How To, Video Log

The cat house – part 9

More than two years after publishing parts 1-8, here’s the final installment in this series, which recaps the features of the cat house I’ve designed and built and describes some improvements that I’ve made to my original design, after testing it through two winters.

We now have four cats (Sasha, Zuzu, Tira and Bubu), as opposed to the original two kittens (Mitzi and Trixie) which you saw in the other videos. Mitzi and Trixie now live with my grandmother in Maramures.

So, what improvements have I made?

  • Installed shingles on the roof
  • Built an upper level so the cats can really stretch out while they’re inside
  • Re-did the wall through which the cats enter the house
  • Drilled some aeration holes in the walls
  • Removed a pet door which I’d installed at the entrance, for the same reason I drilled the aeration holes, which is to introduce enough air flow in the house and eliminate the moisture that used to gather on the inside walls
  • Built an add-on lobby which creates an ante-room on the porch and becomes useful during cold weather

Hope you enjoy this final video and it inspires you to build a nice cat house or dog house for your pets!

Here are the other eight videos in the series:

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2 thoughts on “The cat house – part 9”

  1. kellogs says:

    hey, just went through the older series, oh mg!!

    troll mode on:
    UV, wth ? what about fire & water resistance treatments ?
    Where are the actual cats ? haven’t seen any inside the house. I bet they hate it! Oh yeah, they have gone all the way to Maramures to escape that sickly pneumonia sauna
    I have meant to also troll about the fact that cat numbers might overreach the cat house’s accommodating capacity but I have seen how you have managed .. by chasing away the first inhabitants x))
    Oh, and the doorways are too tight. Just sterilize the cats and you’ll see how they will progressively have more trouble fitting through those.
    troll over—

    Omg!! that is really nice!! I wish I had the skills to actually do something useful. And I shall be putting my back to work this year at house renovations. And this is what I was thinking about – do the (inside) insulation + painting job by myself. You were mentioning some blueish extruding / protruding / whatever kind of foam that supposedly has a 4:1 gain over regular polystyrene. Care to share how much heat got saved this (so damn heavy) winter vs. earlier heavy winters when you were lacking it (and what is your house’s setup – inside/outside insulation, what kind, how thick) ? Where do I go for a good price/quality ratio for some blue foam like that ? and also for other construction materials. I am in the capital city btw. Any books / beginner guides for a total city noob like myself ?

    Thanks !

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    • You’ve overwhelmed me with too many questions 🙂

      Okay, here I go:

      • Our cats are sterilized, all of them
      • Mitzi and Trixie moved to Maramures because my grandmother need a couple of really good cats to catch mice.
      • I can’t measure how much heat was saved over regular polystyrene. I also can’t tell you which brand of polyurethane/polystyrene is better. My experience is very much empirical. I went to the store, got some and got to work. You have all of the construction stores in Bucharest, so shop around till you find what appeals to you.
      • Not sure about books, either. I learned from my grandfather. He was my teacher and mentor when it came to home repairs and all kinds of construction work. Sadly, he is no more.

      You’re welcome.

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