Hammock day in the catio
Home Real Estate Guide Editor
Hammock day in the catio
In case you’ve never heard of “catios” — I hadn’t — catios are enclosed outdoor spaces or patios for cats. They are designed to keep cats safe while they’re experiencing the sights, smells and sounds of the outdoors and feeling the sun and wind on their bodies.
A cat’s natural instinct, like every other animal’s, is to be outdoors. And, like all other animals, including humans, cats need plenty of physical exercise and mental stimulation to stay healthy and happy. Catios provide cats the safety and security they need in order to play, socialize and nap outdoors.
Veterinarians, cat rescue shelter personnel and volunteers, and operators of cat boarding facilities endorse catios. Why? Rather than allowing cats to freely roam outside, a catio is the best way to keep them safe from vehicular traffic and predators, such as coyotes, bobcats and snakes. Additionally, free-roaming cats wandering pose a serious threat to wildlife, especially birds. According to the Wildlife Management Institute, the average pet cat kills 34 birds a year while a feral cat kills up to 46 birds annually.
What should cat lovers consider when thinking about buying or building a catio for their cats? First and foremost, catios need to be designed and constructed so a cat cannot escape and other animals cannot get in. Moreover, they need to be constructed without materials that can hurt cats, such as sharp, wire fencing. Catios that are safe and appealing to cats include:
• objects for the cat to scratch, such as natural, branched tree limbs
• multi-level surfaces so the cat can observe the outdoor world from different vantage points• privacy areas in which the cat can take a nap or a self-directed timeout
• materials such as wooden frames, galvanized wire and two-to-three-inch fabric mesh; if the cat is blind or disabled, there should be guardrails so it can move safely from one level to another
• ground cover, such as cedar mulch, with pavers for flooring rather than rugs
• toys and bells to keep the cat stimulated and entertained
Santa Fe, Albuquerque and their environs are fortunate to have “The Catio Man,” Gopal Phil Sittnick, a professional catio builder (www.cat-ioman.com). With 30 years of building and construction experience and his own lifelong love of cats, Sittnick specializes in custom-designing and building catios “that provide safety, enjoyment and a better quality of life for your cats.” He says his goal is “to make your catio your cat’s favorite place to be.”
Typically, Sittnick’s catios are freestanding structures adjacent to the house but not attached to it. That way, the cat owner doesn’t have to think about building codes and ordinances, HOA rules or other regulatory requirements. (Via a flap-covered tunnel from inside the house to the outdoor catio, cats move in and out of the catio on their own.)
Clearly, Sittnick has found his niche, and cat lovers have found him. Jim, a longtime cat lover with seven cats, says that his cats use their large catio daily. “It’s great exercise for my older cats, and my younger cats are buoyant. It’s also fun to watch them enjoy themselves so much.” Santa Fean Gabriela describes her Sittnick-built catio as fantastic. Before having the catio, her cats would watch her dog play outside from inside the house for hours on end. “It was like my cats were asking me, ‘Why can he go outside and we can’t?’ Now, everyone can be out-doors safely and I don’t have to feel guilty.” Finally, there’s his customer Rebecca, a relatively recent transplant from northern California. She says she was lucky her then free-roaming cats were unharmed while there. “Now, with the catio, I don’t have to worry day or night. Gopal’s a good builder who makes a great product. I now trust that my cats can be outside whenever they’d like.”
If you’d like to build your own catio, google “DIY catio spaces” for ideas and plans.
Home Real Estate Guide Editor
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