Cat House Photos

I don't really have a problem with the spiders inside it, unless they go in with a plant. My screen is fine enough that it keeps them out. They will crawl around the box tho looking for a way in.

Hi Mark,

Thanks for posting that photo of your cat house. I just showed it to my hubby and told him he needs to get busy building me one. :-) It will have to wait though, since hunting season just began. (sigh) He admired your workmanship. :-)

Janet

Hi Janet,

Thanks for the compliments--the cage actually was not difficult to build.

Sheila,
I don't really have problems with spiders, but I was concerned about fire ants. But they apparently haven't figured out how to crawl over the wheels, and get into the cage.

Mark

I was thinking that sheer curtains or a waybigo sheer tablecloth might make good screening material. I want to be able to see, yet still protect the little buggers too. I've been watching the thrift stores for them so I'll be ready when my carpenter is ready. Yours looks very uncomplicated and is just what I had in mind Mark. I like that a plant can stand inside of it.

We already have plenty of lumber in the little storage building. I even spotted a set of 4 wheels in the garage and sereptitiously have "ear-marked" them for the cat house. If I could find the right number of already cut boards, I'd put it together myself. Unfortunately, me and sawing tools do not get along very well. I suppose I could get my sister Connie over here to help me. She's not afraid of a saw. :-) She and I have been discussing it and she says it would be easy to build from PVC pipes, etc. I don't want to have to buy anything though.

I did see a beautiful Monarch laying her eggs on the milkweed yesterday. Rescued her from the jaws of a lizard even. Jokingly, Connie said I'd probably find a lizard carcass out there some day. She hung around all day long laying her eggs on the plants. I spoke gently to her as I was taking photos. I told her I'd do my best to take care of her babies. I felt we'd just about "bonded".

Yesterday evening hubby was weed whacking. Really going to town on lots of things that had been more or less neglected while he's been getting ready for hunting season. I watched as he whacked off the bottom branches of my lantana, and cringed, but didn't say anything. The last I'd seen the Monarch, she was "doing her thing" on the Milkweed.

This morning, after he'd left for work, I went out to the back yard and saw Ms. Monarch, laying in the grass next to a few sprigs of Lantana that had been whacked. With much trepidation, I walked over and just knew she was dead. I reached down to touch her and she fluttered a bit. It was almost like she was exhausted. I noticed that the bottom of one of her wings was broken off. I gently picked her up and put her on the Lantana. She fluttered just a bit and then was fairly still. Tears were rolling down my cheeks.

This evening, there was no sign of her. I'm hoping she flew away. But I'm afraid she was a lizard dinner afterall because there are several that hang out close to the lantana. I'm more determined than ever to get the cat house built so I can keep my promise to her.

Here she is..... laying her eggs on the milkweed.

Janet

Fly_girl, thanks for the info, I ordered the net cage.

Here is a monarch in "J". Karen

Well, it's taken several days to complete the cage, but we are just about finished with it.

The first photo shows the base of it with the front door attached. It will sit on a table, or I'll get hubby to add me some 4X4 legs to it.

Lots more photos to come.

Janet (and Connie)

The Parts

This shows how the door was mounted to the base of the box with a piano hinge.

We attached the fabric using a staple gun. We put strips of thin material over the fabric to keep it from pulling as we stapled.

Front and Side Views

We counter sunk a nut into the top edge so we could insert our handle.

Two more handles will be added to the top front of the door, on each side, for ease in opening.

Looks great, wanna come make me one (lol)?

Yeah, I know. That last photo was a tease because you couldn't really see what the handle looked like. Here's a closer view. You didn't really expect a blob of wood or something, did you??? HAHAHAHAHA

Karen, the cage is great, but I've already needed bigger, so I built a cage by myself. It's not the greatest looking, that's why I can't show it, but it works for now. Hopefully this winter I can redo some of it...the door is a little crooked. lol
Right now I have 15 Monarch chrysalis and about 25 cats all different sizes. It's quite a job keeping the little ones from the bigger ones, because, sadly, they will mow right over them, I don't think they even know it. And then if you leave the eggs on you have to remember where they are, to move them into something for the tiny ones.

Janet and Connie....looks good! I put casters on mine so I can roll it in and outside. I like your sandals too. :)

Here's a closer view of the handle. I didn't get one of him head on. I wanted to show the beautiful colors in the wings.

Hi Karen,

Thanks! I'm really pleased with the way it's turned out. There was enough fabric left to make a smaller one for Connie. That will be for another day though.

I'll still have to move a ton of bromeliads so I can put it in the place it will go. But I do need to get the legs built first.

Very nice! You used fabric around it? Great handle!

I intended to put some casters on it when we first started. Hubby said though that it didn't need to be so much tall. (what does HE know?!)

I love those sandals that Connie is wearing too. I can't wear thongs though because the thing between the toes really bothers me. They are MIAS. She got them at the White House earlier this year. I bought some too, then had to take them to the consignment shop because I just couldn't wear them.

Here's one more shot of it with the door opened. I'm really proud of the way it's turned out. I love that fabric. I looked for several days at all of the thrift stores thinking I'd use sheer curtains. For days I didn't find anything. Then I decided I might as well go to JoAnn's to check out the fabric. There was this gorgeous fabric. The photos really don't do the fabric justice. The gold really shimmers.

Janet

Thanks!

Yes, we used fabric. This will be sitting outside of my living room window. I wanted it to look really nice from either inside or outside.

I was surprised at how light the thing was when it was finished. We used cedar boards.

Will the caterpillars be able to get up there on the top to do their thing with the chrysalises??? The fabric is just like what a sheer curtain would be. I can't for the life of me remember what it's called. Toile?? No that's not right. Oh well.

It looks great Janet ! I had read some article on the Smithsonian site for kids about raising them and it said they needed to be outside exposed to the elements. Maybe not pouring down rain probably just the natural atmosphere. We could cover the roof if necessary. It's going to be under the eaves but we might need to ammend the design a little if rain is going to be a problem.

Thanks flygirl for the compliment on the sandals. I love them too.

Awsome job! I will need to show this to my DH for next year's project.

Well, it was too wide to go in front of the windows like I'd wanted because the BBQ grill is not far from there. So I had to go to "Plan B"!

As you can see, I still have lots of plants to move somewhere else (but I'm hungry now!). The table it's sitting on had the water fountain (below it) on the top with a few plants, etc. I moved most everything to the deck area, but didn't want to have to drain and refill that fountain. Electricity is at a premium in my yard, so I have to take those kinds of things into consideration whenever I put anything electric out there. There is a light above it. (Believe it or not, those lights survived the hurricane last year.)

I bought some little clay pots today to start some new milkweed plants in. I'd like to have those close to the cage to be able to swap the plants out. We went to Lowe's last night looking for more milkweed since mine has the little yellow bugs on it... ALL OVER IT! Couldn't find any, (We did "rescue" several other plants though that will be excellent for next year's crop of BF's) but Connie has donated her milkweed to the cause and I'll get lots of cuttings from them so they will fit nicely into the cage. I like that it's at a very comfortable working level and not where I'd have to be bending over to look for the cats.

Connie, I can use those "shades" we got today for the rain until we come up with something else. I think they will work great.

Janet

well duh, I forgot to add the photo

Good job!!!! Those little yellow bugs are aphids...just take a glove and squish them, or gently spray them off with the hose. That's what I have been doing...putting the pot and all inside the cage. I'm almost out and can't find any either, so I'm doing cuttings. They don't hold up very well.

That is a beautiful cage!

Thanks Fly_Girl! We're really pleased with it. I should have gotten a photo of our expressions as each part came together. It was a really fun project to work on and I'm sure I will get many years of enjoyment from it.

I was just sitting out back with the lights on, admiring it. It's still empty, but looks absolutely lovely with the lights glimmering on the fabric. I hope that fabric holds up to the weather. There's only a half a dozen screws that would need to come out to disassemble it when the season is over.

Lighted top of cage

Konkrete said that she cuts a branch at a time for her cats and puts them in water in the cage (bud vase so the cat's don't drown). As they are striped, she changes them out, but continues to keep the stems in water until they root. Wallah.....an extra plant! And your trimmed plant will put out more shoots and be fuller.

Excellent idea! Thanks Sheila for passing that along.

I noticed that the rescued milkweeds I bought last month at Lowe's were stripped of the leaves (just dawned on me that there were probably already cats on them, but I didn't realize it at the time). Those have filled back out very nicely, but they still have those devlish yellow aphids on them. Anyone know how long I'll have to be putting up with THAT? I've let them be because it was aggrievating to shoot them off with the hose, only to see them just as obnoxious and abundant again the next morning. There are lots of ladybugs and assassin bugs on them also though. I suppose those critters would go hungrey if not for those aphids.

Janet

Janet - If you have lady bugs and assassin bugs on your MW, I would let them take care of the aphids. They will. :-)

Thanks Becky. I'm sure they will. They just are taking their sweet time about it and they look so ugly with those yellow things wiggling all over them! HAHAHAHA

By the way, I want to thank everyone who's posted photos of their cages. Connie and I didn't have any drawings or anything like "plans" to go by. I printed out photos of all of the cages I could find (amongst several threads) and we took ideas form them all.

I feel I must also say here that Connie is a real whiz with a saw and a drill. I couldn't have accomplished this dream without her help. Well I might have, but it wouldn't have looked nearly as square! HAHAHAHA

Thanks Connie!!! You're the best sister a gal could ask for! With you, not much is impossible! :-)

Janet

; D Likewise. Wadn't it fun? Doing it without your help, this one wouldn't have been square either !


I'm anxious to see if it "works"!

I'm glad fly_girl noticed my sandals and not my filthy knees! Ha ha !

Wow, look what happens when I miss a few days reading! Girls with saws?! I want friends like you two!! I WANT THAT CAGE! It's awesome!! Did I miss the details of how to build it? What is the material??

Aphids are naturally attracted to the milkweed and it can be a never-ending battle but it never hurts to try. I start early squishing them and swishing them off in a bucket of water. If you don't get control of them early they can do a lot of damage to the plants. The bad thing is that sometimes by the time you notice that they are getting really bad, they've already taken over the bottom portion of the plant. I would be careful since you have ladybugs and not kill any of their larvae.

I just reminded myself to go out and check the lower leaves on my plants. Ugh, that's a time consuming job! But I must do it to keep my milkweed healthy for the fall Monarchs. They are looking so much better this year than last tho because I started killing the aphids in the spring.

Thanks Paige!

Ordinarily, I'm a pretty "cheapo" gal. I hoped to find sheer curtains (or long wide scarves) at Goodwill and dig through the little wood shed for scraps to construct the cage. Hubby was out there the evening I was scrounging. He said, just go buy what you need. Welllllllllll, sounds like a green light to me. OK, I can do that.

The cage is made of cedar (mostly 1X2's - bottom slats are cedar fence boards that we cut to size) Finished size is 4'W X 2'H X 2'D. The fabric is sheer curtain fabric in the home decor section at Joann Fabric. The fabric that I choose wasn't one of the ones on 40% off sale, but the "cutter" had a 50% off coupon that we were able to use. This fabric was double wide on the bolt and much easier to work with than either of us anticipated. It screamed out for me to buy it!

I bought (6) 1X2's@ $2.89 ea.[could have used a few more, but we "ripped" a few smaller cedar boards to make do], a 30" piano hinge @$8.99 and 2 yards of fabric $14.99. Bottom slats - Connie had a half a dozen cedar fence boards leftover from another job.

I remember reading about your swishing the aphids off the plants. I think these are beyond that stage though because there are just so many of them. I'd also be worried I'd swish off some eggs. I'm keeping Connie's milkweed on the other side of the yard from mine. Her plant had some small red bugs that I'm pretty sure are baby assassin bugs. I swished the plant as I carried it down the driveway to my truck (no sense in stealing Connie's bugs! HAHAHAHA) and again as I carried it around to my back yard. I only saw a few left on there and flicked them off.

Time for another cup of coffee.

Janet

Janet, is that the full list of "ingredients" you used to make the box? I would like to show the list to my husband and see if he could make it. I absolutely love it!! Where did you get the little metal butterfly? Is it being used as a doorknob? Karen

Well I just copied your photos and the corresponding description of each one. Bob is gonna have an eyefull when he gets back (lol). Thanks so much for providing this!!

Thanks Karen. Also deck screws... longer screws looked like about 3" to go thru a board sideways and reach the other board and shorter screws (about an inch and a half) where that wasn't necessary. We drilled a pilot hole first for each screw so not to split the cedar. Also those black nylon straps Janets husband had stashed (off gym bags and such) we used to staple thru the fabric. Singed the ends to keep from unravelling. We happened to use those but thought of other things that could have been used instead, in case your hubby isn't a pack rat like Janets :)
The fabric is a sort of organza or tulle, very sheer (reminded me of antique nylon stockings or moms sheer curtains). The butterfly we made out of copper and he hold the front closed. A bolt is welded to the butterfly and goes thru the top to the front and the nut is countersunk to the underside of the front so it stays put. The butterfly's bolt slips thru a hole drilled thru the top and front and then twists into the nut.

First off Karen, we made the butterfly from copper. We were really pleased with the way he turned out. It is the "lock" to keep the top closed. We welded a bolt with the head cut off to the body of the butterfly and counter sunk a nut into the top of the door. The screw goes through the top of the cage, then into the top of the door, into the nut to keep it secure. The door fits pretty snug into the top, so we will make something else to use as pull handles, perhaps some caterpillars, lizards, who knows, and attach them to the front of the door.

OK, here is a list of ingredients needed to make the cage the same size as mine - 4'X2'X2'.

All lumber is cedar so it's already weatherproof and "treated" and it's light enough for me to pick up by myself. When buying the lumber, watch for knots (of course) and try and get them uniform in color. It will make for a much nicer finished product. I didn't think about the coloring when I went to buy the boards. I just tried to make sure they were all straight. I should have taken Connie with me to the lumber yard! :-)

8 1X2X8
5 Fence Boards cut to 49 1/2"
2 yds fabric of choice
30" piano hinge
Exterior screws (mostly 3", but some needed to be shorter to keep from going all the way through, we just used what I scrounged from the little shed)

** Be sure to drill pilot holes where you need them ****BEFORE**** you screw in the screws to keep from splitting the boards.

To make inside box frames, cut the 1X2's
(6) @ 48"
(6) @ 24"
(4) @ 22 1/2"

This will give you 2 sides, top, back, and door

We added additional support to the top with 3 sides, (1) 49 1/2" and (2) 25 1/2"

The base that the inner box sets inside of:
(2) 49 1/2" and (2) 25 1/2" (We used wider boards on the side because we didn't want to have to rip more boards. Would look more uniform though if the 1X2's had been used all the way around.)

The base was made, flipped over and the (5) 49 1/2" cedar boards were screwed to the bottom with just a smidgen of space for water to drain through.There is a "lip" on the front that is about 1" because we didn't feel like ripping the board. I like that lip there because I think it gives it more dimension than just a box.

We made the door shorter than the back intentionally so that it would meet with the top when it sat inside of the base and was attached to the base with the piano hinge.

It sounds a bit complicated because I'm re-living how we made it in my mind as I type. For someone that knows what they are doing, it would have been a breeze.

We cut the fabric to fit each panel. We stapled one long side, then put strips of material (I used some fabric straps that hubby had collected years ago from cell phone bags [think straps on your camera bag] - long, thin belts would work also. I ran out of straps after 2 sides and the door was done, so we cut strips from a leather skirt - too small for me anyway - that I bought a while back at Goodwill for 50 cents just for the leather.) Once that first side was secure, we stapled the other side, pulling the fabric taut. We put the strips on top of the sheer fabric to keep it from pulling loose from the staples. Then did the same for the other sides. Some of them had to be pieced together, but all in all, it worked perfectly, just as planned.

Whatever you use, keep in mind that the thickness will add to the tightness of the frame once the sides etc go back together.

I am posting the photo that shows the "parts" again so you can look at it to see the dimensions. I've added the sizes of each of the boards to the photo. If anything is confusing, plese let me know. I'm not a carpenter, but will try to answer any questions.

Janet