# Birthing/ whelping/ kitten boxes



## pipje (Jun 29, 2011)

Hello, 

I know a cardboard box from the supermarket is more than sufficient but am curious about what you use. I saw some lovely wooden boxes online but they were all pretty expensive (150 and up). 

I am especially curious about kitten runs. Last year, I used the canvas one from zooplus which worked great but unfortunately cannot be washed properly (only the bottom is possible). Anyway, my neighbours cat peed on it when I was airing it in my backyard so I threw it away. Now I am looking for a more permanent solution. Again, saw some panels online but at 90 for each small panel (at least 8 needed), it's a bit costly for someone who hardly has nests. What do you use?


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## alal332 (Jan 13, 2010)

We are using an extra large dog cage for the first couple of weeks until they are running around then they will have a big room to roam free which has been made completely kitten proof.


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## alal332 (Jan 13, 2010)

Well I say completely kitten proof but nothing is ever entirely kitten proof!


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## pipje (Jun 29, 2011)

Something like this? Savic Dog Residence inclusief kussen | zooplus.nl

I've seen a lot of breeders with such cages and wonder if kittens get caught in them (legs etc). Then again, I haven't heard anyone having such a case yet


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## Cosmills (Oct 3, 2012)

I have a cage and boxes .. When they get older they are move in a run with a box on the side so they are safe and mum can get in and out ... But 5/6 weeks kittens are put into a bigger pen but not for long before they escape that ..


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## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

I've probably bought most things over the years and I still keep going back to a cardboard box for kittening. I honestly don't think wood can be properly cleaned and any cage big enough to be useful has a grid size big enough for small kittens to walk straight through. I do have fabric dog kennels with removable covers to give some sense of a nest as they get bigger and mobile. I think the smallest I have is about 4ft by 2ft.


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

Kittens can get caught up in cages, seen this before when they climb.

I have a huge pvc kitten pen I purchased from Carly and this is kitten proof and so easy to clean.

No photo's as ive now put in the loft.


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## pipje (Jun 29, 2011)

Cosmills: something like that would be nice. Is that actually for rabbits or is it sold as a kitten run?


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## pipje (Jun 29, 2011)

I live in an open plan house where the stairs(also open) are literally in the living room so having a kitten run is quite essential. I could just keep them in a bedroom but I like the idea of them being in an area with more foot traffic without it being an ' activity'


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

mine looks like this but a lot bigger, will do actual measurements later today.


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## pipje (Jun 29, 2011)

]I'd love something like this but a bit bigger


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## pipje (Jun 29, 2011)

Oh that's gorgeous catcoonz. Where did you get that?


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

I got mine from Carly who I think got from Snowsilk company.

Think it cost around £360 and ive only used it once mainly because I have doors that I can close in the home so I don't need it.


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## wicket (Aug 22, 2012)

pipje said:


> ]I'd love something like this but a bit bigger


Now those panels look great - mine start in a small side room off the living room with a half door so mum can jump in and out - as they get older the door is left open but the rest of downstairs is open plan and large so I usually open it up to them bit by bit using wood panels but those in the picture would be perfect - was that from a website Pipje ? Must have some


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## chloe1975 (Mar 17, 2013)

We just use a cardboard box for kittening. All kittens are born in one of our bedrooms and so that works fine. We normally expand to a bigger box at about 2 or 3 weeks to allow a litter tray and food dishes to be put in. Then at 4 weeks they move into our main living room where they have free run of living room and kitchen. I have looked at proper kitten boxes or pens but worry about being able to get them clean between litters. At least with a cardboard box it just gets thrown away and then start again with the next ones.


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## pipje (Jun 29, 2011)

wicket said:


> Now those panels look great - mine start in a small side room off the living room with a half door so mum can jump in and out - as they get older the door is left open but the rest of downstairs is open plan and large so I usually open it up to them bit by bit using wood panels but those in the picture would be perfect - was that from a website Pipje ? Must have some


The panels are from kitten home (Dutch). What I like about panels is you can make it as big or small as you like. They seem easy enough to make from scratch that but I am absolutely useless at DIY


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## Cosmills (Oct 3, 2012)

pipje said:


> Cosmills: something like that would be nice. Is that actually for rabbits or is it sold as a kitten run?


Sold as a kitten run with birthing box ... It's really easy to clean , but I do cover it in vetbed , just in case the little ones climb ... Only in it a few weeks tho ... My girls don't like being locked in so having the open hatch suits them


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## flosskins (Jan 27, 2010)

I use a box from steel city whelping boxes - PVCU so easy to clean. I don't have a cage or a run as the kittens are born in our box room which has been turned into a nursery and then gradually have more freedom as they grow up


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## pipje (Jun 29, 2011)

My husband kindly made the panels for me. I love it!

This is when the kittens were about 2 weeks old til they were about 4 weeks old: 









Then, they stayed in here unless we were home to keep an eye(as our staircase is an open one and in the living room)


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## wicket (Aug 22, 2012)

I feel a husband winter project coming on ...is that clear perspective you have used ?


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## pipje (Jun 29, 2011)

He used clear plexi glass (I have no idea if that is the same thing, zero knowledge about DIY), chosen as it is better quality and less likely to show scratches


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## messyhearts (Feb 6, 2009)

We have a Rhampaws pen & a kittening box. I couldn't breed without the pen, it's massive & a safe haven for kittens when not supervised. Also makes litter training soooo much easier. 

I'd use a cardboard box over the kittening box though, I don't breed enough to warrant a wooden box.


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## carly87 (Feb 11, 2011)

CC's pen is from Steelcity, but I wouldn't recommend using them which is a pity, because he's a really nice guy. I commissioned a pen, told him explicitly what I wanted, then waited months for him to do any of it. I wanted a two level pen, and only ever got the single level that you see in CC's pics.

The pens are really robust. They screw together, and the material is really good quality.

I do have a wooden pen that I use when they're just born, but that's only because it was given to me, and I can't justify chucking it as it's a Rampaws and amazing quality. Anything I buy new, it's UPVC though, or plastic. I've just put a massive 5X3 raised multi-level pen in the house. I say me. Housemate did it, but it's amazing. Waterproof plastic floor, clear panelled see-through front door come window, nettet top reinforced with metal to stop them getting stuck, and all completely cleanable.


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## Cosmills (Oct 3, 2012)

Penthouse kittening pens for me , bloody expensive but well worth the money 

I have just picked up a 4x 3 for £20 don't think they knew what they had to be honest so snapped it up .. Easy clean and can be taken down in minutes


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## carly87 (Feb 11, 2011)

See, I don't like them. Have heard of kittens climbing to the top, then falling off and breaking legs, even when Vetbed in the bottom of the pen.


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## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

I have kamikaze kittens too. Do you suppose it could be the restricted space which is part of the problem - they don't have room to fall 'properly'? For years my penning has been a small bedroom and even very young kittens learn to climb a 6ft cat tree. There's no doubt that at 4 weeks old the descent is something of a controlled fall onto a wooden floor however much I try to ensure a softer landing. I've never had an injured kitten.


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## carly87 (Feb 11, 2011)

I think the main problem is that they get claws/paws/legs hooked through the actual mesh, so don't have the possibility to fully right themselves or set themselves for the landing. Having a bit of you stuck pulls the body out of the natural alignment/positioning during a fall, so increases the chances of injury. My newborn pen is a mesh one, but I remove them from it as soon as they're able to climb more than a few inches. I don't even like it when my monkey adults scale the walls of the run in the garden, although they're smart enough to disengage before plummeting to certain doom.


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## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

The door to my kitten room is mainly mesh (had a carpenter do it years ago) and my kittens climb that from an early age. My heart has been in my mouth many times but I've never had a kitten with a broken bone from it. The mesh doesn't start right at the bottom, probably about 40cm up, so they can't start to climb that until they're a bit older.


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## carly87 (Feb 11, 2011)

I think when they get very high, they have more of a chance to sort themselves out before landing. It's the 2-4 ft mark that seems to lead to a lot of breaks. Perhaps your kittens are savvy enough to retract claws before skittering down, but I know of some who hold on for dear life until they're swinging by one foot before letting go.


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## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

> It's the 2-4 ft mark that seems to lead to a lot of breaks


You could be right, that's the sort of thing I meant when I wondered if some pens were just too restrictive for them to fall safely. It must be a combination of things though, a 'normal' fall of 2-4ft shouldn't result in broken bones.


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