Dreaming of Catios — Pet-Friendly Planning

I don’t have a catio. At the moment, I don’t even have a cat. When I did have cats, though, I longed to give them a safe outdoor space where they could enjoy the view and fresh air without the threat of being attacked by coyotes or hawks, or hit by a car. In addition to the many dangers faced by outdoor cats, I was concerned about the impact of my cats on birds and other wildlife*. So they stayed mostly indoors.

When the cats were older and a bit more sedentary, I started letting them spend time on the second-floor balcony of my bedroom. They loved sitting in the sunshine (or watching the rain), but eventually one of them started wandering further onto the roof and I had to rescind her privileges.

We moved into our current house soon after that, and the cats were now spending most of their time in a big, sunny basement. (See blog post from 4/16/19.) My husband built a window box for them out of wood and screen so that they could look out and feel the breeze. Still, we were tempted many times to let them sit on the patio with us and explore the backyard under supervision.

We toyed with the idea of adding a screen porch just outside the basement so that the cats could be “outdoors.” That prospect turned out to be too expensive, but our research led to all kinds of creative ideas that people are using to keep indoor cats safely connected to the outdoor world. You can see some of these ideas here. My favorites are “catios” (screened-in enclosures that range from simple lean-to structures, to elaborate cat houses with built-in climbing equipment) and “catwalks” (mesh tubes or tunnels that cats can walk through; usually attached to the house or laid across a yard/garden). In our search for pet-friendly amenities, indoor-outdoor spaces for cats tend to be among the most interesting. If you have found a great way to let your cat have controlled access to the outdoors, please share it in the comments or on our social media pages.

*Do you know of an outdoor cat or feral colony that kills birds? Click here to read about an easy solution.

Sonja de Lugo