Today's LA Times Home & Garden section includes an interesting piece about a couple that built an open air "cat run" that is essentially an "...outdoor fun park for felines.." in their Beverly Hills home. It includes "viewing platforms that wind up to the roof for bird watching and sunbathing, and playpens at ground level to allow games and snoozes..." More links and pics to other features in this weeks LA Times Home & Garden section after the jump...
Cat Run Around Owner's House Keeps Felines Safe, Frees Them To Roam
"From Blah bath to ah, Spa"- accessories to transform your bath without major renovation
Darryl Carter offers fresh takes on Thomasville Classics
Dwell on Design LA exhibit focuses on eco-friendly homes
Reminder that Modernica's Warehouse Sale is this Saturday!
[ images by Genaro Molina, William Finlay, for LA Times ]
Jonya & Brad's Modern A–Frame 
Quick Cleaning Tip: Keep Baseboards Cleaner With Fabric Softner
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Profile Chair by Ma...
15 Essential Building Blocks for Quick Weeknight Meals
Summer Recipe: No-Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake
Comments (14)
A semi-outdoor cat run? So you get all the fun of cats with fleas, but none of the luxury of cats going to the bathroom outside.... brilliant!
Frontline, for cats!!!
I wish my cat would hang out outdoors. She's terrified of everything.
Ah, but they aren't coyote bait!
kvh,
You made me laugh hysterically.
I have an an outdoor cat run! It came with our new apartment and was one of the big reasons why we took the place. Ours isn't in the grass tho, its the roof of a lower structure of the building, fenced in so that the kitties cannot escape.
Runs are great because if you live in a city with an bylaw against outdoor cats they can actually go outside, it can prevent fights (and the diseases that come with them) with stray cats, it keeps birds from being killed, and get rid of a lot of boredom for the cats
wish I had a photo of mine right now to show you, but here is the door and ramp we made for it:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3250/2411596473_2630409195.jpg?v=0
The advanced version would have a little cat garden with greens to chew on and enough loose soil for an outhouse :)
Does anyone here have a Kittywalk? How is it?
http://www.kittywalksystems.com/lawn.asp
The cat run is brilliant! They can still enjoy fresh air and sleeping in the sun without the potential for getting hit by a car, disease transmission or injury from other animals, and prevents them from decimating the birds - great idea.
The idea is brilliant! But I wonder if the neighbor cats would taunt my kitty...
as long as owners don't worry about healthy at home cats from contracting feline leukemia from a strange but friendly outdoor cat climbing on top of that thing.
i still love it
the pic of the two cats nose to nose is absolutely adorable
hollie: what a neat apartment you must live in!!
de be some big cats...
I wouldn't bother with a cat run for my indoor cats, but I also have three cats that do go outdoors. I think a large scale cat run would be perfect for them. They could enjoy the outdoors without being in danger from cars and coyotes.
Feline leukemia is transmitted by blood and saliva. ie; fights and sex.
I have a cat yard for my cats. 6 foot wire fence on 8 foot metal t posts. The fence is not taunt and is flush with the dirt. Once grass grows it is anchored well. The "loose" fence is too unstable for the cats to climb.
They enter and exit through a window.
My neighbors have a cat that is FIV positive. With my cats fenced in, I am not worried about it. ( their cat was a stray that showed up FIV positive 5 years later she is doing well)