Kitty Condo

All our cats (except the "Garage Cat" of course) live on the back screened porch because (1) my eyes are allergic to them - if I pet one and then touch my eye it swells shut, so if they lived inside, I wouldn't be able to touch ANYTHING and then touch my eye, and (2) at least one and possibly two of them refuse to use a litter box.  They have two enormous ones out there on the porch that they do like better than the regular litter boxes they used to have, but "someone" -- probably Harley, who is 18 years old -- refuses to use even those.  

Anyway, now that it's getting cold, and since they can't come inside, I needed to do something to make it easier for them to stay warm.  Previously, I had put a heated mattress pad on the bed out there, and set one of those oil radiator heaters out there nearby.  But I think this year will be better.  Mark had a really good idea.  At the end of last year, it occurred to me to put that radiator inside a dog crate and cover the crate with a blanket and that did help when it was really really cold.  But most of the time it was way TOO hot in there.  So this year Mark suggested we put the radiator back in that dog crate and then put a SECOND crate on top of the one with the radiator.  So the upper crate gets nice and warm from the heat below, but not TOO warm.  When the temperature isn't too cold -- 50's and up -- I don't cover that top crate.  But when it gets really cold I'll use a king size blanket that covers up both the crates.

I put that chair next to the crates so they can easily get up to the top one and even relax in the chair if they like.  (Abigail loves to curl up inside the left arm of the thing.  She's so strange.) 

Anyway, so far they seem to love the new arrangement!

And I love being able to see them from the living room so I can be sure they're okay.  Note that Harley, the 18-year-old, likes to sit RIGHT next to the heater, even when it's about 55 degrees outside.  (Old is old, I guess.)  And the other two, Abigail and Li'l Guy, seem to LOVE the "upstairs" room.  Great idea, Mark!