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Cattio

 
rocket scientist
Posts: 6341
Location: latitude 47 N.W. montana zone 6A
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Hi all;
We live in a tiny 100-year-old cabin with a few additions, maybe 600 square feet.
We also have nine Persian cats and a #130 mastiff.
Sometimes it seems a bit crowded...
Liz has been after me to build an outdoor area the kitties could access. (A Cattio).
I finally had the time with my broken wrist, to work on projects like this.
Not my best work as one-handed carpentry can be difficult.
I also had to pay attention to my wife about being on a ladder...
No matter, I persevered and got it built.
In typical cat fashion, so far, they have barely gone into it...
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pollinator
Posts: 5355
Location: Bendigo , Australia
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What do you do for water?
Do the cats kill local wildlofe, its a huge problem in Australia.
 
thomas rubino
rocket scientist
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Location: latitude 47 N.W. montana zone 6A
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Hi John;
Feral cats can be a problem in some locations.
These kitties are pussy cats... they live indoors only.
Although they do from time to time catch a mouse, they do not know what to do with it.
Often dropping said mouse only to have it make an escape...  With nine cats, they rarely survive.

So our cats simply walk back indoors to get a drink and a bite of kibble, with no degradation of the local critter population.
 
steward
Posts: 16081
Location: USDA Zone 8a
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Hi, Thomas

That is a great idea.

Years ago dear hubby built a platform for our daughter's cat so she, the cat could look outside.

Our cat love to look out the door when she is too scared to go outside.

It looks like there is a sliding window that can be closed in winter to keep out the cold.

Thank you for sharing your neat idea.
 
master gardener
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Location: Carlton County, Minnesota, USA: 3b; Dfb; sandy loam; in the woods
1634
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We've had two catios. The first one I just threw together over a weekend with no planning and mostly scrap material. Then we moved a couple years later.
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Christopher Weeks
master gardener
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Location: Carlton County, Minnesota, USA: 3b; Dfb; sandy loam; in the woods
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Our second catio is built around the "front" door that was never going to be used anyway. It's really my daughter's project but I might have done as much as 1/4 of the work.

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gardener
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Location: Winemucca, NV
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they may be more inclined to go into it if the roof was transparent so that they could lay in the sun, and also if the deck was carpeted or otherwise like a scratching post. Multi levels might also help.
 
thomas rubino
rocket scientist
Posts: 6341
Location: latitude 47 N.W. montana zone 6A
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The roof is smoke transparent.
They did not like having an open sky above them, adding the smoke roof made them feel more secure.
After all, these are Persian cats... not known for their bravery or hunting prowess.

An appropriate size indoor/outdoor piece of carpet is already ordered.
There are two perches they can use but haven't yet.

As time and materials present themselves improvements and enlargements will happen.

Thinking of adding a cardboard box, always a kitty favorite!
 
pollinator
Posts: 3090
Location: Meppel (Drenthe, the Netherlands)
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Fun names have such buildings for cats! Here it's a 'catio' (or 'cattio') and somewhere else it's a 'catarium'.

My son and his family now live in a neighbourhood that isn't safe for cats. They have two cats. Before they moved into town, they lived in the countryside; the cats were used to go outdoors as much as they liked.

There was a little veranda at the backside of the house. My son changed it, put chicken wire at all sides. Now the cats can go through their little cats' door into this cataranda (I just made up that word), their safe place outdoors.

I hope I'll think of making photos to show you.

 
pollinator
Posts: 112
Location: The soggy side of Washington
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Nine Persians?! How glorious!!
I have 6 ferals that were caught as kittens and are now indoor kitties. The oldest is 14 or 15 years now. When we moved to our currant location, my husband installed a cat door in our bedroom closet that goes outside to a 5 by ten foot kennel with all the litter boxes in it. It has worked great for ten years! They can lay out in it and watch the farm go by, or lay on the couch and snore the day away. I wrapped the top and bottom of the kennel with chicken wire and he built a solid roof over it. Then we put what is essentially astroturf down for a floor. It's easy to clean. I had a small willow tree die on me and I put the trunk of it in also as a super scratching post.  I planted hops along one edge so at the height (and heat) of summer, they are in dappled shade and it looks pretty from the outside. Plus, I get lots and lots of hops!
 
Inge Leonora-den Ouden
pollinator
Posts: 3090
Location: Meppel (Drenthe, the Netherlands)
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Finally I made a photo of the 'cataranda' I mentioned before. Seen from inside out. The cats are not in there (they were with me in the living-room), but you can see the cat-toilet. And some other cat-stuff.
Behind it you see the back-yard. At the outside of the cataranda there's a pallet-divan, a place to sit close to the cats; that's where the coloured lights are hanging.

 
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