Cattery Condos Central California Style For about 5 years my wife Michele has been breeding Siamese cats. She had the standard setup 4x3x3 pens and a converted dog kennel with dividers. It was okay, but required lots of time to keep it clean. It had heating pads for the winter and fans for the summer. Then the time came to invest some time and money to "kick it up a notch." I had seen other breeders' facilities. Most seemed clean and adequate to the cats needs. I knew that ours was going to require replaceable carpets and sanitizable materials where needed. I wanted to build it with used and new materials. Also, I wanted it to: Provide comfort for the cat. Have climate control. Be easy to clean. Be quarantined from other critters. Look good. I had 4 things in my favor to make this a success: A barn to build it in. Used materials; like paint, windows, a door and some wood. Most of the tools to do the job. A talent to design and engineer my ideas. The first problem that needed solving was to allow the cats to get fresh air and sun when they want without being allowed them to touch other critters. The solution was to build patio decks high and hard to get to from the outside. A second problem is the varied climate that we experience where we live. This was solved with a well-insulated room and storm windows. Also, I built in a heater and air conditioning. A third problem is that some cats spray. My solution was easily cleaned 16" high fiberglass/plastic panels all around and a good vinyl floor with high quality silicone on all the seams and corners. The fourth problem was to allow the cats see each other without touching noses (this could be bad if one was sick). The answer was 12"x12" Plexiglas windows between each condo wall. A fifth problem was determining what to use for the front of each condo. It had to be clean and cage-like. I thought I was going to have to order custom cage doors, which would have costed alot of money. However, I did stumble across a cheaper solution: "Closet Made" vinyl covered closet shelving - steel grade. This really was a perfect solution because it comes in different sizes. The doors, 20" wide, side panels 16" wide = 36" on center. I was on a roll now. With the used light fixtures, remnant carpet, and sample carpet pieces the only thing that cost real money was the framing wood, plywood, cat doors for the patios, closet shelving, vinyl floor, electrical wiring, fiberglass panels, new cat beds and automatic waterers. That all cost about $3,000 and took approximately 100 hours of work over a two month period. Extra features include an in house vacuum, evacuation fan (for after mopping), side window that opens for circulation of fresh air, graded window cover (no escapees), power receptacles in every condo for future automatic litter boxes, chair in the common area for clients to sit and play with kittens, separate condo and common area lighting, and a video security system. Now the cats are happier, my wife is spending less time cleaning and more time playing with the cats, and I am very proud when clients come to purchase a kitten. Clients' first words when the see the condo are usually, "Wow!" (and they wish they had brought a camera). We are licensed by the county. They like to do snap inspections. Inspectors say this is, without a doubt, the most impressive setup they have ever seen. Each condo is 8' deep, 7' tall, and 36" wide with lots of shelves in each one for cats to climb around on. The total room size is 12 x 20. There is texture coating on the walls and acoustic coating on the ceiling. And there is no cat smell! In fact, it's the nicest room on the property! Yes, the cats live better than we do. Well, that's it. Hopefully this gives you an idea of how dedicated we are to the care of our cats. - John Rickwald (back)

Sandpipurr Siamese,