A real backyard build · three-picket silhouette
Lay out the panel first, register one cat silhouette across three spaced pickets, cut the negative space, then reassemble and hang the documented gate.
The short version
Lay out the pickets at their final spacing, transfer the cat image across the center three, cut those three pieces separately, then return every picket to the same order and spacing before fastening the rails. Size the complete panel and its hardware from the actual opening—not from my approximate 70-inch project width.
Why the cat is there
When my daughter went from sitting still to moving everywhere, we wanted a small gate that visually defined our new backyard hangout. The same yard was already a regular crossing path for neighborhood cats, so I turned the center of the panel into an intentional passage.
That origin matters: the opening is not a decorative afterthought and it is not a safety feature. The gate helped organize this particular space while deliberately allowing cats through.
The project became part fence, part signpost: people use the gate; cats keep their route.
Scene 03 · Reconcile the layout
This build used fourteen short pickets made from seven longer boards and ended up around 70 inches wide. Fourteen exact 4-inch faces plus thirteen exact 1-inch internal gaps would total 69 inches before any edge or hardware allowance. Real board widths and openings vary, so calculate from your material.
For a row of n pickets, there are n − 1 internal gaps. Compare that panel width with the measured opening and the clearance required by your selected hinges, latch, swing, grade, and local conditions.
Record the clear opening, hinge-side support, latch-side support, grade, obstructions, and the direction the gate can swing.
Nominal lumber labels do not guarantee the exact face width. Measure several pickets from the material you will use.
The gap is part of both the total width and the cat silhouette. Use the same spacer while laying out, transferring, and assembling.
Hinge geometry, latch clearance, sag, swelling, and an out-of-square opening all affect the final panel width. Follow the hardware guidance for your installation.
Prepare · 01
I cut the six-foot boards in half for this short panel, established one pointed picket top, and used that first piece to mark the rest. That kept the rhythm consistent without pretending every board arrived identical.
Scene 05 · The central move
Put the three center pickets at the same spacing the finished panel will use. Position the cat image across all three, then separate the paper at the gaps so each board keeps only its own section of the cut line.
Recreate final spacing. A different gap changes the silhouette.
Check the whole face. Confirm both ears, cheeks, and the lower curve before adhering anything.
Index the boards. Mark left, center, right, and orientation so the pieces cannot swap later.
Pattern boundary: the photograph shows how I registered the shape. It is not a downloadable, printable, scale-accurate, or guaranteed-fit template.
Cut and reassemble
Once the transfer is complete, the work becomes a careful sequence of cutting, indexing, spacing, and adapting the structure to the actual panel.
Cut · 02
With the three pickets separated again, I cut each marked portion of the cat outline. Keep the pieces identified and in order so the ears, cheeks, and lower curve return to one continuous negative space at final spacing.
Assemble · 03
I laid the pickets face down, returned the cat pieces to their planned order, and used a consistent spacer across the panel. The rails then locked that field together while the silhouette stayed aligned.
Hang, latch, coat, and check
The original photographs show how this gate was hung and painted. Final support, hardware, clearance, and coating decisions still depend on the load, site, material, weather, products, and local requirements.
Confirm that the hinge-side post or structure is sound, appropriately anchored, and capable of carrying this specific panel through repeated swings and weather.
Prop the panel at its intended height, check level and clearance through the full arc, and account for grade, swelling, and nearby surfaces.
Use exterior-rated hinges, fasteners, and a latch sized and installed according to the hardware manufacturer and the actual gate load.
Let the lumber condition and coating manufacturer determine preparation, moisture readiness, compatible primer or paint, coat count, and cure time.
Return to the backyard
That is the payoff of registering the image before the cut: the negative space still reads as one cat after the pickets are separated, fastened, hung, and painted.
There is no working pattern download or reliable project video attached to this guide. The photographs are the record. Adapt the shape to your measured boards and use the larger backyard guide for the surrounding space.
See the full backyard transformation
