Here’s the easiest catio I ever made:
I went to Home Depot and bought a wood frame for a shed. It’s just the bones and then you’re supposed to buy the other stuff like siding and a roof. I bought some corrugated plastic and screwed that on for a roof and then walled the entire thing with chicken wire. Done in one afternoon.
I buried the edges of the joists slightly, which you’re not supposed to do, but it’s held for 13 years now, so I think the manufacturers are full of shit on that, plus, they never really tried to dig out under it. Cats aren’t like dogs who will dig for hours just on spec.
Thank you. I agree that manufacturers are full of shit on a lot of things so if it has worked for you, that is great.
I agree that cats aren’t usually into digging out of their place, but I have a two year old Maine Coon who has only managed to activate 3 brain cells. He would dig out if only because he started digging and forgot why, so just kept on going because the dirt felt fun on his toes.
His fountain is in the catio because we can’t stop him from sitting by it and running his toes through the water before splashing enough water out that the pump starts squalling and scares him into running in the house and leaving big wet paw prints all over the floor. Jerkface kitty cat.
Everything I have read says that our jerkface will mature around three years. Hopefully the fountain can come back inside then.
Aha!! A name for SMOL. JERKFACE!!!
A middle name, maybe. Elegant J. SuperCat. Only Those In The Know™ know what the J stands for.
LOLOLOL!!!
yes discourse, this was a complete sentence.
If their Jerkface is anything like our Jerkface, EVERYONE will know the reasons.
SMOL is obviously still a kitten, and you can’t label a kittom for their whole life just because they’re naughty; naughty is inherent in being a kittom. Iz not fair, am good kitteh.
Our Jerkface got named that the first day he came home and our opinion hasn’t changed since. At almost two years, he is so spoiled that he knows he can just give us a defiant look while splashing around in the ice bath Hubs was setting up for his beer as happened a couple of days ago.
Just as a PSA, water loving cats are a serious PITA. If you must have one, try to train them to use a rabbit water bottle instead of a bowl on the floor that will get dumped out a hundred times a day.
Of course that has never worked in my lifetime, but it could work for someone.
I built my cats their own outdoor yard, or cat paddock. It’s about 100ft x 40ft, has seven foot high mesh fence with an inward arch at the top and wire around the base to prevent digging. The posts are T posts, the mesh is secured with zip ties, and the arch is made with the biggest shelf brackets I could find and are attached with snake clamps. There’s a gate for access for the mower too. It’s totally redneck but my herd LOVE it. (12 cats in a 1500 sq ft house can be a little much sometimes …)
This is the second one I’ve built. The first one had access through a cat door insert in a window and then a ramp to the ground, this one has a dog door that was already in the laundry room when we bought the house.
I have a few dog houses out there, there are bushes for cool napping, a big tree they can partially climb (I put a baffle on it about 8 ft up), and I just bought them a Christmas present of an outdoor cat tree with platforms at varying heights.
Yeah, they’re a bit spoiled …
Here’s our catio:
Here it is with the lights I got my wife last Valentine’s Day:
Our late Tonka had the run of the neighbourhood. A woman down the street complained he was ‘growling at’ her feral cats. SWMBO decreed that Tonka would henceforth be an indoor cat. He hated it.
So I used the existing patio and roof and added four 2x4 uprights (two in the back and two on the side), added 2x4 crossbars on the side, made four sliding doors (using pocket door hardware), and covered it with 2x4 wire fencing.
Tonka didn’t like it, and would pace around and around. Eventually he got used to it, and (it seems) not long afterward he went blind, dying a few months later at the age of 17.
Goo and Abbey like the catio a lot. And they’re safe from the coyotes, raccoons, and bald eagles.
Very nice!
ditto!!
