DIY Cat Fence (Build Your Own)
Make a Cat Fence from an Existing Fence
Introduction
This page tells how to assemble the parts you need to convert an existing fence into a fence that will safely contain your cat. If you wish to assemble the parts for a stand-alone cat fence rather than one based on an existing fence, please visit the first page in this DIY section.
Conversion Fences
It’s easy to convert the wooden side of a building or a chain link, metal, or wooden fence into a DIY cat fence. It’s especially easy if the fence is 5 feet or more high. Just get some 14-inch-tall cat fence extender arms with mounting brackets. Space them up to 15 feet apart. Attach them to the fence or wall with wood screws, chain link fence gear, or decorative metal fence gear. And mount a 4-foot wide strip of poly fencing on them with zip-lock ties. That’s all there is to it.
What if your existing fence is shorter? Then use our 36-inch tall extender arms (shown in the photo) instead of the 14-inchers and replace the 4-foot-wide strip of poly fencing with a 6-footer to get the same satisfactory result.
Please note that these conversion fence extender arms differ from those used with our stand-alone cat fences, and that the two types of arms are not interchangeable.
Keep in mind that you will need four extender arms to get across an existing gate (two arms on the gate and two beside it) and that you will also need an arm at each corner of your fence and at each end (if there are ends). No end caps or self-tapping screws are needed because each of our extender arms with mounting brackets has a closed end with a small hole that can take a zip-lock tie to attach the fencing.
However, you will need zip-lock ties to attach the fencing to the DIY cat fence’s extender arms (use 4 per short arm, 6 per long arm). Our strong black nylon zip-ties can be expected to last 5 or 6 years, while our black stainless steel ties (which are more expensive) will last the life of the fence.
You will also need wood screws (4 per arm) to attach each extender arm’s mounting bracket to a wood wall, wood fence, or vinyl fence. Alternatively, if attaching the bracket to a decorative metal fence you will need square U-bolts (2 per arm). Or, if attaching the bracket to a chain link fence you will need round U-bolts (2 per arm).
Conversion Fence Parts: Extender Arms and Attachers
Please note that these conversion fence extender arms differ from those used with our stand-alone cat fences, and that the two types of arms are not interchangeable.
Keep in mind that you will need four extender arms to get across an existing gate (two arms on the gate and two beside it) and that you will also need an arm at each corner of your fence and at each end (if there are ends). No end caps or self-tapping screws are needed because each of our extender arms with mounting brackets has a closed end with a small hole that can take a zip-lock tie to attach the fencing.
However, you will need zip-lock ties to attach the fencing to the DIY cat fence’s extender arms (use 4 per short arm, 6 per long arm). Our strong black nylon zip-ties can be expected to last 5 or 6 years, while our black stainless steel ties (which are more expensive) will last the life of the fence.
You will also need wood screws (4 per arm) to attach each extender arm’s mounting bracket to a wood wall, wood fence, or vinyl fence. Alternatively, if attaching the bracket to a decorative metal fence you will need square U-bolts (2 per arm). Or, if attaching the bracket to a chain link fence you will need round U-bolts (2 per arm).
Extender Arms
Extender Arm Attachers
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Attachment Parts
U-bolt, 5/16″ x 2″ x 3.5″, for Attaching Arm Brackets to Square Posts
$6.95 Add to cart
Fencing for Conversion Fences
If you are converting an existing fence to a DIY cat fence you don’t want any metal hexagrid fencing unless you need it to secure the bottom of your fence — in which case you should get an appropriate length of metal hexagrid fencing, attaching it to the bottom of the existing fence (if wood) with U-nails and securing it to the ground with ground stakes (see page 1 of this DIY section for these products). If the existing fence you are converting is tall (5 feet or more) get polypropylene fencing 4 feet wide. If the existing fence you are converting is short (less than 5 feet tall) get polypropylene fencing 6 feet wide. In either case, plan on attaching the fencing to the extender arms with zip-lock ties (see above), using four or five ties per extender arm.
