Catios! Taking the Great Outdoors to your Cat!
When my husband and I moved to a more country like setting 20 years ago, the first cat that we adopted, Pookie, was an indoor cat for 14 years. We were terrified to let her outside where coyotes, mountain lions and bobcats sometimes roamed. When we adopted our next cat, Gabby, my animal communication studies had progressed and it was clear to me that an indoor Gabby was going to be a very unhappy cat.
We practiced with the other students animals in that class and on a weekly basis one of my fellow students would tell me how desperate Gabby was to get outside. It continued to escalate, with her placing herself in positions where she could escape on a regular basis. Finally, I had a frank discussion with her. I explained all the potential dangers of being outside. She was not deterred and continued to be insistent. I educated her about what to look out for, including hawks and owls that could swoop down from above.
Finally I gave it a go during the daytime for a short while after spending several weeks of walking her through the yard, showing her the boundaries and the places I did not want her to frequent. My fellow students reported to me that Gabby was ecstatic. There was no going back for me. I am aware that many will disagree, but understanding the wise, sentient nature of animals and having done my due diligence of alerting her to potential dangers, I decided it was better for her to have a shorter, happier life than a long miserable one.
Gabby was never attacked or injured and died six years later from a congenital heart condition. All the neighborhood cats were terrified of her and I once witnessed her beating up a fox that was making her home in our yard. I have since adopted two kittens and purchased a large catio for our back deck. They love to go out and have a wonderful time watching the birds, gophers and other wildlife on the property.
Catios come in all shapes and sizes and are made out of diverse materials. Many are constructed with inexpensive wood, some with plastic and many less expensive catios are composed of clothlike materials and netting. There is literally a catio for every price range. You can spend 100’s of dollars on large, super sturdy ones, but an inexpensive one that is smaller and has netting or get something in-between. If you just have netting, you will want to stick around when your cat is outside since it won’t protect them from predators.
The catio I purchased from Amazon does a great job with lots of room for the kittens to move around in, multiple perches and is made out of a cheaper wood that is sturdy enough to keep them protected. I still hang out with them while they are in it. I bought it on sale and Amazon has it for $209 these days. The link, if you would like to check it out is https://www.amazon.com/Aivituvin-Catio-Outdoor-Enclosure-Mulitiple/dp/B0CX8Q8WK8?pd_rd_w=vWyUz&content-id=amzn1.sym.528bfdfa-ea96-478b-a7d9-043e650836af&pf_rd_p=528bfdfa-ea96-478b-a7d9-043e650836af&pf_rd_r=0G52WAJFPR1CHR5FK2BB&pd_rd_wg=eciBw&pd_rd_r=9a2ebec9-2aa0-4d0a-b642-b922811e957b&pd_rd_i=B0CX8Q8WK8&ref_=pd_basp_d_rpt_ba_s_1_t&th=1.
I encourage you to consider purchasing or making a catio or some other safe, type of outdoor enclosure. If a catio seems too much, you can also purchase a playpen like structure for the outdoors. Your cats will benefit both from the stimulation and the sunshine!