Keep Your Cat Safe with a Catio | Cat Vet in Kirkland

Keep Your Cat Safe While Enjoying the Great Outdoors with a Catio

May 10th, 2017

Keep your cat safe while enjoying the great outdoors with a catio

Every cat lover wants to provide a stimulating, interesting life for their cat. Some people worry that it’s harmful to a cat’s well-being to keep him/her indoor only. However, letting a cat roam free outdoors carries all sorts of inherent dangers: traffic hazards and natural predators such as raccoons and coyotes lead to countless feline fatalities.

How can we keep our cats both safe and stimulated simultaneously? There are various methods, including leash training your cat (not exactly an aerobic walk for the caretaker), installing Invisible Fence ®, or building a catio.

One of the most exciting and useful trends for cat lovers is to create an outdoor space that is ideal for sharing with their feline friend. Known as a catio or cat patio, this is the perfect spot to enjoy life with a cat safely and peacefully. It could be the start of a fantastic new stage in any cat’s life.

All About Cat Patio Design and Enjoyment

Cats who stay indoors and are well looked after live longer. Typically, the lifespan of an indoor cat can reach up to an average of 17 or even more years, however; outdoor cats may have a lifespan average about two to five years. Another important consideration is that outdoor cats must have regular vaccines, including FeLV – feline leukemia – due to exposure to other cats; we don’t recommend that indoor-only cats with no exposure to other cats have this vaccine.

What is a Catio?

How can this be done in great style with a practical catio? This is simply an outdoor cat enclosure that the cat can’t escape from and that predators can’t get into. The enclosure can be made in any size and shape around a window, patio or yard. Sometimes, however, prey may find its way into the catio. I have personally had to rescue a field mouse from one catio, and that same catio also led to the demise of several birds. The size of chicken wire used can help prevent some prey from entering the catio. If your cat does catch and consume prey, alert your veterinarian so he or she can advise you about parasite treatment options.

Decorate It

It can be tremendous fun to decorate a catio with toys and bright colors that your cat will find appealing. If your catio is large enough, you can bring in elements from nature, such as a large tree branch, a tree stump, and river rocks or large stones. If you decide to bring plants into the enclosure, take care to use non-toxic plants – lilies are definitely on the list of plants to avoid. When in doubt, leave it out!

Enjoying a Cat Patio Together

Best of all, a catio is ideal for sharing time together. Peaceful moments and great games can happen in here at any time of day.

Time for a Catio?

As our dreary winter opens into a hopefully promising spring, it is time to consider an outdoor cat enclosure that makes your cat happy. This could be the finest thing to happen to him or her in his or her life to date.