I've always believed that cats should be free to come and go as they pleased but in safety. It had to be something quite apart from the usual run and modified garden shed. I wanted something aesthetically pleasing where the cats could wander and I could escape the house and sit with them.
Here is the result of many nights pondering and several weeks hard graft. 
I, of course, donned a hard hat, carried the clipboard and issued orders. My brother and son were the labourers and hubby...well... he was the humble tea boy for much of it and we raided his stash of nails, screws and all manner of ironmongery that he guards as jealously as Scrooge guards his pennies!!

The top trellis extend in 6 feet with the posts set back at 4 feet. This is in the belief that a cat will not monkey climb!!
So far the belief is true.
Each panel was covered with chicken wire on the outside and it isn't that noticeable. This form of construction was found on the Maine Coon Guild website and I felt, after looking at many "Cat Proofing" applications, this design best suited my ideal.

The pond was built several years ago but it had flower borders all around it. Now I'm not what you'd call gardening orientated and the fingers are most definitely not green. My gardening skills go as far as buy it, plant it and leave it. If it lives and thrives that's a plus. If not, hey ho, there's a garden centre 3 miles down the road.
 So the flower borders had to go but that left another dilemma.
How do I make the sides blend in and look attractive???

Decking..I know..Boring but it works and the added feature of a bridge will give the girls somewhere to lie and watch the fish.
No that isn't hubby, that's my brother and one of the grandchildren, Megan. She's proudly showing off her new Sterlet which has just been added to the pond.

Still a fair bit of work to do but it's starting to take shape. The edges of the overhanging trellis has been finished with decking to balance with the pond surround and to stop the trellis sagging over time.
The trellis comes off the back of the house so the cats can come in and out of the open windows as and when they wish.

The gapping hole in the centre above the pond has been netted with pest control netting. It's a very strong square mesh netting which serves two purposes. It takes away the worry that one houdini might find a way up and over but also keeps the pesky Heron at bay. Now he can only drool over my fish as there's no way in from overhead.
I've lost count of the free meals he's had from my pond over the years.
This idea was borrowed from Alexis Craig of Braekitz Maine Coons....
Thanks Alexis.

Set back in one corner, outside the perimeter of the trellis is the girls sleeping quarters with ample shelves at different levels to help stop petty squabbles over who's sleeping where.
Russell still hasn't found that elusive Sterlet!!

A couple of jobs to do still but the girls are installed and don't know what to do in all this space.

Perhaps the water feature was a bad idea. The play with it rather than drink from it. Kiki and Feather survey the "build" from one of the shelves whilst Nell is more intent on trying to coax the plastic ducks to play??!! She has acquired a taste for the floating koi food hence the netted frame for protection of fish and cat

...and this...well this is my seat !

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