There are four delightful cats who share a not-too-large house with me. Three are shelter cats. The fourth was a stray who adopted me.
These cats didn’t ask to come home with me to be my live-in entertainment. It was my decision. And because of that, I figure it’s my job to make their lives as safe and yet interesting as I can. Hence, the catio.
In this picture, the catio had just been finished. It’s been “furnished” since then, with chairs for me and resting places for the cats.
The catio sits at the east end of my rectangular house, connected to my sun/mud/laundry room. It’s about 24′ wide and 12′ deep. The cats access it via cat flaps in two windows. I access it via the screen door you see on the left. If I were rich, I would have installed french doors from the sunroom to the catio. Alas, twas not to be.
The treated-wood frame is covered with green vinyl covered “field fencing” with 2″ x 3″ mesh. The top is fenced, too, to prevent vertical escape.
There’s a large maple tree that overhangs the catio, keeping the area shady and cool through the summer. Leaves and sticks that fall from the maple either slip through the mesh fencing, or bounce down the slope. Just enough sunlight gets through to keep a little grass growing.
The cats use the catio constantly, and the only time I restrict access to it is when the Missouri weather is too dangerously cold.
I added a wifi extender to my sunroom, so I can work online while sitting in the catio. It works great for all of us.
