed to figure out what to use to build the removeable insulated shelter box. Inspired by a comment, I decided to see what I could salvage from the remaining pallet.
This pallet has some charring on it, and quite a bit of damage. I used the circular saw to cut along both sides of the 2×4 supports (I can’t remember what these are actually called), doing one side, then flipping the pallet to do the other side. Some of the pieces were already split, or split while being cut, but most of them stayed intact.
That worked well until the very last section. The remains of the pallet kept wanting to move and jump about, and using the circular saw was just too dangerous. I ended up using the jig saw for the last pieces.
That left me with a completely uneven stack of short boards. I wanted them to be even and equal in size, so I made use of the screw clamp on the miter saw to cut stacks of them. I could fit 7 of these pieces at the same time. The screw clamp could hold a higher stack, but any higher and the top pieces would be above the guide that the stack is pushed up against, to ensure cuts are straight.
With the first stack, after shaving off one end to make them all even, I measured what was left and decided to cut the stack to 13.5 inches. This was a length that all the pieces were long enough for.
When I started the next group, though, I found some were shorter than 13 inches!
I continued to cut stacks of 7 to 13.5 inches with the longest pieces, then did then did the last short ones at 12.5 inches. In the Instagram photo, the two stacks in the foreground are 13.5 inches, and the one stack at the far end are the 12.5 inch pieces.
Some of these will not be useable, but that can be sorted out later. At this point, my thought is to make the box, then add insulation around the outside. That can be tacked into place with just enough pieces of lath to make sure the insulation doesn’t get scratched at. The cats like using the rigid insulation for scratching! The main thing will be to keep the box light and easy to move, while still being large enough for a cat to enjoy hiding out in it.
I haven’t quite decided how to do the entry. I could just leave one side open, but that won’t give a convalescing cat that cave-like feeling of security. So it will need to be at least be partially covered, but not so much that we see or can’t reach inside for cleaning.
I’ll work that out, later.
For now, though, I at least have the materials to get started.
It is now time to head out to do my evening rounds. The paint on the uprights should be dry enough to flip them to paint the other half. By morning, they will be dry and the uprights can be set in place, then the floor boards on the ends can be cut to fit around the verticals.
I think, before the floor boards are added permanently, I’ll see if I can added a lounging shelf or two, about half way up one or both levels. Just a little something extra. We shall see.
For now, though, it’s time to get back outside and get the other half of those verticals painted.
I’m starting to get quite low on paint, though I’m honestly surprised I still have any at all at this point!
The whole thing is coming along quite nicely, though. I’m no carpenter, but I’m happy with how things are working out.
As soon as I was done tending to sick kitties, doing my morning rounds and grabbing a quick breakfast (a piece of pie my daughter made using that winter squash we had to harvest early – breakfast of champions!), it was back to work on the isolation shelter.
The horizontal piece that will be supporting the second level floor needed to have its other side painted, plus I needed to cut the horizontal pieces and paint them, too.
Well, I didn’t quite get to start on that right away. I had to clean up a cat mess, first!
Among the things I brought to the garage, just in case I might need them, was a container full of odds and ends that the cats had knocked onto the floor over the winter. When the girls tried to clean it up in the spring, they didn’t have the chance to try and sort through everything. When I brought it to the garage, I dug out the cardboard base that had been under the wood chipper when we unboxed it – a large, flat surface with sides on it that I could use as a tray. I dumped it all into there and took a look, then set the whole thing on top of the stack of scavenged lumber I’d brought over.
Of course, I had to move it while digging for pieces I could use, and set it on top of the lath bundles above.
Then forgot it there.
Some time during the night, some critter – likely a cat – knocked it upside down.
Since I was picking them up anyhow, I brought over a bunch of repurposed sour candy containers (my husband had bought a case of them) I had intended to use for seed and sorted them as best I could. Some odd things ended up back in the cardboard “tray”, some of the screws were the same as what I was using on the isolation shelter build but, mostly, it was finishing nails of various sizes – some ridiculously tiny. I ended up filling three containers of those!
Getting them out of the dirt floor was the worst. Eventually, though, I was able to grab handfuls and just lay them on my work table. Once everything was clear of the lumber, it was much easier on the back to go through the last of them on the table!
I think it took me at least an hour, just to clean up all those nails. When I’m done building the shelter and cleaning up so we can park the truck in the garage again, I’m going to have to make sure to rake the dirt floor towards the walls, and triple check to make sure nothing got missed. The last thing we need is for a nail or screw in one of our tires!
That done, I could finally access the lumber I needed! Specifically, the two pieces of standard size 2x4s.
Unfortunately, both pieces were so dirty, I had to bring the hose over and actually scrub them clean. One of them looked like it was covered with ashes.
I first measured around the bottom half of the shelter, where the verticals will go. Those were all about 18″. I say “about”, because one side is, for some reason, slightly different, and I had to cut one piece about an eighth of an inch longer. Then the top half got measured. It was the same thing; I needed 22″ pieces, except for one, that needed to be just a tiny bit longer.
I was able to cut all the 18″ lengths, but after cutting three 22″ length, I ran out of 2×4 The remaining piece left over was way too short. I did have one piece of true-to-size 2×4 left that I could have cut a 22″ piece out of, but I didn’t want there to be a single piece with different dimensions.
So I went hunting in the barn.
I didn’t find any scrap 2×4’s, but I did find a pair of large baking trays, like the one we found in the basement and are now using under the water bowl shelter for kibble. I figured we might find a use for them, so I brought them out. Then I checked the shed near the barn. Happily, I found a single piece of 2×4 long enough that I could cut a final 22″ length. It needed to be scrubbed clean, too.
Once all the pieces were cut, I set them outside to dry in the sun.
Since painting them was out of the question until they were fully dry, I decided to drag out the leftover boards from when we build the raised bed frame covers, and start cutting floor pieces. For some reason, I had it in my mind that they were 1×6’s, but they were 1×4’s. They’ve been stored against a wall in the side of the garage my mother’s car is parked in. Normally, that would have been fine, but we’ve had such wet weather, the dirt floor got damp, even that far into the garage, so they needed to be brushed clean, too.
At least they weren’t as bad as the 2x4s I had to scrub with water!
I thought I would have to rotate my work table to fit the 12′ lengths, but it turned out I didn’t have to. I was able to move the miter saw to the far end of the table, which gave me just enough space to fit a board. Most of the floor pieces for the back of the shelter needed to be 4′ long. Once the first cut was made, space was no longer an issue.
With the first board I used, though, there was too much damage in one area, so one of the 4′ lengths couldn’t be used. I might still be able to use part of it, though, for something else.
One board needed to be cut shorter, as it will go between the frame pieces. With these being standard 1x4s, while the frame is true-to-size 2x4s, that one board has a bit of wiggle room. I set the others where they will go in the shelter, and found they were about 2″ short of the centre line.
I then had a decision to make. I could leave it as is, and have a slightly larger opening for a cat to access the second level, or I could cut another piece and have a smaller opening.
Then I remembered, I has some old 1×3 boards we found in a shed some years ago. Was one of those long enough to cut 4′ off of it?
Why yes. Yes it was!
So now the floor will extend just an inch past the centre mark.
Once those were all cut, I painted them, along with the second half of the 2×4 that will run across the centre, to support the floor boards. The floor boards only need to have their tops and ends painted, except for the two boards that will be at the ends, which needed to have one of their edges painted, too.
At that point, since the verticals were still drying, I was pretty much done for the day – but I was then left with a conundrum.
I was expecting to use triangle blocks to attach the vertical pieces, but I would need 32 of those. I had a few from earlier cuts I’d set aside, and cut as many as I could out of some of the other scrap ends I had left. I ended up with 16 triangle blocks in the true-to-size 2×4 scraps, and only 4 in the regular 2×4 scraps. The vertical pieces are all regular 2×4, so if I used those 16 pieces, they’d all be wider than the pieces I was using them to join.
Plus, I’d have to cut gaps in floor board pieces to fit around the verticals. If I were to use the triangle blocks, I’d have to cut much larger gaps, and I am not about to try and go all journeyman on things, to cut them to fit over the angles on the blocks.
There was an alternative, though.
Inside I went, did some searching, then made a call to the local hardware store, for a pocket hole jig.
Then had one small kit in stock! Plus, it was only about $20, so quite affordable.
I asked them to set it aside for me, then headed into town.
Once I had the kit, I just had to use it right away!
I did a few test drills on some scrap wood, then drilled pocket holes on all the vertical pieces. They’ll be joined from the narrow sides.
Tomorrow, they’ll be painted, including inside the pocket holes.
That done, I checked on the boards painted earlier. They were pretty much dry!
So I set the horizontal piece that will support the floor in place at the centre marks. Unfortunately, it turned out to have just the slightest twist to the board, but not enough for it to be a problem. It’s still a nice, tight fit, so I didn’t need to add wood glue, or even anything to hold it until I could screw it in place.
I then laid the floor boards on top. They won’t be permanently attached for a while yet, but I’ll be able to measure things and see how many boards will be needed to cover one side of the remaining space.
While working on all this, I decided to make some major changes to the inside of the shelter.
My original plan was to have an insulated shelter box, with an access door, on one side of the back half, while the other side, with an access door, would have a litter box. The front would be open screen, except for the front door, which would swing down to form a ramp when open.
Then I decided to make a separate insulated box that can be taken in and out of the shelter for cleaning. That way, it could be smaller and more cozy.
The top half was going to be open, with spaces for cat beds, food and water bowls and whatever. It would also have an access door to reach the food and water bowls.
Altogether, that would have made for three access doors on the bottom level, and one for the top level.
As I was setting the floor boards and seeing how things fit, it occurred to me.
There’s really no specific reason to have the shelter box on the bottom, other than I happened to draw it that way.
Building all this on the bottom level would be rather more difficult than on the top level.
Instead, the bottom level can be screened in on all sides, except for the door/ramp. The litter box can still be kept in the bottom level. Any spilled litter can just be swept through the gaps in the pallet base. If I want, I can still add a shelf or two between some of the vertical supports for a cat to lie on, but nothing that would need more than reaching with a brush to sweep off through the doorway.
The top level can have the solid back wall, plus an access panels on each side. One to take the shelter box in and out. We can even make two of them. One, an insulated winter one, and the other a more airy summer one. A second access panel would be to reach the food and water bowls. I’m still trying to work out how to make these as sliding doors, rather than swinging doors. I still don’t know what I have available to make the doors out of.
I wonder if we have some small pieces of half inch plywood hiding in one of the sheds somewhere? I’ve gone through them so often, looking for specific things, I would not necessarily have noticed other things.
All that, and I’m still not 100% decided on how to do the roof of this. Ideally, it would be hinged for access, too.
That can wait, though. Gotta do the interior stuff, first!
In the end, I had to force myself to stop and leave painting the verticals for tomorrow. I’d been out there for most of the day and was getting really tired and hungry, but I wanted to keep on going! I want to get this thing ready as quickly as possible.
Oh, that reminds me. While at the hardware store, I looked at their supply of hardware cloth (welded wire mesh). They only had quarter inch size. I am looking for half inch. That will be the one thing we have no choice but to buy, as there is nothing suitable that we can scavenge here. I think I do have a small amount left in the sun room, but not enough for the entire shelter, that’s for sure. We probably won’t have a budget for until the end of the month. Still, that’s one of the last things that will need to be done, so that’s okay.
I’m rather pleased with today’s progress – and with my new “toy”!
I’m not going to go into too much about the assembly now; I’ve decided I’ll be making a voice-over video of the process when it’s done, so I can go into more detail. For now, here’s the short form.
The first thing I did was mark the centers of all the cut lengths on all sides. I even remembered to bring my carpenter’s triangle this time – and I got a lot of use out of it, today!
The front and back panels, which will be 4′ square, got assembled first. These used the true-to-size 2x4s for the outside, with a single regular 2×4 across the middle.
Of course, that didn’t turn out as easy as expected.
The regular size 2x4s turned out to be a fraction of an inch too long. With the first frame, I ended up recutting it too short, but was able to use the piece I’d cut off, sanded down until it fit, to fill the gap. With the second piece, I used the miter saw’s blade to basically shave off a bit at a time until it fit, so I didn’t have to fill a gap again!
Once the front and back panels were done, I used the side pieces and the centre marks to work out where to attach the triangle blocks. Once those were attached to the front and back panels, the panels were attached to the pallet, with the cross pieces to make sure they were spaced properly.
Once the first panel was attached flush with one edge of the pallet, that officially became the front of the shelter. The bottom cross pieces were set in place along the short sides of the pallet – making sure all the corners were at 90° – before the back piece could be attached, then the side pieces were attached to the pallet as well.
The top cross pieces were then added, which also set the front and back panels correctly, and finally the middle cross pieces were added.
Once it was all together, I rolled the whole thing out of the garage and through the grass. The wheels handled the grass just fine, and it was quite easy to move around! One of the last things I’ll do is add some handles to use to move it around but, for now, I can just grab the frame.
None of the joins are prefect, of course. In fact, some of them are downright messy. But, the corners are square and the whole thing is extremely solid and stable, and that’s what’s important!
Once that was done, I was able to use the funky calipers my daughters got me for Christmas a few years ago to measure the distance inside the frame, at the centre mark. A 2×4 was cut, checked and double checked for it, then got half painted. Since I had the paint out anyhow, I covered a few spots on the frame that needed touching up.
This cross piece will support the floor. The floor in the back half will be from one side to the other, while the front half will be from one side to the middle, leaving an open space for any isolated cat to access the upper level.
That was as much as I could get done today. Tomorrow, the other half of the cross piece will be painted. Until that’s dry, I won’t be able to measure and cut pieces for the floor, but the bottom half of the back panel will be walled in, so I should be able to start measuring, cutting and painting boards for that, as well.
The boards I have that are left over from another project are 12′ long, though. I’m going to have to rotate the table I have the miter saw on, to have the space to work with them!
As I’m doing all this, I’m always turning things around in my mind about what should be, or can be, done on the inside before the whole thing gets the welded wire mesh added, since none of it can be done once the mesh is in place. I find myself thinking of adding something across the front or side to hold food and water bowls, slightly elevated and secured somehow, so they don’t end up knocked about. If I do that, I might change things up so that the front door, which will be made to swing down and become a ramp when left open, is in front of where the litter box will be, instead of in front of where the sleep cubby will be.
I’ll think more on that, as the floor boards are added, as well as the vertical pieces that will need to be added to support the access doors and panels. I also want to include things like a scratching post and other spaces for cats to lie on.
I wonder if we have any scrap carpet somewhere that can be used for this? I know we have a roll of carpet in the barn, but it’s been sitting there for probably at least 10 years, of not longer, and I doubt it would be useable. There might be something in the storage shack, but it would be hard to find anything under all of my parents’ belongings.
Still, it might be worth a look!
If we have cats that have to be in this thing for possibly weeks at a time, I want it to at least be fun and interesting for them!
Button is in the bottom cuddle pile of the photo above, wrestling with the black and white kitten.
The kitten being used as a pillow by the orange while white kitten is the one with the messed up eyes. We brought her in last night again, to spend the night in a carrier in my bedroom. We have to keep her completely isolated from the inside cats. She seems okay with the carrier. I gave her a stuffy, and she spent the night sleeping right up against it.
Unfortunately, her eyes are still swollen shut and she’s essentially blind. We’re washing them, of course, but that helps only so far. We did make sure she had cat soup for food – extra thin, for more hydration – with supplements that should help boost her immune system. The Cat Lady has medication to give us, but as of this morning, she still couldn’t find it. Hopefully, she’ll be able to find it before we meet up this afternoon.
After they have Button for a week, then pass her on to her forever home, they might be able to take in eyes baby, too. I have really been trying to avoid that. They’ve taken so many sick kittens from us, and end up keeping them permanently, because hardly anyone is willing to adopt healthy cats, never mind any with past health problems. Plus, it seems the cats at our place have a particularly bad strain of herpes. The sick cats they’ve helped us with before have recovered, but are still prone to relapses. Other sick cats they’ve helped from communities around us have recovered and not relapsed.
Also, it seems the cats from us have a bit of a reputation among several vet clinics now. We’ve had some very unusual cases, with Cabbages being the first anomaly. At least her treatment is now saving the lives of other cats. Then there’s the one that turned out to be Down’s. Who know cats could be Down’s?
Anyhow.
All the more reason we need the isolation shelter, and I got a bit more progress on that this morning.
I cut more corner supports from the remaining true to size 2×4 piece that I have. I was able to cut them larger this time. The smaller ones were ready for more painting, as were the frame pieces. As of right now, the only things left that need to be painted are a couple of 2×4 frame pieces, and the larger angle cut pieces. Once those are done, assembly can start. I’m hoping I can get that done this evening, if this morning’s coat of paint is cured enough.
As you can see by my hat in the last photo, it was quite hot and muggy in the garage while I was working! I normally wear a hat to help keep the sweat out of my eyes, but today was just too hot, and I took it off pretty early on, so all that wet is from a very short time! Lately, I’ve taken to folding up a strip of paper towel and putting it between my forehead and the hat band, to help absorb the sweat. That does make it more bearable, but by the time I could have done that, my hat was already soaked!
Well, time to start getting ready to head out with Button. I need to make sure the smallest cat carrier is ready. We keep it with several others in the sun room these days, so cats are in and out of them – and climbing on top of them – regularly, so they get pretty dirty.
I still need to go to the post office first, but I’ll do that along the way. I did already go this morning, but I went too early. I was sure the post office opened at 9am, but when I got there at 9:30, they were just opening up and hadn’t sorted any of the mail, yet! I think Button will be okay in the carrier alone in the truck for a few minutes.
I’m so happy she is finally going to her forever home!
The Re-Farmer
[addendum: I just had to include the AI generated feedback I got for this!
The content reflects a heartwarming story of finding a forever home for Button and the dedicated care for the kitten with eye issues. The updates on the isolation shelter’s progress are interesting. Consider adding subheadings to distinguish between the different topics discussed. Additionally, breaking up the text into smaller paragraphs can enhance readability and make it more visually appealing for the reader. Good luck with the ongoing care and shelter construction efforts!
I spotted Adam nursing this brood in front of the sun room – and I needed to get past her! I had to go back and forth from the sun room a few times, and saw her nursing in the same spot again, but with different kittens!
She is such a good creche mama. So chill with the babies!
Not with people, though. She still won’t let us near her, and ran off when I got too close. Unfortunately, she seems to choose high traffic areas to lay down and nurse!
Meanwhile, I got a bit more progress done on the cat isolation shelter.
As I mentioned in my last post, I changed the plans a bit. The original plan was to basically have a cube with the outside frame divided into quarters, vertically and horizontally. I had it in my mind to attach the vertical pieces first, like wall joists, then horizontal pieces to support the floor boards in the second level. The problem was, how to attach the shorter horizontal pieces, with the materials I had on hand. There are brackets and braces that can be used to make the job easy and secure, but I don’t have any, and don’t have the budget to get them.
Then it occurred to me that this shelter doesn’t need vertical support. The true to size 2x4s are strong enough on their own. I’ll still add them, as they will help hold the welded wire mesh, but it’s the horizontal pieces that are more important, since they will be supporting the floor boards.
So the longer regular size 2×4’s I cut will now be mounted horizontally instead of vertically – they will be doing inside the 4′ square front and back frames, so the measurement doesn’t change. I needed two more for the shorter sides, which meant I needed to more pieces the same length as the pieces that will be the top and bottom.
In the first photo of the Instagram slide show, you can see the two new pieces that were cut. The others, meanwhile, were flipped and ready to get their other sides painted.
The rough cut true to size 2x4s sure use up a lot more paint compared to the smooth regular size 2x4s!
I still had the problem of how to attached them to the front and back frame pieces. They will be butted up against the edges. I decided to cut pieces at 45° angles that will be butted into the corners to give me something to screw into. These will be needed for the top and middle pieces of one side. I’ll need 4 more of these for the other side. I used leftover scrap pieces of true to size 2×4 I do have a short length of that left. I’ll see how these work out before cutting more. I might decide to do it a different way. Or just cut them a bit longer. That was my original intention, but the pieces I had left over weren’t long enough.
Hmmm… now that I think about it, I can use longer pieces to support the top corners of the frame, and these shorter ones to support the horizontal pieces in the middle of the frame. I’ll have to think about that some more.
I did have an issue making the 45° cuts. I’m using the miter saw I picked up at a garage sale a couple of years ago. Today is the first time I needed to make angled cuts.
I don’t know how long its been since this thing was used for angle cuts, but it had to be a long time! I had to get lubricant to get it to turn all the way, from one side to the other! But, I got it done, and am soooo happy I have this saw! Previously, I used a hand saw and miter box to make cuts like this, and that really sucks. Especially with wood as hard as this! My soil sifter’s frame would have turned out much better if I’d had this when I made it. 😄
At this point, there isn’t much more I can do until all the painting is done. Once I have the outside frame assembled, I can take the measurements I need for the cross piece that will go through the middle to support the floor, and for the vertical pieces. I’m not working with two different sizes of wood, so I don’t want to count on just doing the math.
I’m not that good at math!
After cutting the 45° angles, I was left with a bunch of equally sized triangles that I’m hanging on to; they might come in handy, later. I should have had 8 of those, but one of them fell apart, because the end of the 2×4 I was cutting off was one of the more damaged pieces.
The painting, unfortunately, is going to take a while, since it basically needs a whole day to cure. It wouldn’t normally take that long, but it’s humid enough to slow things done and keep things very tacky! About the only other thing I can do in between flipping and painting the boards is cut and start painting four more angled pieces.
Still, progress is progress, and I’m happy with how it’s going so far.
As I posted earlier, in the wee hours of the morning, my daughters and I had done out last night to see the Perseids meteor shower. My daughters had read that the peak viewing period would be around 3am. We even brought out the tripod so I could set my phone up and take photos.
Well, we didn’t see very many meteors, but we did get a light show!
My older daughter’s the one who actually took most of the photos. I the fourth one of the slideshow, at the top near the middle, you can just see that a meteor was caught in the shot.
It was an awesome night, too. Lovely and cool – just the perfect temperature! – with nice clear skies for viewing the stars.
The meteor shower is supposed to be visible tonight, too. I checked The Farmer’s Almanac, and it says that the peak viewing period should be around midnight, not 3am, but I guess that depends on what time zone you’re in. Either way, we plan to be out again tonight, at around midnight.
After we were done, my older daughter got back to work and my younger daughter ended up staying up as well. They have been arranging their sleep schedules so that and one of them is up and available, any time of day, and my younger daughter has the “day shift”. 😁 She was a sweetheart and took are of feeding the outside cats this morning – and washing the one kitten’s infected eyes – for me, so I could get a bit of extra sleep.
Once I got outside, my priority was to water the garden before it got too hot, then did a bit of harvesting. After I had breakfast… er… lunch, I made a trip to the post office, making sure to leave the gate open when I got back. I got some more painting done on the pre-cut frame pieces for the cat isolation shelter – three sides are now done. I then spent the next couple of hours, mowing. The driveway hasn’t been done in so long, I had to go over it twice to get it cut to the length I wanted.
I’m going to have lots of “hay” to collect! The grass is so thick in places, even this mower, set as high as it could go, was struggling!
Gosh, it all looks so much better!
Now that that’s done, I’ll get back to cutting more lengths of wood for the isolation shelter frame, so they can be painted before construction, too.
As I think about the construction, I am debating how to make the access doors. There’s going to be a main door that will swing down and convert into a ramp when it’s open. When not in use as an isolation shelter, we plan to leave it open and available for the cats to become familiar with it, and a ramp would make it easier for kittens to get in and out.
Since I don’t have salvaged windows that slide open to incorporate into the design, I am thinking of making sliding doors instead of doors that swing out. I think that will give more security for if we have a particularly feral cat inside. We’d be able to reach in and out without having to open a sliding door all the way. With a swing door, the door itself would be in the way if we wanted to open it partially. A sliding door would also be handy for releasing a cat from a trap, as it could be opened just enough to fit the end of the trap.
I’ll have to think about that, some more. Whatever I decide for the access points, the rest of the structure doesn’t need to change, so I can literally wait until the shelter frame and interior is completely assembled, then see what works best.
I’m having fun with this build! It’s going to be the most complicated thing I’ve built and, with using salvaged materials or whatever we can afford to get, the plans have to be pretty loosey goosey!
When I first started thinking about the plans for a smaller isolation shelter, one thing I did not think about was painting it. That’s always been something we dealt with after the build. Paint, however, is going to be needed, to protect the wood and keep it from rotting too quickly. This is especially important, considering that I’m using salvaged wood that already had damage to it.
Given that this build is going to have a lot of stuff going on on the inside, I decided it would be much easier to paint the parts and pieces before assembly, rather than trying to reach inside to do it.
In going through our leftover paint, the can that felt like it had a decent amount in it was the peacock blue used on the floating benches (benches built on tree stumps that aren’t painted, so they’ll look like they’re floating when things grow back under them) and the folding table we cobbled together. The can of red seemed to have some weight to it, plus I also found a quarter can of white that was used to make our sign for those trying to find our address that doesn’t exist on any online maps.
I know we’ll need a decent amount of paint, so why not mix them together? They are all water based exterior paints, so mixing them would work fine.
I started off by setting up the frame pieces that are already cut.
They all needed a bit of a cleaning of dust, dirt and debris, first. Once that was done, I opened the cans to see what we had.
The blue was about half full, but there wasn’t much left of the red or the white.
I had a very pleasant surprise once they were all mixed together. I really like the resulting colour! When it’s time to buy more, which I expect to need to do before the project is done, I definitely want to colour match this!
I had looked for paint rollers and trays, and I did find the roller frames and a tray, but no rollers. I know we have some. I even remember finding one still in its package. Where they ended up, I have no idea.
So, paint brush it was.
With the frame pieces, they were pushed close together so the tops could be painted all at once. The cut ends were done, and part of exposed sides of the row, but that’s it. After they were painted, I spread them out for air circulation as they dried.
I really like that colour!
Once that was done, it was time to put the wheels on the pallet.
My original plan had been to cut away part of the slats at each corner, so the wheels could be attached to the solid wood below. They were far too damaged to bother, though. These pallets were used by the roofers. While they were working, I have a fire going to burn the branches and wood that were too big for the commercial wood chipper used when we got the branch pile cleaned out, a couple of years ago. It was cold and snowing while the roofers were working, and they would sometimes go to the fire to warm themselves. When they were done, they tossed the pallets to the still-hot ashes. So what you’re seeing on the bottom of the pallet is ashes and a bit of scorching. The pieces at each long end got the most damage, so it was easier to just break them off and pull the nails. The slats were so cracked, it was easy to break them off by hand!
The ends were also a bit too damaged, so when I used the wheels to mark off where the pilot holes needed to be drilled, I butted them up against the next slats in.
Then I had to dig through our collection of wood screws to find ones suitable to attach the wheels. The ones I’d already brought to the garage were for attaching the frame pieces together, so there are a lot of really long screws, but no shorter ones. After digging around in the sun room, among the boxes of screws that cats hadn’t managed to spill all over the floor, yet, I found some that would do. Thanks to the new cordless drill and driver set, and the set of driver tips my husband got me for Mother’s Day, attaching the wheels took almost no time at all!
My husband is such a sweetheart.
Once the wheels were on, it was time to flip the pallet over and test them out.
Oh, they are going to make moving this thing SO easy!! They might have some trouble going through the grass in the yard, but that should be manageable. I love that they all rotate 360°, too.
That done, the top got brushed clean, and it was time to paint!
Have I mentioned, I love that colour?
I plan to do just one coat of paint, and will not be painting the underside. I did make sure all the edges were well coated, though.
Once that was done, I went and took garden tour video, then checked on the frame pieces. They were still too wet to flip, so the other sides will be done tomorrow, then the edges. In between painting, I’ll be measuring out and cutting other pieces, so by the time those are painted and dry on all sides, I’ll have more cut pieces ready to paint.
So that is progress on the cat isolation shelter, so far.
Next, I need to work on the garden tour video.
Oh, I’ve just been getting messages from my brother. They’ll be coming over tomorrow, early in the morning, to bring stuff to store in the barn. They do know we haven’t been able to mow a path to the barn, but I hadn’t told him yet that we have no working lawn mowers at all. He knows, now. They won’t be staying long or making much of a visit. My SIL is allergic to cats, so they can’t come into the house, really.
I’m looking forward to seeing them! That will be a great start to the day!
The Re-Farmer 