I have some amazing fur babies, they are my heart. After being in the house so much due to Covid, I thought my cats could use a break too. I wasn’t about to let them outside. I adopted the neighborhood stray and he is an indoor/outdoor cat now and sometimes it drives me bonkers worrying about him. So the rest had to remain indoors. No question. But I wanted them to be able to feel the wind on their whiskers and the sun on their fur.
I found a catio on Amazon and got it. The problem was that my house was too high off the ground. I didn’t want my cats to have to jump out of the window and risk them falling that far. Keeping it off the ground will also help keep fleas & ticks off of them a little. So, I needed to make a platform. I don’t have many power tools so I mentioned it to one of the guys at work and he volunteered to come over and help me construct it!
I owe him big time!
So here is my Catio! Or cat patio.
We added L brackets to the side to hold it down but I took this pic before that. Egon is the mainly white cat and Yeti is the torti behind him. My black cat, Dahlia, is on the white table but you can’t see her, just the edge of her tail.
I added the small table inside for them to walk out on. We also made a window piece out of plexiglass and added a cat door so they can go in and out without having to leave the window open. I have styrofoam around it so they feel more secure but I plan on switching that out. Here are two cute cat butts so you get the idea. Yeti Pegleg and Egon. Yeti is actually 2 weeks older than Egon but he is just huge.
The previous owners set up that table. It’s rooted deep in the ground so yes, I use it as a bird and squirrel feeding station. My cats don’t get aggressive with the animals but they do love watching them. It was funny, the first time a bird landed it scared poor Yeti half to death and she came running back inside. I thought she was going to hurt herself she was so scared. Yeti has calmed down now
They look like they’re really enjoying themselves! Looks like good construction. I love cats being safe from wandering outdoors but still get to enjoy it! Such a nice thing to do for your cats.
Awesome! We need to build some kind of catio, but haven’t decided how and where yet. In the apartment we added a safety net around the balcony, but in a house different sollutions are needed…
Oh my! If I were a cat, I would be very happy indeed. I let my cat out into my backyard with supervised time, she mostly just goes and rubs her back on the cement. That’s about it.
Thanks everyone! My cats are still enjoying it every day. They love going out and taking in nature. I think they have gotten more confident too. They used to run when they heard strange noises or strangers came over. Now they are more curious. This catio has been great for them.
I’ve been trying to convince DH to build a cat enclosure, but more like a chicken coop. Now I have to show him this one, it is great. Kitties and I are jealous.
Super cool! I love how you took a premade thing and made it work for your situation! TheMisterT and I would like to have a cat again someday and I am already plotting about how to make a catio. We’ve too many predators at night and too many birds during the day for free roaming.
Mr Pandy was a free roamed that kept coming around for food and then snuggles. Luckily he doesn’t mess with the birds or squirrels. He did eliminate my pond of frogs though. Kind of sad about that.
I love the catio. Not nearly as much as the cats though. Egon loves to go out at dusk when all the insects start their chirping. They each love to bask in the morning sun too. I wish I would have gotten it sooner. Best investment I have made in years.
