The problem: My cat (Nitro) keeps getting beaten up by other cats. $1200 in vet bills so far, so my cat can't go outside.

The solution: Build a cat run. I hope the land lady won't mind!

Before getting started, I fired up google sketch up. I had the following goals in mind:

Here is the design I came up with:

Before going further, please note that work as a Software Developer. I have no idea how to actually build anything, so I had to learn as I went along. My first stop was Bunnings, where I grabbed a circular saw ($99) and my second stop was Aldi - where I bought a laser guided jigsaw ($30).

Here is a partially finished side panel:

The wire is "Flower Mesh". I found it at Bunnings for about $3/meter (it comes in 10m rolls). I used about 30 meters all up.

The front door (with frame):

Installing some shelves for Nitro to jump around on:

Completed cat run:

Before you ask, that is Nitro's favourite chair.

Next problem: The cat run is 30 meters away from the house. How will the cat get there?

The solution: Bridge and tunnels! Ok, this project may have gotten a *little* out of hand:

Cat's eye view:

More tunnels:

View from the back of the yard:

All done, time to sleep!

All up the materials cost about $700. The ramps/bridges are made of fence pailings which cost about $1.40 each. The roof is made from laserlite acrylic sheeting. The cat goes outside a fair bit now, but usually only goes as far as the bridge, so he can bask in the sun.