I don’t know about your cats, but mine frequently enjoy watching the birds and the neighborhood through the sliding screen door. Sometimes they are stacked up, eager to get a closer look. Well, today I’m going to build them a mini catio which will allow them to come outside and be a little closer to nature because no cat is too over-privileged for their own catio.
What is a Catio?
You might ask, what is a catio? The term catio is a combination of the word cat and patio, and it refers to a safe enclosure that allows your cat to come outside and experience the outside world without being exposed to any real danger. It should be easy enough to construct, but we do have a couple of obstacles to overcome.
Challenges and Planning
First, if you live in a condo or an apartment, you may not be allowed to make any permanent modifications to the exterior of the building. Second, I don’t know if you can tell, but we’re three stories up, so not only will we not be able to build this way out in the yard like a lot of other people have done, but we also have to keep these guys safe from falling. The balcony where I’m sitting is all the space I have to work with. This should be quite a challenge.
Designing the Catio
For this catio to even fit on the balcony, You need to create a floor that’s two feet wide. Since You have to keep enough space to be able to access the balcony yourself, you can limit the length of the catio to two feet as well. So, you need a two-foot by two-foot base as well as a roof to keep them sheltered from the hot sun. Home Depot will be choice because they sell half-inch plywood pre-cut in two-foot by two-foot sections, so there’s a no-brainer.
Materials and Tools Needed
The corner supports will be four 2 by 2 inch wood planks. You’ll need a roll of screen to create the four walls, and You have to buy several of these 1 by 3 inch boards that you can use to reinforce the structure. You’ll also going to need a roll of outdoor carpeting. This is to create a connection between the catio and the existing balcony door, but more on that later. As far as tools, you need to collect:
- Some kind of a saw
- A drill
- Some wood screws
- Wood glue
- Maybe a sanding block
- Definitely a staple gun
- A handful of small clamps
- A couple of large clamps
- Screwdrivers
- A hammer
- A tape measure
- Some hinges
- Some kind of a gate latch
Building the Structure
First, You will start cutting the 2 by 2s down to three feet in length. These will become the vertical corner supports. Three feet of height should allow enough space for an interior elevated platform if you want to attach one later. start drill some holes and connect these to the corners of the two-foot by two-foot base with some wood glue, being sure to leave a half-inch of overhang. Then you’ll reinforce it with wood screws. By same way connect the roof.
Attaching the Screen
Now for the screen. It will need to be cut to three feet by about six feet so you can wrap it around three out of the four sides of the structure. You have to use a staple gun to attach it to all four of the vertical supports, making sure to pull it reasonably taut. If your cats are overly destructive or like to claw and climb, you may want to use something a little stronger like chicken wire for this stage. My cats do just fine with the existing screen windows and doors in the house, so I’m not worried about using the same material for the catio as well.
Reinforcing the Structure
Cut the 1 by 3 inch planks down to fit around the edges of the base and roof. Again, attach these with glue and reinforce with screws. These will help add stability to the vertical supports as well as give something else to anchor the screen too. Lastly, cut some three-inch feet to attach to the bottom of the floor to lift it up off the balcony deck just a little. This will help make the platform level with the interior floor.
Building the Door
All right, so here’s the basic structure. the fourth wall here is not screened in, and that’s because you going to build a door or a gate or something that goes on the front here that will allow you easy access to get in here and clean or to remove certain kitties if it’s past their bedtime and they don’t want to come in. So, moving on, that’s the frame will be attached with some screen.
Constructing the Gate
Constructing the gate. Built out of extra scrap pieces of wood, but that’s all right because most of this is going to be obscured by the balcony wall anyhow. So, it will hinge right on here. Build the lower left corner open so That the kitties can enter and exit.
Attaching Hinges and Gate Latch
Attach the door with three metal hinges so it swings open fairly easily, and on the opposite side, attach a gate latch to keep the gate closed. And there you have it. Time to try it on the balcony.
Positioning the Catio
Now finish setting the catio in position. they should be able to get in and out of it pretty easily. But now you need to ensure that they can’t squeeze their way past the screen door right here and gain access to the rest of the balcony. Now you can use some kind of Screen Cat Door or automatic cat door into the channel where the screen door closes or you can make screen extension by leaving a box space and build a box with one by three board. The air should flow through it. The mechanism should allow the kitties to flow through it.
Creating the Screen Extension
Fortunately, these one-by-threes actually slide perfectly right up in this screen door channel, so the design is what I telling screen extension, and it’ll have a hole at the bottom where the cats can get through. The edge of those boards can harm them, so I suggest add outdoor carpets with glue and once again a staple gun. If you are worried about them scatch this part. It doesn’t have to be super secure. It just has to be attached.
Fitting the Screen Extension
It should fit perfectly right up in there, you need to just fix the board with the space of the cat’s entrance. If you are choosing an Automatic door, same way fix the door with the cat’s entrance.
Inner setup
Designing your cat’s interior with attractive elements will keep your cats happy and active. Start by installing scratching posts to satisfy their natural urge to scratch. Include perches of varying heights to offer different vantage points and encourage climbing. A DIY tree can serve as a central play and relaxation area, with branches to climb and cozy places to sleep. Add a DIY ramp to provide easy access between levels and promote exercise By combining these elements, you create a stimulating and pleasant environment for your kitten friends.
