As I was reading through the comments on yesterday’s post, I noticed that several people recommended a catio. A catio is an enclosed outdoor space for cats to hang out and stay safe. I think that would be a great compromise for Tiger! And I actually think Felicity would enjoy it too. She’s pretty content as an indoor cat, but several times she scurried outside when I opened the door and I let her explore outside for a bit before bringing her back inside.
I wasn’t feeling particularly well yesterday (just a mild cold), so I sat at my computer for a while and started looking at the different options for catios I could find online. And now I really want a catio! I’m not sure if I want to build one from scratch or buy a finished catio that needs to be assembled. Honestly, I didn’t know there were so many pre-made catios! And some of them are really cute too.
Of the pre-made options, this one from Wayfair is probably my favorite (affiliate link).
It costs just over $300. Given the cost of wood and materials today, I don’t think I could build it from scratch for less money. The structure measures 71 inches H X 35 inches W
Another premade catio that I liked is this one from Wayfair.
It’s a lot bigger, but our backyard is huge so we have plenty of room for it. This one measures 74 inches H X 74 inches W X 110 inches L. But of course, a larger catio comes with a higher price tag. That’s about $250 more than the smaller one.
Even with a pre-built catio, I would still have to build some things from scratch because they would need a way to get from the inside of the house to the catio. So I would have to build a walkway from one of the windows in the house to the catio. I’ve been trying to think about which window I could use for sidewalk access and I think our bathroom window is the best option.
For some strange reason both cats love being in this bathroom. They play here all the time, and because Tiger loves playing here, I had to remove the carpet. Every time I go into this bathroom lately, the carpet on one side of the room is wrinkled because he walked on the carpet here, slides across the floor, and leaves the carpet on the other side of the room. I was fighting a losing battle with him and this carpet.
But since they both already love being here, I think using this window as a “door” to the outdoors, leading to an enclosed walkway to a catio, would work perfectly. And I really like the idea of the catio being on this side of the backyard too. I first thought about where I could put a catio on the other side of the yard – on the side with the carport, the driveway and my workshop. But I couldn’t imagine it. I think if they were to add anything else on this side of the backyard it would look a bit dated and cramped.
Of course I have to take some current pictures. This picture was taken right after our driveway was poured, so it doesn’t show how pretty the exterior of my workshop is now. But you can see there’s already a lot going on on this side of our backyard.
But on the other side of the backyard there’s just Cooper’s fenced yard, and that’s it. There’s plenty of room over there for a catio of any size, and that happens to be the side of the house where our bathroom is.
I’ll think about it further. It would certainly be easier and quicker to buy a ready-made catio that I just have to assemble. But of course I also came across all sorts of options developed from scratch. I’ve spent quite a bit of time watching videos on this Cat Topia YouTube channel and there are so many creative ideas for customizing Catios to fit the space available.
So at this point I am 100% sure that a catio is in our future. I would feel much more comfortable if Tiger was outside in a catio. Although he stays on our property most of the time when he’s outside, I’ve seen him sneaking across the street a few too many times for my liking. We don’t live on a really busy street, but people speed down our street far too often for me to feel comfortable seeing Tiger crossing the street. A catio would definitely give me peace of mind, and I love that Felicity was able to enjoy it too.
Now I just need to figure out all the details. How exactly would I create a “door” through our bathroom window? How long would the path to the catio have to be and where would the catio be placed? How much would all of this add to the cost? These are the details I need to think through and plan. But I’m determined to have a catio now.
