Animal Ark Cat Condo Detailsby Mike Fry

IntroductionAnimal Ark’s cat condos were built to replace two older styles of cat housing: Stainless steel cages and large, open colony rooms. After several years of experi-ence with both types of housing, Animal Ark wanted something different. We wanted housing that provided the home-like feel of the colony rooms. However, for health and behavior reasons, we wanted to limit the number of animals in any one room.

Smaller, “condominium”-type rooms were the solution we chose. We have found the condominiums to be of great advantage to people and cats. They are easier to clean and maintain than stainless cages. Cats are comfortable and maintain lower stress levels than either of the other housing options.

OverviewAnimal Ark’s cat condos were built in three phases. The first phase built three spacious condos in a multi-purpose area of the shelter. The second and third

phases each divided old, very large colony rooms into a number of individual condominiums. The 19 cat condos represent the entire cat adoption center at the Animal Ark shelter in Hastings, Minnesota. They typically house between 65 and 95 cats, depending on their ages. Steel cages are still used in some other cat

housing areas, like quarantine and isolation areas.The cat condos were built in different sizes and shapes. The largest rooms are 8 feet X 14 feet and were designed to house larger groups of felines. The smallest of the rooms measure 7 feet X 8 feet and were designed for individual felines, or small groups of cats.

Phase 1 of the Cat Condo Renovation created three comfortable appartments in a multi-purpose area of the shelter. In the photo above the condos are on the right, a food prep and cleaning station is on the left. The area where the condos are now used to be lined with old-style stainless steel cages.

Phases 2 & 3 converted large, open rooms into a number of smaller rooms. A hallway runs down the center of each of these areas, with doorways that allow access into each of the condos.

Glass doors at the end of each of these hallways ensure that no cats can escape from each of these areas of the shelter. If they escape their condo when people are coming or going, they are still confined to their “area” of the shelter. This double door system is an important safety consideration.

Pocket DoorsBecause the design of the cat adoption center involved a number of cat apartments all opening into a narrow, shared corridor, potential challenges could have been created with swinging doors. If doors swung into the condos, it would reduce the amount of floor space that could be used for cat furniture, and other decorations. On the other hand, if the doors all swung into the hallway, doors would likely end up hitting each other.

The solution to both challenges was to utilize pocket doors, which gently glide into an opening in the wall. These doors are attractive, inexpensive, easy to operate and are very space-efficient.

Air Flow

Because one of the goals Animal Ark had when designing the cat condos was to decrease the spread of disease, we installed separate air sources and air returns in each unit.

Important DetailsDoor LocksDoor locks are important, as they allow Animal Ark to limit access to certain felines for various reasons, for example, various medical or behavior concerns. Simply locking the condominiums where these felines live prevents people from interacting with “restricted” cats, without needing to move those felines to another area of the shelter.

Using this approach, people can still easily see all of the cats, but do not have direct access to every cat.

CleaningWhen Animal Ark was contemplating converting its cat center to condominiums, one of the primary

concerns expressed by staff was about cleaning. Some people expressed concern that cleaning the cat apartments would be more work than cleaning cages. Others worried that it would be difficult or impossible to completely disinfect the rooms, especially since they were to include amenities like artwork and cat furniture.

All of these concerns ended up being unwarranted. Rather than being more work to clean, it turned out that cleaning is now easier. A room housing, for example, three cats, is much easier than cleaning three separate cat cages. After getting rid of the cages,

Animal Ark was able to streamline its daily cleaning routine significantly.

Furthermore, Animal Ark and the animal welfare community in general have come to realize that concerns over disinfecting in group housing situations failed to account for some simple facts, including the following:

* It is impossible to completely disinfect banks of steel cages, without removing all of the cats, breaking down all of the parts of the cages, then bleaching or otherwise disinfecting all of the parts. In a real-world shelter situation, this virtually never happens. As a result, dust, litter and other debris become trapped in cage hinges and other tight crevices, where viruses and bacteria can become trapped.

* Cats that are stressed are more susceptible to disease. Stress weakens the immune system. When shelters place house cats in steel cages, the cats are stressed and exposed to various pathogens. Banks of steel cages, therefore, are like incubators for disease.

* Pathogens are easily passed from one cage to another. Cages, therefore, provide no meaningful barrier against contamination.

Since building the cat condos, incidents of common feline disease, like ringworm and upper respiratory infections, have decreased dramatically. Animal Ark’s staff, volunteers, the cats and the people who come to adopt them are all happier!