Basic Cattery Planning - Cages

Cages should be a minimum of 30 cubic feet, and, if possible, high enough to allow shelves and jumping room for each cat. Show cages can be stacked two high with a hole cut to allow the cat to jump from one cage to the other.

If you build your cages, design them to be as easy as possible to clean. Not only does this save time and energy, but also cuts down odor problems and aids disease control. Elevating the cages off the floor makes them easier to clean. A height of eighteen inches provides storage space for such things as cases of cat food. Thirty inches provides carrier storage.

Male cats present special problems. Since they will probably be confined most of the time, their cages should be larger than the females. Male cages may be enclosed on three sides to keep spray confined mainly to the inside of the cage. Unless you wish to build a separate breeding cage, a connecting cage can be used to house females to be bred. Walk in cages are excellent if you have space.

Ideally, each cat should have access to an individual outside run. Very few breeders, however, will be able to achieve this ideal. You may wish to have a "community" outside run, that opens to a large inside cage. An elevated floor on the run will cut down on flea infestation. The run must be very sturdy to prevent wandering animals and children from breaking in. There should be an outside entrance to the run & this should be kept padlocked.

Arrange your cages with as much space as possible between them. Eight feet seems to be the ideal distance to prevent airborne spread of disease.

Special rolling cages for nursing queens and kittens are a good investment. These should be waist high with a door at the top. This way the mother can jump out but the kittens cannot.

Text: Lou Kritz
CFA Yearbook 1999