Quick temporary enclosure of Porch for older cat
#1
07-30-12, 03:54 PM
Quick temporary enclosure of Porch for older cat
Hi everyone and hope you're having a great day!
I have an older cat who isn't feeling well and I'd like her to be able to be outside a little bit during this last period of her life. We live in the woods and have a porch already, complete with roof. I'd like to screen in the porch in a way that is quick, temporary and safe so she can hang out on the porch but not escape - and the racoons and squirrels can't get in.
The porch goes along the whole front of the house and in the middle is the front door and steps leading to it. We want to close off one half so there is an open area that we also need to close off - and possibly make it possible to walk in.
I've attached a couple photos so you can see what we're dealing with.
Doesn't necessarily have to be screening that will keep bugs out because we have low windows with screens that lead out to the porch and a cat door that attaches into the screening. We read about bird netting. Not sure how safe that is.
Any thoughts would be really appreciated!
I have an older cat who isn't feeling well and I'd like her to be able to be outside a little bit during this last period of her life. We live in the woods and have a porch already, complete with roof. I'd like to screen in the porch in a way that is quick, temporary and safe so she can hang out on the porch but not escape - and the racoons and squirrels can't get in.
The porch goes along the whole front of the house and in the middle is the front door and steps leading to it. We want to close off one half so there is an open area that we also need to close off - and possibly make it possible to walk in.
I've attached a couple photos so you can see what we're dealing with.
Doesn't necessarily have to be screening that will keep bugs out because we have low windows with screens that lead out to the porch and a cat door that attaches into the screening. We read about bird netting. Not sure how safe that is.
Any thoughts would be really appreciated!
#5
08-03-12, 07:06 PM
Group Moderator
I've seen people enclose their porches with fishnet or similar, so that they can let their animals "outside" while they're gone. Not real practical for people going in and out though...
#6
08-04-12, 05:57 AM
If you push up on the plastic fascia, you will feel the rafter tails. Between them is nothing, but if you drill a small hole in the plastic, then screw in your hook, you will be fine. Generally these tails are about 24" on center, so you can have a feeder every two feet if you want. In addition you can install post scroll hangers for additional feeders. This is from being married to a living bird feeding machine. If there is a space, there's a feeder, so it will hold the weight.
Back to my question. Can you take a picture toward the opposite end of the porch from the bow window? It helps to have a panoramic idea of what you see.
Back to my question. Can you take a picture toward the opposite end of the porch from the bow window? It helps to have a panoramic idea of what you see.
#7
08-09-12, 10:25 PM
Here is a picture standing from the bow window. It is a wide angle lense so can be deceiving. I drew (in black) where I want to close it off. It looks like the wood pile is in the way, but it isn't.
Last edited by janebench; 08-09-12 at 10:26 PM. Reason: try to get the picture upload to work
#9
08-10-12, 04:23 AM
Stapling it to the posts and covering the staples with a thin strip of stop molding nailed with #4 finish nails will help hold it on that side. That is if they are wood. If they are metal clad, you need to make a decision if you want holes in the metal or not. You could use tension rods as mentioned next. I would probably frame up the opening, but not nail anything to the vinyl. Use tension rods that can be found on a site like fastcap.com to hold things in place without damaging the vinyl.
