Cat House Photos

I'm new to cat finding and know there are a lot of you experienced catters out there. I'd love to start my own cat house. I kind of have an idea of what it ought to be, but I may be missing the mark in my mind.

If you have a cat house, please post a photo of it.

Thank you in advance for your contributions.

Janet

Janet, here is a thread that has what you are looking for:

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/643281/

Welcome to our world! :)

Thanks for the link KKBlonde. I checked it out. WOW! There are some awesome cages on that link.

I found a small child's "bug cage" recently at a thrift store and picked it up for my grandbabies. The opening isn't very big though, about 3 inches in diameter. But it does give me some ideas (along with the other cages you linked to) about making something a little more substantial.

I found one cat (not yet identified) this morning and have put him in the cage, along with the top of the milkweed he was on, for the time being. I went back later and he was wandering around, checking out the new digs.

I'm keeping my eyes open watching for more cats.

Janet

You'll probably try several things before you finally find one you like using. That's what I've done, and I'm still not satisfied yet. Currently I have about 30 Monarch chrysalis on the top of a wooden cage and about 30 Black Swallowtails in an aquarium in my bathtub. They BST's were just sitting in the tub (on their plants, of course) but one started to wander around so they are getting big enough to pupate so I put a lid on them.

Another member suggested using the green floral foam to keep cuttings of plants alive while in cages. That works pretty well for my smaller plants but I like small vases for my milkweed.

And speaking of, if you found a cat on milkweed it's probably a Monarch. Is it black, yellow and white striped with 2 sets of black antennae? If it has 3 sets of antennae then it is a Queen.

I just went to check. I think it's a Monarch. It's only got 2 sets of antennae.

I had a couple of these last month, but they disappeared before I realized I should have moved them to safety. I hope this little fella survives. He's only about 3/4 of an inch long.

Janet

On milkweed with 2 sets of antennae...sounds like a Monarch to me. He's still small so he'll need more food for about a week or so. When they are small you can give them individual leaves but soon it will need a lot more.

If you don't have milkweed in pots and you want to keep it in your cage inside then you will have to bring cuttings in. I have small vases with small openings that I put the plant in. I usually take a small piece of paper towel and stuff it around the edge of the vase and the stem just to make sure the cat can't fall down inside. You can also use the green floral foam and set it inside of some small container.

I can't seem to keep the milkweed from wilting unless I keep it in water tho. I bring a piece in, check it all over for eggs and cats then put it in the sink under a few inches of water and swish it around to remove any spiders or other small predators. (you feel really bad when you bring food in to them and then a spider with it!) Then with the stem still under the water cut a little piece off again, just like with floral type flowers, and it stays fresh longer.

After they've eaten all they will you can leave it in some water and it will grow roots and you can replant it. Oh, that depends on what kind of milkweed you have tho! Do you know? what color are the blooms?

I have no idea of the name of the milkweed. Here is a photo of it. Most of the milkweed is covered in yellow tiny bugs, along with lots of lady bugs. Are the yellow bugs something I need to be worried about? I think they are aphids. Wouldn't they be "protein" for the cat?

Janet

Them theres aphids; never saw a determined Monarch let those get in their was and the aphids don't eat much.....

Ann

I thought those were aphids, but didn't want to look like an idiot if they weren't! HAHAHA

Do I need to worry about the aphids getting "loose" in the house? They were still on the cutting that I took from the milkweed.They are so tiny that they might fit through the mesh screening on the little bug house. I have no other plants inside of the house, so they wouldn't find anything to eat elsewhere.

Janet

Here's the cat house I bought last week. Right now I have 3 potted milkweed and 8 cats. Some of the cats are really getting big, so I am going to get some foam and put some cuttings in there.

I squish the aphids with my glove because I've seen them walk all over my cats and nobody does that to my cats! LOL

Janet, your milkweed is the A. curassavica (I can never remember that spelling!) also called Mexican or Tropical milkweed. It reseeds and grows easily from the seeds and is perennial! The aphids are naturally attractred to the milkweed so they are always a battle. If you've got ladybugs then you are doing great! (since they eat the aphids) You can hand squish the aphids or just try and knock them off. Lord only knows how they get on the plants and where they come from! (how do they and spider mites get IN the house?!)

fly, THAT is the size I want! Did you get that from Insectlore? How much was it? I've just not had the money to spend on bugs at the moment. lol I still keep looking around local stores for one with a zipper top and just using my wooden cage in the meantime. My son's teacher has a small one just like yours that we used last year in school. I need one that size too for when I do take the cats on a field trip to the school.

Cool setup! I don't want those little aphids walking over my little cat so I'll have to go put on some aphid squishing gloves!!

Beautiful Bird of Paradise in that photo Fly Girl. Wish mine would do something. At least it's still alive.

Janet

KK Blonde, I've squirted them with the hose, flicked them with my fingernail and they always come back. There are a lot of assasin bugs in that area of the yard as well. I was surprised at the variety of ladybugs. I don't think I've ever seen as many as I have this year. Could be I'm just more aware since joining DG. :-) That's a good thang!

Janet

Thanks Janet!

The pavilion was only 12.95, it's on sale! I got the one without the cats, some you can get with cats.

http://www.butterfly-gifts.com/live-butterfly-kits.html

Yes Janet, once you start noticing the butterflies and caterpillars that you notice all the other tiny little things outside. I always try to point them out to others too because it even makes non-gardeners notice.

Thanks for that link fly! That's a great price but I hate to pay shipping charges. It irks me so I'll continue to look around and spend more time and probably gas than the shipping charge. LOL Maybe this payday I'll go ahead and order it! It's perfect.

Janet,

On the link Konkrete provided there is a photo of a pop-up mesh laundry hamper. I got that at a local grocery store for $11.95. I also hate paying shipping charges!!!

The only thing I must keep a close watch on is for the cats or chrysalids that are at the top near the zipper. The cats love crawling to the very top to pupate.

As shown on the photos of my cat cage...I pretty much use any plastic storage bin or container to make my own cat cages by simply cutting a big hole on the top...or any of the sides...and hot glueing tulle/fine mesh fabric to cover the opening. This allows for the circulation of air. I buy the majority of my plastic containers at the dollar store :o) and the tulle fabric at walmart.

...also the wet floral foam is a cat saver - no messy water dihes for them to fall into and drown :o)

~ Cat

Do you all move them when they're ready to pupate or leave them in with the others? I have a big one that is off the plant and at the top, but not doing a 'J' yet. Should I leave him there?

Thank you everyone for your input. It's really nice to come to the experts here at Dave's Garden.

Janet

Fly_Girl said:

From what I hear, when the cat hangs in a J shape , pupation is very close.

If he pupates on the top of the cage I'm afraid if I move it too much he will fall. I have to get in there and move plants in and out, and it gets the whole cage moving.

Yes fly, the Monarch will more than likely go right to the top of that cage. The top of my wooden cage is always covered with them because they must hang.

It's hard to know when they are going to pupate tho since they don't "evacuate" themselves like the BST's. If you've got another place to put it and have something for it to pupate on you could move them. If I'm using the aquarium I lay a piece of netting across the top then put the lid on it so that they attach to the net. I usually do this with Gulf Frits.

My BST's are notorious also for looking for an edge to pupate on. I will put them in a small bug hut and a lot of times they go right for the zipper so if they start acting like they are going to sit there I turn it upside down and get them to move. They all must have some instinct that tells them to go up, to get away from the ground to a higher spot.

I move my last instar cats into a separate large container where I have a big block of styrofoam with several dried branches stuck into it. They are good at crawling up the branches to pupate. I also use an inverted wire basket set inside my aquarium. They prefer to climb up the wire basket instead of the glass sides.

Just a word of caution - make sure the last instar cats are wandering around looking for a place to pupate before you move them. I made the mistake of putting some cats onto the wire basket so I could clean out the cage and one of them was still hungry...it started to eat a chrysalis!

~ Cat

That's amazing TPP! Can you move it around and they don't fall off?

KB, where did you get the netting?

Thanks for all the help!

I bought a cheap little reptile tote that has a cutout lid. I put 2, that were off the plants, in there with a piece of mw stuck in the wet foam. They both immediately went up the stick to the top. So, I think they are getting ready to pupate. It's so exciting to have them come this far. I had 3 before in a 2 gallon aquarium and they died. I almost gave up it was so sad. I so hope these make it to a butterfly.

I saw a femal monarch laying an egg, one at a time, on different leaves of other mw, I guess the odds are better that way.

How do you know exactly when they are ready?

This message was edited Sep 29, 2006 9:18 AM

Fly_girl, is your last question about when the cats are ready to be put in another cage? The only way you can know with Monarchs is by their size (last instar) and if they've moved off of the plant and started to wander. They rarely leave the plant except to go thru an instar so when they are in their last one and they leave then you could move them.

It's easy to tell when BST's are ready to pupate...except when there are about 30 in one 10 gallon aquarium! Yesterday one of them had "evacuated" himself (no idea what the term for that is) and left his green puddle then started wandering around. Since they need a branch or stick to pupate on I took him and put him in a small zipper bug hut. Not long after that I noticed frass in the cage which meant it wasn't the right cat! Then I did the same thing again with another one and realized I had taken the wrong one again when he started eating the leftover stalk in the hut. LOL...so the other 2 pupated on plant stalks.

I got some netting at Wal-Mart a few years ago. I made long hanging cages with embroidery rings but they just weren't stable.

Good luck with your cats! I'm sure they'll be fine.

How can the common name be "Sweet Scent" and also "Stinkweed"?? LOL!! I guess it is all perception!

LOL Sheila, that is a mystery.

2 have pupated! Thank you all for your help!!!

Hi Janet,

Here's a pic of my cage. I can put a small citrus plant in it, plus a fennel and a milkweed. I've used it for 2 summers now, and it has worked well.

Mark

That's nice Mark! Is it screened on all 4 sides?

Mark, that is a great setup, I need to make one like that. The pavilion is too difficult to get the plants in and out, especially when they have cats all over them.
What's on the floor....screen too?
I saw one yesterday that had a wood floor, but it was all wet and moldy from watering the plants.
Thanks for the picture!

Eeeww, that's not a good idea-watering the plants in the cage. Mine is wooden and it's gotten rained on several times so it's getting warped and some of the edges aren't sealed any more. I need to build another one. I might just combine my original one and Mark's, all with my dad's help.

Hi everyone,

My cage has screen on all 4 sides, with plywood for the top and bottom. The 2 sides are rectangular frames made with 2 by 4s. The front is a swing door. I keep it under the covered patio, as it stays under 90 degrees there (even in our hot Louisiana summers), and doesn't get wet when it rains. I do water my plants in the cage, but with the trays beneath the pot to catch the water runoff. I raised some monarchs this year for the first time. Here's a pic of one right before it emerged from the chrysalis.

Mark

And here it is after drying its wings.

Beautiful! I am always amazed at their beauty. I released 6 today and they were just SO bright. Did you build your cage yourself?

LM, what a perfect Monarch!

KB...you go girl!

I moved these to the basket and tied/glued them to hang upright. Hopefully they should be okay. I found the netting at WalMart, to go around the basket.

That will work just great fly_girl! You might want to put something like a paper towel underneath them so the meconium doesn't stain it.

Hi Konkrete,

Yes, I built the cage myself. The construction was fairly simple. My plywood top has warped a bit, as it got wet during Hurricane Katrina when the garage roof leaked. And if I did it over again, I would make the swing door more sturdy.

Mark

I think you did a pretty good job since it survived a hurricane! I just noticed it has wheels - very handy! I'm going to have to enlist my dad and his saws soon to make one for me.

I will definately get my DH to help make one for next year. Great example Mark. I really like the idea of wheels. I will need to fix a place for it out of the rain, etc. too.
Mark & KK how do you keep spiders from going into the cages?