Playpen(s)
As you probably noticed in the videos, we changed some things in our “cat room,” just trying to make it more convenient to clean as the kittens grow. As you know, we started with the nest in a small playpen, which served as Masseeka’s condo from the very beginning. Ryzyk is free in the room and somewhat in the house if he feels like exploring. We are coordinating them in a way that they do not bump into each other with Baker.
As for why Masseeka was locked for the night - we were afraid she would crawl somewhere and give birth there, making things hard and unsafe. We didn’t know how Ryzyk would react to newborn kittens. We tried to introduce her to the rest of the house, and she crawled under the nightstand (seemed impossible, but cats are liquid when they decide).
Anyway, the small playpen was modified to add a “second floor” with an enclosed box and a water bowl, while the litterbox stayed on the first floor. The ramp (a 2×4 with added steps and sisal rope between them) made it easier to move between the two floors. The kittens love using it too!
About a week after the kittens were born, we noticed Masseeka panting with her tongue out, like a dog. For cats, it means they are too hot. That’s when the enclosed box was replaced with a bigger one with no “roof,” and the air conditioner was adjusted for that room (at first we worried the kittens would be too cold).
As the little ones kept growing and started crawling out of the nest, we decided it was time to move to a bigger playpen. That one had been assembled long ago, but we had to complete modifications - same idea about adding the second floor. Both playpens came only with several shelves on both sides.
First, we added a large bin with an old towel for the nest and placed Masseeka’s litterbox on the first floor. The floor itself was covered with a “dog mat” (it has a waterproof layer on the bottom and synthetic mat on top, feels like a carpet). The next stage - we added a small low bin with some Feline Pine litter for the kids, and they started using it soon! However, several accidents happened outside it, plus Feline Pine is easily trapped in paws and tails - the mat was messy despite daily cleaning, and eventually we replaced it with a piece of linoleum, especially after the little ones discovered the shelves and the box on the second floor.
The last step was to replace two litterboxes with one large one. Technically, it’s a storage bin with two holes cut in it - the “entrance” and the lid for light, height to fit Masseeka, and ventilation. We decided not to use any liner, because the little rascals tried to chew on the one we used for Masseeka’s litterbox.
That’s our current setup!
Here are a couple more videos explaining previous steps.
