What is the Best Catio for My Cat?
Do you have a cat that loves being outdoors, enjoying the fresh air, but you worry about their safety and well-being? Does your cat refuse to walk to wear a harness or walk on a leash? The answer might be a catio!
These kitty-focused enclosures are gaining a lot of attention lately, popping up in backyards, on the sides of travel trailers, and even as portable safe spaces for cat parents to take their furry friends anywhere.
With so many designs, materials, and features available, choosing the best catio for your needs can feel overwhelming.
In this guide, I will do a deep dive into the world of catios, exploring different types and the situations they are best suited for. I will also discuss different features and key considerations to help you while shopping for your cat.
Get ready to create the perfect (and safe) outdoor space for your furry friend today!
What is a Catio?
Let’s start at the beginning—what exactly is a catio? The term is a mix of “cat” and “patio,” referring to enclosed outdoor spaces designed specifically for cats. These range from small playpen-style spaces to allow them to get a bit of fresh air to large patios with space for both the cat and their people.
Are Catios Good for Cats?
Yes! Catios are a great way to allow your cat to spend time outdoors without putting them at risk.
While domesticated cats are safer indoors, spending time outdoors has benefits. Allowing your cat to watch the birds and explore new spaces is a great way to provide them with mental enrichment and stimulation. Many cats also simply enjoy sunbathing or watching the world around them.
At the same time, the catio keeps them safely contained. Outdoor cats have considerably shorter lifespans due to their increased risk of diseases, predators, car accidents, outdoor toxins, and other unfortunate accidents. According to the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, the average outdoor cat lives to be 2-5 years old, while the average indoor cat with only safe, supervised outdoor time lives to be 10-20 years old.
Keeping your cat in a catio is also a great way to protect the local wildlife. Cats are natural predators with a strong hunting instinct. Stray cats and cats allowed to roam outdoors significantly impact the ecosystem by killing large numbers of birds, rodents, and other wildlife.
What Are the Downsides of a Catio?
Allowing your cat to be outdoors in a catio is a great compromise. However, as with any product for our pets, there are pros and cons to consider.
Even though your cat is contained, it may create a false sense of security regarding some of the risks of being outdoors. The mesh or screening around a catio isn’t enough to keep parasites like fleas and ticks away. You will still need to consider the necessary flea preventatives and regular tick checks to keep these pets away.
The other risk that isn’t completely mitigated by the confines of a catio is the dangers introduced by local strays.
Cat fights and confrontations can still occur through the flexible mesh and screen sides. This means your cat is still at risk of unnecessary stress from these encounters and the potential spread of diseases. Careful supervision of your cat outdoors, even if they are safely contained in their catio, will allow you to keep these strays away.
What is the Difference Between a Catio and a Fenced Yard?
Even if you have a fenced yard, a catio can provide an additional level of safety and security for your cat. But why might you need this extra layer of protection?
There are many stray and outdoor cats that easily climb over fences, viewing them as nothing more than a minor inconvenience. Even if your cat has never escaped the fence around your yard before, there is a first time for everything. It only takes a couple of seconds for your cat to climb a tree, scale a shed, or jump up to the top of your fence from a patio chair, and they are now running loose.
As we already discussed, there are many significant dangers putting your cat at risk when running unsupervised outdoors. A fenced yard is not a reliable solution to this.
Things to Consider When Choosing the Best Type of Catio for Your Home or Travels
Many options exist for a safe and reliable catio, from DIY structures to elaborate custom-build purchases. It can be challenging for cat parents to decide what suits their cat’s needs and lifestyle. Here are a few important considerations to help you narrow the list and find the best catio for your furry friend:
Budget
While we all wish budget wasn’t a concern, it's a crucial factor when choosing a catio. How much does it cost to build a catio? Are there features that can be adjusted to better suit your cat's needs while staying within your budget?
The first step I recommend for anyone interested in purchasing (or building) their first catio is determining what funds you have available to put towards it. There are so many different styles of catio available that there are great options to suit any budget.
Available Space
Take a moment to assess the space available. A catio designed for a large yard isn’t likely to fit on an apartment balcony. However, there are options to suit both spaces! Decide where to set up your cat’s space and measure the footprint and available height. Don’t forget to consider the additional space needed to allow doors to open.
Number of Cats
Do you share your home with a single cat, or do you have multiple furry friends who will be sharing this outdoor space? If you are trying to find a catio that will accommodate several cats, you must consider both the space and the availability of the included features. A catio with only one bed and three cats may cause stress and fights between your otherwise peaceful family.
Some catios offer optional features that you can add or remove from the space, making it easier to customize to your needs. Check whether these customizations are available and determine whether additional features (like beds) can be purchased to add to the base design.
Fixed or Travel-Friendly
Are you looking for a cozy space for your cat to relax at home, or do you travel regularly with your furry friend? While most catios are designed to be set up and remain in a single location, there is a whole category that caters to pet-friendly travelers.
Catios designed for travel can be set up and disassembled quickly and easily, making them highly portable so they can come wherever you go. However, there are some sacrifices that you will need to consider, with most travel-friendly catios being smaller in size and less sturdy than a permanently constructed structure.
Access Points
Are you looking for a structure to bring your cat out to, or are you interested in installing a cat door to give your cat free access to the outside space? Do you need to be able to enter the catio for cleaning or to collect your cat when it’s time to go outside? Depending on your needs, there are many different styles of doors and ways to access the catio.
Ramps, Landings, and Other Features
What features would your cat prefer while spending time enjoying their new space? Do you want a catio with multiple levels and platforms for your cat to explore? Do they need ramps or stairs to use these vertical spaces? Does your cat have any mobility concerns that you need to accommodate?
Other features that you may find within a catio include:
- Feeding area where your cat’s food and water dishes can be secured
- A space for a litterbox (or two if you have multiple cats)
- Built-in toys or climbing structures for your cat to play
- Scratch posts
- A “kitty pool” for water-loving cats
- A seating area for the human family members
These features may be permanently installed in a catio or added to the space as you customize and decorate it. However, even if the feature will be added to the catio after it is installed, you will need to ensure that space is available for it. For example, you can’t set up a litterbox if there is not enough space to put it while still allowing space for your cat to move about their enclosure.
Common Types of Catio
Now that you have considered the different features you are looking for, it is time to consider which style of catio is best suited for your needs. Here are some of the more common types:
Catio Extension
Like a screened-in porch, these catios are permanently constructed as an extension of your home. The catio may be a full-screened area for both you and your cat, extending from a doorway for easy access. Alternatively, it may be built to simply sit against the wall of the home, requiring access through an installed cat door, a window, or an exterior doorway.
These extensions could be constructed from wood and mesh or wire caging, or from wire cage panels like the OutdoorCat Cages Enclosure. They are designed to be set up once and left in place.
Standalone Catio
Standalone catios are separate structures from your home. Like a small shed, they are built or set up on your property but are free from other existing structures. They usually require cat parents to bring their cats out to the structure when they want to enjoy some outdoor playtime, but they can also be set up with a tunnel to allow cats to access these freely as they choose.
Standing independently without the support of existing structures, these catios have to be made from stronger and more durable materials. Wood is the most common material—the Aivituvin Catio Cat Enclosure with Bridge Walks is a great example.
Window Box Catio
Smaller catios that are popular with those living in apartments or rental homes, window box catios extend out from the window of a house with supports installed underneath to hold them up. These are smaller than the first two examples but still offer a comfortable place for cats to lay out in the sun or birdwatch. Some RV owners will also install these from the side of their trailer or RV.
Catio Tunnel
These small, single-level tunnels are just large enough to allow cats to move about outdoors. They can be used on their own or in connection with other catio structures, creating a safe way for cats to move from the house out to the catio, or from structure to structure if you have multiple catios on your property.
Some cat parents will even set up extensive tunnels all around the exterior of the property, running along their fences, and other creative solutions to give their cats the feeling of being able to freely move around the yard while still offering a level of protection.
Portable/Travel Catio
A common choice for those who like traveling with their cat, portable catios are designed to be set up and taken down quickly and easily, making it easy to bring them along camping, to backyard barbeque, for park or beach days, and more.
The two most popular portable catio solutions are those that are set up like a tower, with multiple levels, similar to a tall tent (complete with poles), and pop-up-style mesh structures like tunnels or playpens that fold flat for easy carrying. We use both options during our camping trips for Pippen and Jinx, creating safe spaces inside our tent at night and outdoors around the campsite throughout the day.
I recommend the Outback Jack Play Tent Kitty Katio if you are considering a travel-friendly catio for your adventures.
Final Thoughts: Finding the Best Catio
Setting up a safe place for your cat to relax outdoors, soaking up the sun’s rays and bird watching to their heart’s content, is a great way to offer valuable mental and physical enrichment.
Just a few hours spent outside in the catio will introduce new scents, sights, and sounds. At the same time, it keeps them safely contained and protected from the many risks of being outdoors, including predators, vehicles, and more.
There are many different sizes, styles, and types of catio to choose from. With a little research, you will surely find the perfect solution to fit your budget and lifestyle.
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Britt Kascjak is a proud pet mom, sharing her heart (and her home) with her “pack” which includes her husband John, their 2 dogs – Lucifer and Willow – and their 2 cats – Pippen and Jinx. She has been active in the animal rescue community for over 15 years, volunteering, fostering and advocating for organizations across Canada and the US. In her free time, she enjoys traveling around the country camping, hiking, and canoeing with her pets.
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