How to make an aviary for a cat with your own hands

It’s a beautiful day outside, and while the owner is enjoying the beautiful weather, a cat kennel will provide the opportunity for a pet to walk outdoors in a safe, controlled environment. It can be DIY to suit your cat’s specific needs.

Aviary for a cat: why is it needed

Many pets love the outdoors, but free-roaming outdoors comes with certain dangers. As Pet Health Network explains, the benefits of keeping a pet exclusively at home include a longer lifespan, as well as a reduced chance of contracting viral infections, including feline leukemia, and getting injured from traffic accidents, ingestion of poisons and fights with other animals.

An outdoor enclosure for a cat will protect not only her, but also wild animals, such as mice and birds, which cats hunt. Outdoor enclosures are a great alternative to enrich your indoor cat’s environment and provide the stimulation it needs.

Aviary for a cat: how to choose

If you are going to purchase or make an aviary, you need to think carefully about everything so that it is as safe as possible for the cat. Clairmont Animal Hospital points out important points to consider when building or buying a pre-built aviary:

• Safety and strength of materials.
• Reliable fastening of components.
• Protected from bad weather such as rain and wind.
• Access to a bowl of fresh water.
• Place for a small tray if the cat will be there for a long time.
• Nice bonuses, such as toys for cats with which you can frolic.
• It is important not to forget to put a collar and an address tag on the cat in case she manages to get out of the enclosure. This will allow you to quickly return the fugitive home.

If you make an aviary for a cat with your own hands, you need to pay special attention to the mesh that will be used. It should be dense enough so that the pet cannot get out of the aviary by tearing the mesh with claws or teeth. It is also important that no uninvited guests in the form of wild animals and insects could get inside. 

Some owners fence the entire yard with a net so that the cat can safely walk in it, notes Best Friends. 

How to make an aviary with your own hands

If the yard has a small lawn, no power tools, or just needs a temporary outdoor fence, a homemade cat aviary is a great option. 

This requires a stable table. It is necessary to wrap a mesh around its legs, fasten it with Velcro, and fill the lower part under the legs and fix it with wooden planks, which will provide the aviary with weight and structure, being on a flat surface. On the one hand, you need to make an entrance in the form of a flap, which will provide the cat with easy access, regardless of its size.

How to make an aviary from improvised materials

To make a simple aviary you will need:

• folding dining or card table;
• heavy-duty nylon mesh that will withstand the teeth and claws of a pet;
• hot glue gun and glue sticks;
• heavy-duty self-adhesive Velcro tape;
• three wooden boards with a length equal to the distance between the legs of the table, and a thickness of about 2 x 5 cm.

Do-it-yourself cat enclosure: technology

It is necessary to fix one part of the Velcro tape along the bottom edge of the tabletop, and glue the second part with hot glue along one of the edges of the heavy-duty mesh. It is important to use hot glue, because self-adhesive Velcro is not attached securely to the mesh.

Then you need to wrap the mesh around the legs of the table, securing it with Velcro attached to the table top. In the place where the ends of the mesh meet, you should make a door for the cat: flaps are best placed on one side of the table. 

Next, stick self-adhesive Velcro around the edges of the mesh to create flaps for the door. If the ends do not converge, you need to sew or glue two or three more patches of mesh with hot glue to increase its length.

Once the mesh is securely attached to the table top, tuck the bottom edge under the table legs, tucking the mesh in so that it lies flat. Then – saw off the wooden planks so that they fit between the legs of the table. With the help of hot glue, these boards need to be attached to the grid in the place of its contact with the ground from all sides, except for the one where the folding door is located.

The aviary is ready! At first, the cat may be suspicious of the new object, so be patient and give the cat time to explore it. A do-it-yourself cat enclosure, no matter how complex its design, is a great fixture that will allow the pet to keep the owner company on picnics on the patio. Have a nice holiday!

See also: 

• How to choose a safe cat house
• The nature of the cat: how to choose a cat for yourself
• Cat food: what should be in the composition?
• Harness for a cat: how to choose and how to put on a cat