How to keep the cat out of enclosure!

[DonaTello's-Mom]

I just built a new indoor bookcase enclosure for DonnaTello. Does anyone have any ideas on how I can make a cover to keep kitty out? Something that will allow lights and heat lamps to penetrate the enclosure. I'm really stuck on this. Something thats removable so I can put it on when we're not home. The darn cat (my rescue from our barn) is drooling at the thought of it being her new HUGE litterbox! Yuck!!

 

[t_mclellan]

A 1"x2" wood frame covered with wire mesh.
You can make the frame in sections to be more convenient.

 

[DAC8671]

Ditto what T said. You can put it on hinges too, to make it easier to open and to make sure the cat doesn't knock it off the top. Also you can put a slide lock on so kitty doesn't learn how to open it.

 

[Tom]

Personally, I like to use 2x4s and hardware cloth. Very sturdy and heavy duty. Its more of the "industrial" approach and it might not look as nice in your living room, but the heavier materials will definitely keep you kitty out and resist warping a bit more too. You can also rest your hot lights right on top of it.

 

[terracolson]

Dont forget the squirt bottle! So you can train kitty as well...

Squirt kitty every time he/she gets close

 

[derekdehaas]

yep I hear ya. I am having same problem with my wife's cats 2 of them but one loves to get in and eat the hay that were placed in tort's hide house. I also had cat went bathroom in it 2 or 3 times. They are great good cat but something about the tort table lol. They are doing better now and I now mostly keep the bedroom door close (my daughter's room). But yeah use a squirt water bottle. I gotta do this now myself lol.

 

[terracolson]

I think that the cats just feel we made a litter box for them, its a natural outside environment easy to scratch in.

If you have a litter box in the house, you could try making a little one for them with the tort bedding...they might not use the tort table if they have there own thats easier to access.

Just a thought

 

[DonaTello's-Mom]

Wow these are great ideas, thanks everyone. It's time for a trip to the store. I really like the hinge idea and I'll be needing locks. Darn kitty, think I'll get me a squirt gun. She's an indoor kitten and has her own litter box. Everytime she hears DonaTello moves around in his table her eyes get HUGE, worries me. I will look for the hardware cloth you mentioned Roachman26, the sturdier it is the better I'll feel he's safe!
It's tough trying to be a good tortie mom, but so worth it!

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I have 2 cats and both of them love my tortoises and love to lay under the basking light. I believe I recently posted a picture of Lil Roxie basking with her tortoise basking next to her. The point of this is that neither of my tortoises use the substrate for a littler box, so I'm just asking if you're sure yours will poop in it, or do they just want to lay under the basking light?

 

[DonaTello's-Mom]

Hi Maggie,
My kitten (only have 1) is about 7months old. We caught her in the torts small enclosure swipping at him with her paws. He would run for cover. So now I'm thinking she's gonna do the same thing in the bigger one. If he was bigger than 4 inches I might just watch and see what happens. What do you think I should do?

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I would train the cat that these are not toys. Put cat and tort together and tell the cat loudly "no" when she swipes at the tort.
Max is really tied to me, spending most of her time with me so the other day I realized she wasn't pestering me so I went looking for her...

Then she reaches out a paw and touches the turtle

and the turtle bites the paw...

I hope this helps you...

 

[ChiKat]

haha cats are too funny...the most my dogs have done is peek into Nelson's enclosure

Mia likes to observe from afar

 

[fel1958]

use the honeycone drop ceiling panels.they come in white or chrome.they look nice and are easy to cut.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

use the honeycone drop ceiling panels.they come in white or chrome.they look nice and are easy to cut.

I thought about them too, but I'm not so sure they don't block any UVB rays like mesh does...anyone?

 

[Stephanie Logan]

Hahahaha! That photo series of Max getting nipped is just too comical for words. Thanks for sharing that episode with us. Was that a box turtle?

Also love that "waggish" dog of Katie's, keeping a respectful distance from his chelonian brother.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Hahahaha! That photo series of Max getting nipped is just too comical for words. Thanks for sharing that episode with us. Was that a box turtle?

Also love that "waggish" dog of Katie's, keeping a respectful distance from his chelonian brother.

Yes, 3 toed box turtle T. c triunguis

 

[DonaTello's-Mom]

Love the pictures! I have 2 chi's and their too short to look in the the table. Ha!

 

[ChiKat]

Love the pictures! I have 2 chi's and their too short to look in the the table. Ha!

haha yeah Mia's body is sooo long!! She's my little penchil chi

 

[TortoiseMD]

You can use a device called "cat stop" it's an ultrasonic emitting device that has a motion detector and runs on a 9 V battery for 3 months straight, so once the cat is near the enclsure the device will emit sound that only cats can hear and will scare them away, I use this device near outdoor enclousers to keep the neighbor cat away, and it works