A catio or catmosphere is a great expression of love for your cat — a safe and fun place where your cat can be fully cat.
Cats love watching movement as they sniff the breeze and listen to bird chatter. They bask in the sun. They jump, wrestle, play, and run. They pretend-hunt. These are some of the greatest joys of being a cat.
A good window offers some benefits, but for a rich experience, along with greater exercise options and fresh air, a catio is the way to go. There are creative solutions to have some kind of catio in just about any space. Contact us for a free consultation.
A few recent examples:
- an extension of the height of a balcony's railings to make a cat-safe hangout
- an enclosure within an existing patio that connects up to the window for access
- a lookout atop a railing/fence zone where feline escapes were occurring
- a window box with a connector to a catio zone where people and cats hang out
Where feasible, larger spaces can provide outdoor relaxation for people and their cats together—check out this ongoing collaboration with one of our customers:
Elizabeth found a bargain on a second-hand standalone catio structure. She then had us do the custom work to modify it, build the window box, connector tunnels, runways and lookouts. Next she had fun doing the interior décor and furnishings herself. Now Almond and Peanut enjoy a safe wonderland, providing unparalleled vistas of their leafy domain and surrounding backyards — and Elizabeth has fun watching their antics!
Elizabeth sourced the structure on the left through Facebook Marketplace — we helped modify, design and build the window box, connector tunnels, and lookouts
After some fun additions!
The connectors are half the fun.
A fine place to spend a sunny afternoon.
For many situations, a standard free-standing catio similar to the one shown below works beautifully, especially with the window insert and connecting bridge allowing easy cat-friendly access. For this project, we provided design and build on all parts. As you can see, Malcolm was all over it immediately!
A catio, connector and window insert, ready for action!
Malcolm wastes no time in exploring his new playland.
Sniffing is important, too.
Time to have a look over the wall!
For this project, a need arose when the cats developed a risky curiosity about the wider world. For their safety and enjoyment, we secured the gate and deck, while also providing a railing-top lookout.
We came up with a low-footprint solution that didn't take up any space that was already being used. The cats, Pancho and Marnie, are so thrilled with their two-level lookout that they don't mind having their escape plans foiled.
For those in apartments, often it's a matter of extending from the patio railing up to make a safe and secure enclosure. Detailed drawings and mockups may be provided for strata or landlord approval where required. We have provided a variety of apartment deck enclosure solutions, such as the two examples below.
An apartment deck secured for safe cat access.
Zagreus awaits his feathered friend, a crow who visits the little feeding and perching platform built in on the left.
There are many possibilities when it comes to catios! And we enjoy the creative challenge of unusual spaces and special requests — if you don't see what you're looking for, ask us — we'd be glad to hear from you. Or, check out our recent projects pages to see more examples of our recent work.