Cat enclosures let felines roam, with boundaries
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For one Beverly Hills family, a network of wire fencing and redwood planks leads their cats out of their hillside home through five cats doors and into protected version of the outdoors, The Times’ Bettijane Levine writes:
Anyone handy with a saw and a staple gun can build a simple version of this outdoor fun park for felines, devised by Susan and Dan Gottlieb of Beverly Hills. The open-air cat run wanders up, down and around the house. Viewing platforms wind up to the roof for bird-watching and sunbathing. Playpens at ground level allow games and snoozes. Ever since the Gottliebs moved here in 1985, they wanted each cat to enjoy the outdoors as much as they do. But that would have been too dangerous for the animals, which could have wandered off or been attacked by predators.
But the Gottlieb family is just one example of a recent phenomenon of cat owners seeking to give their pets fresh air without the liabilities. Newsday’s Denise Flaim recently columnized on the phenomenon, writing ‘...creative owners have come up with ways to contain their cats while giving them a chance to exercise their God-given right to stalk bugs and sun-worship for hours.’
The Humane Society maintains a list of companies that make ‘ready-made cat confinement systems that enable your feline to experience the great outdoors yet remain safe.’
-- Tony Barboza