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Vintage Life: Building a Cat Porch

1920s Bungalow Renovation 1920s bungalow interior design cats & dogs
Vintage Life: Building a Cat Porch

BowlOGreensWe didn't intend to have eight fuzzy babies, it just worked out that way. We know we have a cat overpopulation situation, so as we worked on the renovation of our 1920s vintage bungalow, we made sure we created a special space for the cats too. This is how we ended up building a "cat paradise" screened porch for everyone to enjoy.

Here are four of the cats. I keep them supplied with a pot of cat grass so they can happily graze all day!

Before we built the cat porch

This shows our porch after we hung new exterior siding, but before we screened it in.
We thought it would really make the porch look nice to tile it...

Tiling the cat porch

...and of course we needed a great vintage screened door, which we found at the Antique Tobacco Barn in Asheville, NC, where we also have a booth.

vintage door for cat porch

Then we added a very interesting oyster chandelier. We have oyster chandeliers for sale in case you like it as much as we do and are interested in buying one!

OysterChandelier in cat porch

There are two cat doors on either side of our front door leading out to the screened front porch so that everyone can come and go as they please - which they do all day and night. We constantly hear "flap, flap, flap" from the cats going in and out.

cats on the cat porchWe built steps up to corner platforms on each side of the porch and then more steps up to walkways along the top of the porch and over the screened door, so that there are plenty of spots for all six cats to enjoy the porch at the same time. We also built a fireman's pole out of sisal rope so that they could climb up and down it like a tree and use it for a scratch post.

Sunset on the cat patioMinkey and Fozzy take their perches to enjoy the view at sunset.
Fozzy cat on the cat porchFozzy knows we can't reach him up there.

Evening on the Cat PorchLenny, Fozzy and Minkey checking out the neighborhood after the sun has set. Everyone really enjoys "cat paradise" on the patio - even Greg and I like to kick back on the porch with a couple beers after a long day.

Have you "spoiled" your fuzzy babies with something built especially for them them? Tell us about it in the comments or show us with a photo on our Facebook page.

1920s bungalow interior design cats & dogs
Aimee @ EuroLux Home

Aimee owns EuroLuxHome.com with her husband and best friend, Greg. With over 20 years' experience in acquiring and selling French Antique Furniture, she is very knowledgeable about furniture styles and how they are influenced by historical events. Aimee has shipped antique furniture and antique furniture reproductions to all 50 States and over 50 foreign countries. Subscribe to this blog for articles about antique furniture construction methods, style trends and even repair tips. Check out our YouTube channel!

10 Comments

  1. Diana Rogers
    Diana Rogers
    Can you please tell me the dimensions of the cat perch. We had a pack of 5 wild dogs that got on our porch and our cat had to jump thru the screen about 18 feet up from ground to escape. It was a miracle that he escaped 5 dogs at all. The video was horrific! We are desperate to get something like you have put up. Animal Control suggested something like you have for your cats, so I Googled and found you. Thank you for any advice you can give.
    1. Diana Rogers
      Diana Rogers
      We are also in Charleston, SC.
      1. admin
        admin
        If you are ever through Newberry, I don't mind showing the cat porch to you in person.

        Best wishes,
        Aimee at EuroLuxHome.com
        803-276-4001
    2. admin
      admin
      Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry to hear about your furbaby's traumatic incident! We have perches at several levels all around the porch so that our 6 cats could come and go without territorial issues. I will measure for you this weekend, but we didn't build them with any particular knowledge - just what looked nice and seemed to be at a height where they could jump from one to another.

      I'll be in touch next week.
      Best wishes,
      Aimee at EuroLuxHome.com
  2. admin
    admin
    Hi Diana,
    Sorry it took so long to measure my cat perches, but I finally did it this morning. The "steps" measure 12" x 12" x 1" and were just scraps we had from our renovation. I just added them at about a foot intervals so they could jump from one to the next. The corners just followed the shape of the actual corners in the porch, and measure 46.5" across and approximately 17" D. That is where I feed the cats so that the dogs can't reach the bowls. We added a shelf over the porch door, which is probably the most popular spot because they can look out while stretched out. It follows the width of the door at 41" wide and is 17" D. We also added the higher shelves on each side with are about 3.5 feet long and 17" D. I didn't follow any particular guideline or "right way" to do it - just what fit and looked nice and symmetrical. We also created the fireman's pole based off photos on Pinterest. My cats have never climbed all the way up or down it, but they do use it as a scratching post. I hope this helps!
    Aimee at EuroLuxHome.com
  3. Ritchil Shafer
    Do your cats ever damage the screen by scratching them? We're planning on screening in our back porch but worried about the cats wrecking it.
    1. admin
      admin
      Hi Ritchil,
      Sorry for the delay in responding! Lowe's carries heavy duty screen meant for use with pets, which is what we used. We haven't had any trouble with the cats destroying the screen, but there is a sisal rope scratching post available that they like to use. Be sure to give them an alternative to the screen!

      Best wishes,
      Aimee at EuroLuxHome