While on vacation with cats, you might want to let them roam outside for a change of scenery. Depending on how much space and resources you have to spend, you can make an area that is right for you and your cats by constructing mesh enclosures that sit under your awning.

Frame

Use 1" by 1" wood to construct a frame for your mesh enclosures. A decent size for one average cat is 4 feet long by 2 feet high by 2 feet wide. You will need to cut six 4 foot lengths and 14 2 foot lengths of wood. Using the cut pieces, lay out rectangles and nail them together. Place a 4 foot piece at the top and bottom with a 2 foot piece on either side. You will end up with three 4 foot by 2 foot rectangles. With the remaining 2 foot sections, make two squares the same way as above. Take a rectangle and a square and attach them together with two hinges. Take another rectangle and another square and attach them with two hinges. Now you have a two rectangles with a square attached by hinges. Place the hinges so the squares fold inward and lay flat on the rectangles for easy storage.

Screen

Using a staple gun, attach mesh, screen or chicken wire to the frames you have built, one section at a time. Lay the edge of the material on the inside of the frame and secure with staples. Wrap the material around the outside of the frame and pull taut. Secure the material on the inside of the frame and cut away the excess. Continue covering until you have covered all five pieces.

Setup

To use the enclosure, stand one rectangle and open the square to make a 90 degree corner. Open the other rectangle to mirror and make a complete rectangle shape. Place the last piece on top as a lid to keep the cat inside. A gate latch, or a hook and loop latch, available at the local hardware store, can keep the pieces together. Attach one side of the gate latch to a square opposite from the hinges, and the other piece of the latch to the side of the rectangle that meets with it. To keep the top attached, line the inside of the frame with Velcro, and put the other half of the Velcro on the top side of the enclosure. You would only need four 1" strips placed in the corners.

Source:

Cats: Homemade cat enclosure

TheCatSite: Building an enclosure

AnimalNetwork: Enclosure

More Information:

HappyNews: Cat enclosure

TheRealOwner: Outdoor cat space

HabitatHaven: Cat enclosures