When Marian Vitale, my ex-wife and best friend of 27 years, died on October 2, 2004, I inherited her two kitties, ST and Brownie. They were our babies for 13 years, and I couldn't wait to have them with me again.

I brought them home with me, to the Hill Country of Texas, outside of Austin. But to keep them safe in the woods, while letting them have the freedom to go in and out of the house, we needed to build something new, something safe, something never done before in this country.

I called zoos to see what they used. I called ranches to see how they housed animals. None of their ideas seemed right. And locals built chicken coop type enclosures which we knew we didn't want.

Nerissa researched enclosures and found a company in Australia that makes specialized netting. This netting allows animals to be in the wild, but not let them run off or be hunted. Sounded perfect, though expensive, to us. We went for it.

I ordered the special netting from the company. I hired Kevin Alexander, a local stone worker, to build what he named a "Catarium." Due to bad weather, holidays, and this and that, progress has been slow. While the enclosure is still not done, you can see enough of it here to get a feel for what it is like.

ST and Brownie, as well as the other kitties already here, love the Catarium.

I think Marian would be happy with it, too.

 Enjoy the pictures.