Build your own cat enclosure
A cat enclosure is one of the best things you can offer an indoor cat. It gives them fresh air, natural stimulation, and the opportunity to move around outdoors – without the risks of an unsecured garden. With BOY telescopic poles and a suitable cat net, the enclosure can be quickly assembled and disassembled and adapted to almost any shape and size.
Choosing the right cat net
Not every cat net is suitable for a free-standing enclosure. Please do not use transparent nets – they are too stiff and difficult to thread onto the poles. All BOY cat nets made of nylon thread are well suited: Extra-Strong, Standard, and the variant with stainless steel thread. The net should have a braided line at the top and a lead line at the bottom. The mesh size depends on the size of your cat – for small cats, please choose narrower meshes.
Step-by-step assembly
1. Plan the shape and drive in the lawn anchors
Determine the shape of the enclosure and mark the pole distances. Drive the lawn anchors into the ground at regular intervals along the planned perimeter. Important: Always hit the tube - never the plate, otherwise it can break off the tube.
For soft ground, the extra-long BOY lawn anchors (approx. 50 cm) are recommended, which are used together with telescopic pole extensions. The normal 30 cm anchors are not stable enough for soft ground.
2. Insert lower pole sections
First, insert only the lower part of each telescopic pole into the lawn anchor and remove all set screws – the poles must be able to slide freely for the next step.
3. Thread the net onto the poles
Thread the cat net onto the lower pole sections before raising the poles to full height. Thread it within a vertical mesh row, not across it. Leave about 40 cm of net on the inside of the enclosure on the ground before threading the first meshes – this part will later form the ground layer, which prevents escape from under the net.
It is sufficient to thread the pole through approx. 5 meshes every 30 cm. For BOY telescopic poles with a diameter of 19 mm, the mesh size should be between 30 and 50 mm for easy threading.
4. Thread the braided line through the top row of meshes
If the net has not already been pre-fabricated by BOY, thread a braided line through the entire top row of meshes before erecting the poles. This prevents the net from falling inwards later.
5. Raise poles to full height
Slide the upper part of each telescopic pole back into the lower part. Hold the upper pole firmly – it is shorter than the lower tube and will disappear into it if you let go. Pull the pole together with the net to the desired height, and only then tighten the set screw. Secure the net and braided line with a net tie through the designated hole in the pole head.
6. Secure the bottom edge
The lead line holds the net to the ground and makes it significantly harder for a cat to lift it and escape underneath. Secure the bottom edge of the net with fastening pegs – the closer the spacing, the more secure the enclosure. For particularly active cats who like to jump into or climb the net, we also recommend stabilizing the telescopic poles with a braided line and additional pegs.
7. Build the entrance correctly
The entrance to the enclosure must overlap as shown in the diagrams below. A simple opening without overlap creates a gap that an ingenious cat will quickly discover.
An important note that should not be forgotten
No matter how well the enclosure is built - always ensure that there is sufficient shade and that fresh drinking water is available at all times. On warm days, an enclosure in direct sunlight can become dangerously hot within minutes.