2 years ago we adopted Nova & Naveen from a good friend who was fostering them in the Safford area. Nova's previous owner didn't get her spayed and she had multiple litters. We believe Naveen is one of her sons from her last litter. My friend fostered Nova until she weaned her last litter and then I paid to have her and Naveen fixed.
We weren't really prepared for cats since one of our dogs can't be trusted with cats. Nova and Naveen had already lived as 'garage cats' and when they were fostered with my friend, had their very own heated room off of a work area. We never really use our garage for parking, just storage. So the past 2 years I worked on converting the garage into a work room for me. The walls were already fully insulated and finished, so I started working on insulating the garage door, then the garage attic. With a little space heater on a timer, it stays about 55*-60* in there, pretty comfy for a cat. I quickly built them a catio where they could safetly enjoy the outdoors. I didn't want to put a hole in the garage wall for a cat door, so I put a cat door in a 1" piece of foam board insulation, which fits snuggly in the window.
I built a matrix of shelves for them to climb up and down. I drilled them directly into the studs for extremely secure climbing. I also added a ceiling shelf from HyLoft to hold a large storage bin. This gray bin has a smaller bin inside it, stuffed with blankets where they love to take cozy naps together :)
On some of the shelves are patio chair cushions for comfy napping. I also keep their food and water elevated off of the floor. This helps with any ants that sneak in during the summer. I also firmly believe in allowing a cat to 'work' for their food, so a little jump on/off the table forces a little effort in order to eat. (I have strong opinions on allowing cats to demonstrate natural behaviors, which can help fight obesity in indoor cats.)
Nova & Naveen have all their nails, like nature intended and I added a wall mounted scratching post. I took a shelf, drilled it into the wall studs, then purchased a cheap floor rug, cut to size and stapled into the board. Staples are put in vertical to keep them from snagging a nail while they scratch.
Their litter bin is inside the blue tote on the ground. I love putting litter bins in totes because it helps to keep smells contained, gives them privacy, and helps to keep litter bits contained when they scratch around.
On the other side of the garage is another area where they can climb up. I put up these shelves this summer and Nova & Naveen love to snuggle in the carrier, or lay on the cushion and look out the man-door.
The garage really is my work area... I have 2 freezers out there for our dog food, my mealworm bins where I breed my buggies for chicken food, and right now my seedlings are growing in there waiting for warmer weather to be transplanted in the garden.
Going through the cat door, they can go outside in the safety of their catio. The catio is 4' wide, 8 ' long, and 7.5' high. It sits under an oak tree which gives ample shade in the summer time. It faces the garden where the chickens and ducks free range, allowing for ample enrichment.
Building 'kitty cities' isn't necessarily expensive, but it does take a bit of work. Most importantly, it's a great feeling to know you're offering your cats their own special place!
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