Catios - Outdoor Space for Indoor Cats

A recent New York Times story documented cat-loving New Yorkers who are giving up some of their precious outdoor space to create playgrounds for their feline friends. And it's not just a city thing. On her blog, Catio Showcase, Kate Benjamin has collected examples of these "catios" ranging from functional (basic screened-in porches) to fabulous (a 500-square-foot cat paradise with a fish pond, waterfall, rock tunnels and spiral staircase).

Benjamin recently completed her own catio, which took about two months and $5,000 to build on the back patio of her Phoenix condo.

"I had always wanted to create some kind of enclosed outdoor area for my cats so they could enjoy the nice weather but still be safe," Benjamin tells Paw Nation.

She first learned of the catio concept while visiting the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. There, hundreds of cats enjoy enclosed (and shaded) outdoor spaces with plenty of beds, scratching posts, climbing toys and cozy nooks for napping.

Benjamin's seven cats can access their outdoor space through a cat flap, and so far they seem to approve of their new territory. "The catio has a litter box, climbing shelves, scratching posts, beds, and loungers, so they spend a lot of time just hanging out, watching the birds on the neighbor's roof," Benjamin says.

Cat breeders are the natural market for catios, as well as multiple-cat owners. But Benjamin says the determining factor seems to be not the number of cats, but the devotion of the owner. "Many of the examples I've seen come from one- or two-cat households. I think people who really feel like their cats are members of the family -- or even like children -- are the ones who will go to such extents to keep their 'furkids' safe."

Benjamin, who writes about aesthetically pleasing cat products on her other blog, Modern Cat, says there's growing demand for nice-looking, pre-made outdoor cat enclosures. Several companies sell prefabricated catios and do-it-yourself kits, including Kittywalk Systems, SafeKitty, Just4Cats, Habitat Haven, Petco and Doctors Foster and Smith. But there's still room in the market for well-made products that will please both cats and their owners' design sensibility, Benjamin said.

Beyond their potential as a cat-pleaser or a goofy-looking home addition, catios might present a compromise for one of the most contentious debates in the cat world: Indoor or outdoor? Indoor cats have a longer life expectancy, and the American Veterinary Association encourages people to keep their cats indoors for safety from predators, diseases and being hit by cars. But on the other hand, some cat lovers argue that keeping cats indoors deprives them of needed stimulation, not to mention fresh air and sunshine. Catios promise all the fun of the outdoors with the safety of the indoors.

"A catio really is the best of both worlds," Benjamin said.

Tags: cat enclosure, CatEnclosure, Catio Showcase, catios, CatioShowcase, Living With Cats, LivingWithCats, moderncat