complete noob building an outdoor cat enclosure

[mike80]

Hi everyone,

I'm a complete noob when it comes to making anything, but have recently bought some tools to build an outdoor cat enclosure and was hoping to get some advice and see if i'm going in the right direction.

What I intend on doing is welding together a frame using 25 x 25 x 2 gal steel tubing. I've already got some nice netting to put around it (taken off a previous cat enclosure from my old place). So, i'm going to weld the frame as one complete structure, then drill some holes and use zip ties to tie on the net.

To keep costs down I won't weld tubing on the bottom of the frame, it'll just have the posts holding it up. The back of the frame will be bolted to a fence, and the 2 posts on the front will either be stuck into the ground, or i'll cement them in.

I've got no building experience at all, so i'm just winging it. Does this sound like the way to go? Or can anyone offer a better way to go about it.

Yep, i've got a respirator and angle grinder for welding the galv - been reading up on how the fumes can make u really sick so will be careful with that.

Cheers,
Mike

[pipeclay]

Do you know how to weld?

[mike80]

not really, i just bought an stick welder and have been practicing on scrap metal. my welds look like sh*t, but seem to hold. this project will be a welding practice exercise since the frame doesnt need to be super strong. quick question - should i grind down the sides after i weld the tubes together?

[pipeclay]

As this will be a practice exercise,and you wont be to sure of the strength of your welds,I would suggest not to dress them,just remove the slag so that you can see that there is weld on both pieces of tubeing.
Have you considered bolting your frame,rather than welding if your unsure of how good it will turnout.

[Grahame Collins]

not really, i just bought an stick welder and have been practicing on scrap metal. my welds look like sh*t, but seem to hold. this project will be a welding practice exercise since the frame doesnt need to be super strong. quick question - should i grind down the sides after i weld the tubes together?


Welding machine
The type of machine will have a big effect on the welding particularly at the initial arc striking and with finish appearance. A transformer type machine tends to blow big holes in light material - IF electrode selection and amperage is not considered.However it still IS doable with a transformer machine.

Electrodes
4112 or 4113 are fine. Avoid 4111 s.

Amps setting
Ballpark at 85 amps and go from there. Use the 25 sq scrap offcuts to replicate your intended joints and practice on them.Don,t forget to practice the tacks ( 90 - 95 amps for tacks )

Technique
Tacks needs to be flat and placed at start and finish of beads.A suitable tack diameter would be that of a pencil. I would tend to minimise weld beads-say 2 opposite sides not all 4 sides at one time


Dressing the work
It won't make any difference strength wise as the strength is below the imaginary straight line from toe to toe. The toe being the edge of the bead where it meets the parent metal.
Alternately ,if you do nice beads leave them and show the world- also a time saving.

You will do just fine. Put some pics up if you have a camera.

Cheers
Grahame

[SurfinNev]

I'd make the frame from angle and go to maybe 40mm x 3. Easier to weld than the square and easier to put holes in for the mesh. Will not fill with water as well.

Nev

[morrisman]

Before you weld anything : dry out the electrodes :aro-r: keep them in a dry and warm place for a few hours in order to remove any moisture from them . :) Mike

[Sterob]

Also consider fitting some triangulation to the frame to aid rigidity. It won't need much but it will help alot.

[mike80]

Thanks very much for the tips guys. I've already ordered 25x25x2 tubing, so i'm stuck with that but hopefully i won't blow too many holes. I've been practicing on 25x25x1.6 so I think i should be right.

I'll post some pics on here when i'm done :)

[Bryan]

You'll have a lot less heartache if you remove the zinc from the weld zone first. A flap disc on an angle grinder is good for that.

[azzrock]

hi mate. cats are great. giid luck witrh this.
i dont think they need to be caged all the time.
If you need a hand with this project. Id be happy to help.
aaron

[Grandad-5]

Mike, may I be of any assistance?
My paying hobby is making cat parks/enclosures.
To call it a business would be a slight exageration.

I have made framed enclosures such as you are describing and I have found the unframed mesh blends into the garden background much better and are less of an eyesore.

I can show you how to make what you want from gal steel mesh. No welding required.
Here's an example of what I do.
215701 215702

The mesh I use is 50x50mm with 4mm wire. A 1200x2000mm sheets costs roughly $30.

Some of my units require bending of the mesh and some mig welding, but for a one off park for yourself you can get away with just a 4" angle grinder and cut-off disc.
Joining of sheets can be done quite well with large "C" clips if done in a specific manner.

Also, depending on how far you wish to go, I may be able to help on some design issues.
Most people think of an enclosure as a large rectangle or cage like structure. From the cat's perspective this type of structure seldom very satisfactory.
Another consideration is if the enclosure is open to the ground, your cat(s) WILL use it as a toilet. There are ways of handling this issue.

If you wish to stay with your original plan of a frame and netting you can end up with a perfectly satisfactory result although I foresee issues of how to attach shelves etc without a lot of extra work. Mesh on the other hand means very simple, quick and cheap adding of as many shelves as you care to fit in.I'm happy to discuss either option.

One last point please. If using zip ties, bear in mind the black ones are usually UV resistant. The white ones are not.

Happy to help if I can
Cheers
Jim

[Oldneweng]

Black zip ties may be UV resistant but that does not mean much. They are used at work for huge runs of cables etc and the ground is often littered with broken ones. I have an extension cable of large diameter raised above a track. The cable goes to my implement shed attached to a stainless steel cable with cable ties. I put the cable up a couple of years ago. A lot of the cable ties have fallen off causing a serious sag in the cable. I am currently investigating long life alternatives. If it is not UV ruining the ties it is the cockatoos chewing the cable.

Dean

[Grandad-5]

Hi Dean, note I said "Usually" UV resistant. Not always. If they don't say they are, they're not.
And there are zip ties and there are Zip Ties. If the application is critical, they are not something you buy on price. The good ones are rated for how many Kg they support. In using the good ones you should assume a 10% failure rate. Then over use.
According to specs, with the ones I use to join two tunnels, two ought to do the job. So I use 5 or 6.
Even if 50% fail, the structure is still sound.
Also, their failure rate is dependant of more things than just UV. They are stronger done up tightish then used in a loop. They don't like being flexed etc.
Police use Zip Ties now instead of handcuffs.
Cheers
Jim

[Oldneweng]

Hi Dean, note I said "Usually" UV resistant. Not always. If they don't say they are, they're not.
And there are zip ties and there are Zip Ties. If the application is critical, they are not something you buy on price. The good ones are rated for how many Kg they support. In using the good ones you should assume a 10% failure rate. Then over use.
According to specs, with the ones I use to join two tunnels, two ought to do the job. So I use 5 or 6.
Even if 50% fail, the structure is still sound.
Also, their failure rate is dependant of more things than just UV. They are stronger done up tightish then used in a loop. They don't like being flexed etc.
Police use Zip Ties now instead of handcuffs.
Cheers
Jim

The one used at work are fitted usually by contractors and they don't have to worry about price. Also if it was found they used substandard stuff they would lose their reputation. There may be some that are long lasting but I am not going to chance that again. Also it has been mentioned to me that they don't last that long. The cable ties used at work are not supporting weight. They are just securing the cable to cable trays. They are done up tight.

I have heard that police use them but I hope they have good suppliers because I can break the modern ones with my hands and tying wrists give a person huge leverage. It would take a big one. I am not going to get into an argument. I just think they are way over rated. Maybe they are not as well made as they used to be. Not such a problem for cat yards but when I have to pull down my cable supports to replace the ties I am going to use ones that are not going to fail again. Stainless will do me. If I was building cat a yard like you do I would use netting clips myself. I have a gun which takes strips of clips. Cost abot $80 from memory. The clips would be cheaper than ties. I have actually thought about making large netting type clips from stainless wire of which I can get almost unlimited amounts from work. About 2.5mm diam and big enough to go around the stainless cable and electrical cable.

Information to ponder anyway, for Mike.

Dean

[Grandad-5]

If I was building cat a yard like you do I would use netting clips myself. I have a gun which takes strips of clips. Cost abot $80 from memory. The clips would be cheaper than ties.

Hey Dean. Sorry mate if I sounded argumentitive.Not my intention. That's the trouble with the written word. No body language to see intent with. I've had good results over several years using good quality largish zip ties is all. And some bad experiences with poor ones too I might add.

I actually do use C clips for the bulk of my work. 19mm ones But they have to be wrapped fairly tightly around to work. Just using them as they're designed to be used in a sort of cross over pattern isn't enough I've found. They can pull out under load.
And they're only suitable under certain circumstances. Zip ties fill in those few places where they can't be used.
Went and bought myself one of those guns you mention some time ago. They have a nice big clip but the only ones I could find had sharp points on them. Didn't want that where animals can rub up against them. And they were slower to do the wrapping part and the wrapping part had to be spot on to deal with that sharp point. Too slow, no advantage. I thought it was worth trying. Turned out not so good.
Ah well C'est la Vie

Cheers
Jim

[Oldneweng]

I didn't take it that way. Was trying to point out the same myself. Good quality may be ok. I don't get a lot of choice generally due to location. I understand what you mean about the points although in my situation these are only an advantage LOL. Cows seem to have the nack of wrecking anything. Only things that will stop them is massive fences, electric zaps and sharp points and sometimes these wont work either. I get a real laugh reading about gripples which if you don't know are used to join wires quickly. Problem is our bull can unjoin them even faster and he is a so called minature breed. Not a good name that. He can push a tight fence 3ft without seeming to try. The grass is greener etc. You are lucky you are only dealing with cats.

Dean

[mike80]

hey guys. Thanks again for all your useful suggestions, and thanks aaron for offering to help out. Those are some nice looking cat enclosures Jim! I like how you made tunnels for them. We're planning on making a cat run next, to connect the cat enclosure to a window - i'll use that kind of mesh for that.

I ended up building my cat enclosure over the weekend - I'm almost done, i've just got to put the roof on now. I'll post some pics tonight or tomorrow once i'm done :)

I ended up using 25 x 25 x 2 galv tubing to make a frame which is bolted to a wooden fence on one side and the posts are cemented into the ground at the front. I used a black mesh which is fixed to the frame using black cable ties. The mesh came from a previous cat enclosure that we bought on the internet once - the instructions were to cable tie it, and it seemed to do the job for about a year, until we moved house a couple of weeks ago (which is why i'm building this one).

Thanks again guys for helping a noob out :)

[mike80]

hey guys, here's a pic of the Cat Master 2000. It can all be yours for only 2 easy payments of $49.95 :) now to make a tunnel so the cats can go in/out of the house

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/vika3vika3.jpg at Free Image Hosting (http://www.freeimagehosting.net/vika3)

cheers,
mike

[Grandad-5]

Good job
I was at somebody elses house just the other day looking at their home-made cat run.
The builder had come up with a very simple way of making an arial tunnel.

It was a second hand piece of timber about 250mm wide and he then tacked some old chicken with a curve over it. Very simple. Very inexpensive and it worked.

[Graziano]

Looks pretty good, are you going to have a shady spot for summer?, that little house may get cooking hot in the summer sun, so maybe a sheet of iron arranged to cast a shadow over the little house and the cats get to climb up on it for sunlight if they feel like it.

You know when I first saw your original posting title, I'd just watched an episode of the Japanese anime cartoon:"Cat Planet Cuties" and the combination of the two caused a brief mental short circuit :D.

[slhouetteV8]

Good on you for doing the right thing. It should be law for anyone who keeps cats to keep them restrained in an enclosure.

A plank of wood with a light gauge wire forming a curve sounds like a pretty good idea.

[slhouetteV8]

How did your welds go? Didn't blow too many holes??

[mike80]

Thanks guys :) Yep, i'll make them some nice shade and climbing structures to put in there as well, and a tunnel to the window using chicken wire.

These 2 are my girlfriends cats - they're too woosey to roam the streets by themselves, i think this is the first time they've set foot on grass lol

The welding went pretty well, I only blew one or two holes but managed to fill them in. I'm now gearing up for my next project - a cordless drill powered sliding gate opener (i'm too cheap to spend $500+ for a proper one)

[slhouetteV8]

Lol, yeah them girlfriends and their bloody cats!

I guess you've heard the saying . . . A dog looks at it's owner and thinks you feed me and look after me you must be a god . . . A cat looks at it's owner and thinks you feed me and look after me I must be a god!

[mike80]

lol yep i've heard that one before. I'm more of a dog person myself, but i've got a pet rat, so we're always juggling cat time vs rat time in the house. I do like cats though, despite their 'holier than thou' attitudes :) they're cheeky little buggers