Screened Cat Patios, ‘Catios’, are a Great Way to Keep Your Cats Safe

Catios are one of the hottest pet trends right now, providing a safe means of letting your pooches out to savor the beauty of the environment without actually being outside [1].

It’s not a cage. It’s a safety porch.

It’s common to find people who keep their pets holed up indoors all year long, only letting them out under full supervision. While pets love the outdoors a lot, they can easily be stolen, get seriously injured, eat something and get sick, get into violent fights with other animals or simply run away for several reasons. 

Thousands of pets are stolen from their home surroundings every year, and it’s only natural for their human owners to want to keep them indoors. However, animals deserve to be free to roam the premises of their homes, and cats have a deep love for chasing insects and butterflies. 

When you own a cute furball at home, you’d immersed into a whole world of hilarious and sometimes annoying drama. While dogs are loyal and usually servile, cats never fail to flaunt their attitudes and bounce all over the place. They may be domesticated, but they are still core members of the feline family. They are naturally territorial and do not like to share their “home perimeter”. It’s common to find your cat becoming more reclusive and aggressive when a new pet comes into the home, or even when a new child is born. 

Reproduction is another reason why your cat would want to run away [2]. When they’re in heat, their senses become sharper and they can detect nearby cats. Even if they don’t, they’d become greatly irritable, and sooner or later, they could run off to find a mate. The solution to this, of course, is to spade or neuter your cat.

Read: Poodle Cats: Yes, They’re a Thing

Screened cat patios – Catios

If you’re worried about letting your cats out of the house without supervision, screened pooches might be the perfect solution for you [3] . 

The catio is built as a box frame over a window in your home, fitted with a screen that could be made of a non-toxic metal or polyester netting. It should be completely breathable and comfortable. The window is merely a gateway as the patio can stretch several feet across the wall of your house. It’s important to choose a spot where they can get to enjoy all the happenings in the environment.

This idea is simple and yet so perfect. Cats are great nappers, so you could fit blankets, pillows and their favorite toys into the catio. You won’t have to worry about your furball falling asleep outside and being an easy target for cat-nappers.

To make the experience even better, you could position some flower stems and plants around the catio. Some people would go on to introduce butterflies into these flowers so the cats will never get bored.  

For the best catio practices, always ensure the platform is kept clean. You could include a litter box if your cats would have a hard time getting off the catio to do their business. Ensure they have lots of water and snacks and never leave them out when it’s too cold or too hot.

If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, you could make one by yourself, and it’s really not that hard. There are DIY Catio Plans available for purchase. If you don’t need one attached your home or a window and are simply looking to improve the outdoor space for your cat, consider a Cat House. Don’t worry, you won’t be spoiling them… much. 

For more info on Catio’s visiting CatioSpaces.com

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