Prevue Pet Products Deluxe Cat Home with 3 Levels, Metal and Plastic Crate Kennel Home for Cats and Kittens, Multi-Level Cage, Black

I will start with “I am 20 years as a dog owner, and the first time cats parent.” 6 month ago we decided to rescue two 6 and 7 months old kitties. Neither one of our pups (Boxers) have been exposed to cats. To ensure proper pets introduction we want kitties to have a “safe harbor”. We also were planning to use it as an outdoor In closure when all of us outside. Fur-babies (pups) and Pur-babies (kitties) did amazing, and we had nothing to worry about. They still do, not one hiss or raised paw/claw.Now, back to enclosure: money well spent item. I have researched at least 10-12 different enclosures, and if I will have to buy one again, I will go for the same one again. We are in the South East region which allows us to take advantage of the snowless winters. The assembly was fast and easy: 2 hour job for one person. It took about a week to find the best way to arrange the shelves and 2 hammocks. Despite that we found good placement for all 4 items, it still felt that the rest of the space was underutilized. I was considering to purchase an additional shelf. It seems that quite a few costumers have done so. But during Hobby Lobby trip, I found a fruit basket that could have made a nice swinging “hammock”. So, I got the basket and roll of burlap rope and pulled it through the basket in the way that it provide an additional support and stability. I combined threads and braided the end. The “fruit basket hammock” was secured to the cage with heavy duty zip ties. A small pillow serves as a nice “kitty mattress”. My smaller kitty absolutely loves it.We decided against the wheels that came with the enclosure. The cage is light enough that we did not have any difficulty to go back and forth indoor/outdoor.Hammocks: at first cats were avoiding at any cost. So, I put them tightly and snagged to maximize the tension. Once cats discovered that hammocks were more “stable and stationary”. They start to use them consistently. In two months of consistent use, one of the hammocks clip broke, just cracked in two halves. I purchased a bag CC of small clips and repaired the hammock. Within a week, two strings on the second hammock were ripped off. I had some 1/2 inch ribbon, and re-enforced the entire hammock all the way around. I intentionally left long ends, so I can use them as ties, to tie hammock to the enclosure frame. Personally, ties would have been a better option from the begin with, I wish that manufacturer would switch from clips to ties. Ties provide better control for the hammock’s tension.At the bottom of the enclosure we arranged two different types of scratch boards. Every single items inside and outside enclosure used by cats. It is their place to play and rest. Once we discover that they love to climb it, we throw one of the beds on top. That bed was another Hit.Another thing to add, because we were moving enclosure back and forth (inside/outside), we re-enforced sides with a few small zip ties on each side. You probably can see them in the photos.We added a few hanging feather toys and scratch mat on one of the shelves to entertain the kittens.At the end, despite all the breaks, we all absolutely love it. It is a long lasting purchase.

March 2023 Update: 3+ years of daily use and this cage is still in excellent shape. The gorilla glue repair on the base has held up with no problems. I definitely recommend making it a wheeled plywood base for it to sit on if you plan to move it around, especially with a heavy litterbox.The stability is excellent as two youngest cats use both the inside and outside of the cage as a jungle gym, and to get onto nearby shelves, and they haven’t managed to tip it over! I did have to make them new hammocks that can handle the strain of being used as a playground.Being able to separate them for meals and when the older cat needs some breathing room has made life a lot easier. The cage works well for the two young cats overnight but there is room for the third to join them for an hour or three when strange dogs visit.Jan 2020 I chose the Prevue Pet Products Premium Pet Home over the other cat crates in my price range mostly for the extra height so the cat can get higher than the dogs while they learn to tolerate each other. As I have Borzoi, that requires a taller cage than most that are available.Be warned that this cage is too lightweight to protect the cat from an aggressive dog unsupervised!The package arrived very quickly and looked to be in fairly good shape externally and it was solidly packed to prevent movement inside. Despite this there was a chunk broken off the bottom pan. I had some Gorilla Glue so I used that for repairs and it appears to have worked well. If I was to improve packaging, I would have a sheet of foam between the exterior and the bottom of the pan.The styrofoam packaging did its job and protected everything from shifting but the movement during shipping tore bits off the foam and most people will be happier unpacking with a vacuum cleaner handy to clean up the debris as each piece is removed.The instructions were clear and the crate went together quickly. The wheels included do not match the instructions as they have no brakes to stop movement. I opted not to use the wheels to increase stability. Plus the pan is rather flimsy and I don’t know how well it would hold the weight of a large litter box and a cat repeatedly jumping up and down. If I decide to put the crate on wheels I will probably cut some plywood to fit and attach the pan to that and get larger wheels with brakes to attach to the plywood base.The crate is about as heavy as a large bag of dog food so it is easily picked up and moved when needed. Due to its bulk two people would move it more easily than one.The plastic parts were initially confusing as they look identical but are numbered 1-3. After a thorough look I suspect the numbers on the parts have more to do with production molds than assembly.My decision on where to put the two platforms was dictated by the hinges of the doors. The platforms are roomy and sturdy. All doors open all the way but only because I did not use the suggested layout. The doors are nice and large enough to manage a litter box. They doors are also offset to the right so the left side door hinge opens at the edge of the platform and the right side door opens halfway down the platform, leaving space available for a cat to jump onto the ledge. The latches on the doors are great, easy to use and cat proof. The door panels are the same size as the back panels and could easily be installed so that an upper level door opens to the back.The included hammocks are ok but wouldn’t pass my mother’s construction inspection. I’d have been sent back to do it over. Be prepared to inspect the stitching frequently. The webbing only goes to the fabric corners not through the fabric from one corner to the other and there is a single line of stitching at each failure point instead of the X inside a square or even a second line of stitching for backup. My cat was a klutz and fell off the edge of his hammock. He wants to lean back against an edge that wasn’t there! He will learn or I will make something different for him.To clean litter out of the bottom grooves I vacuum or treat it like a birdcage: Unlatch the bottom pan and remove the cage, Clean the bottom pan and put it back together.Overall for the price I think it’s very good. My cat has climbed it like a monkey, thrown a literal hissy fit, gone from platform to platform and tested out the hammocks. Plenty of room for him to eat and take care of his business and still have room to play in between. He is adjusting quickly and I think it’s good for his mental health as he is already calming down just being able to spend part of the day able to see what is happening instead of being locked away for his safety in the office.Time will show how durable the crate is but I consider my money well spent and recommend it for anyone wanting a permanent safe retreat for their cat.