maggierose, thanks so much for your input. I think it was recommended as a base for drainage so that the run could be just hosed off or something now and then. I can't remember where I read it, so I can't go back and reference it. I know it wasn't for them to eat or anything, but as a base for the straw. Also, do you know how long the grass would hold up before the run turned into a mud hole? The run is going to be covered, but snow/rain will still blow into it, and freeze(we're in the mountains). Oh, maybe I'm making a big deal out of nothing, I just know I'd rather haul it in with the tractor now instead of the wheelbarrow later. Any ideas would be so appreciated!
So five years ago this very sweet cat adopted us, and we learned to love him very much. He didn't want to come in, but chose to stay outside and be fed/loved there. He'd get in front of me when I was walking, and lay on his back in front of me to get petted, and reach out and grab my pant leg or socks to keep me there if he hadn't got all the love he wanted. So Wed. afternoon I fed him and then he got eaten by a coyote. I'll be so glad when I can stop crying. He was such a joy for me, I've had lots of cats, but he's the only one who would let a kid take him up the ladder and lay like a baby in their arms to go down the slide.
Lets all remember to love our pets today.