The wellbeing of their favorite animal is the priority of all responsible pet owners. What’s more, these people do their best to spoil their pets, as a sign of genuine care and gratitude for all the love they receive from them on a daily basis.

If you have a cat, you will be thrilled to learn about a recent pet trend that provides cats with their own place in nature, while they are still inside.

A catio is a safety porch, an outdoor cat enclosure made specifically for housecats.  All pets love to be outside, but without supervision, they can get stolen, injured, eat something that will make them sick, get into a fight with other animals, or run away.

Therefore, people tend to keep them indoors most of the time. Yet, animals want to roam free. Cats love to chase insects, and are naturally territorial. Moreover, they are prone to running away when they need to find a mate.

Therefore, screened cat patios are the solution!

Jean Hofve, DVM, a retired holistic veterinarian and creator of the cat health website Little Big Cat, says:

“Catios, cat cubes, and other such structures stimulate the cat’s brain. Cats are predators and predators are very smart. They are very good at problem-solving, and their emotional health is so important. Catios give them opportunities to see birds flying, to watch bugs crawling, and to feel the wind and the grass.”

Samantha Martin, a renowned animal trainer and “top cat” for the Acro-Cats, adds:

“The sun porch is climate-controlled and has lots of windows. We have run a tunnel between the sun porch and the screen porch so the cats can enjoy views and smells of the outside. At night, the cats are captivated by the moths and other bugs that fly around the porch lights.”

Catios are built as a box frame over a window, fitted with a screen, and made of a non-toxic metal or polyester netting, to be cozy and breathable.

These escape-proof enclosures come in many forms, window, patio, deck, or yard size, so your possibilities are countless!  You can even choose a larger one, which will include space for human seating.

They can stretch several feet across the wall of your house.

Place it on a spot where the cat can enjoy the view, and you can add pillows, toys, or blankets. Moreover, to improve the experience, you can add cat-friendly plants, old tree stumps, perches for climbing and scratching, and flower stems too.

Keep the platform clean, and include a litter box, snacks, and water.

You can make a catio on your own, or purchase one, and you can be sure that your cat will be more than grateful!

Sources:
petcentral.chewy.com
www.catssafeathome.org
catiospaces.com