Benefits of building a catio

• Keeping your cats protected and keeping birds and small wildlife safe. No need to worry about your cats being harmed by other animals and outdoor hazards. Also, no need to worry about your cat getting stuck on a tree up high.
• Providing mental stimulation and cat enrichment. We're giving them spaces where they can enjoy and experience all the sights, sounds, and smells of the outdoors while remaining safe.
• Avoiding conflicts with neighbors. We may be fine with cats roaming our gardens and digging up dirt and leaving feces around, but not everyone is on board and doesn't need to be.
• Keeping your cat yours. This is a common problem with cats that find food and affection from multiple homes in their territory. You may be trying to keep your cat on a diet, but it somehow keeps getting fatter because it found a new source of food, a new can opener is available and might just claim your cat as their own.
• Decreasing conflict between cats. Especially between males, where your neutered cat might be at a loss from a tomcat that has seen some battles and has learned how to survive.
• Less stress for both your cats and you. You could always know your cat is protected and entertained. Stress is common in cats and is known for being the root problem of many health and behavioral issues. Your cats might conflict with other cats, dogs, and even humans that could chase them around. Not having to deal with all of that could save your cat and protect you from frequent vet visits and high bills.
• Reducing cat population. This may not seem like a benefit to some, but we want cats to have better lives in general. While you may keep your animal unspayed, are you willing to keep and find good homes for all the kittens that are born as a result? Unwanted litters are often left to fend for themselves. Also, nature is brutal and the amount of cat-killing viruses and diseases that easily spread around isn't something any of us like dealing with. If you're somewhere like Australia, you know that the only solution is decreasing the cat population, not adding more cat victims on top of a burning problem.
• Prolonging your cat's lifespan. The lifespan of a typical outdoor cat is 2-5 years, while the lucky indoor ones get to live 10-15 years on average, but could live up to 25 years if all the stars align.
• Ideal for transitioning outdoor cats into indoor. They could still hold onto parts of the outdoor life they've grown used to while being protected.
• Keeping feline obesity in check. Some cats need to be provided with a bit more space and enrichment to get them moving more and running around. They, just like us, get into a sedentary lifestyle from which they need to be nudged by more than just changing a diet.
• Keeping your indoor furniture, blinds, window screens, and plants safe(or at least safer). Cats are easily bored and can get frustrated and lash out at our stuff. They are also curious creatures that love to sunbathe, smell the fresh air, watch wildlife, and catch the occasional bug. All those things they try to do by climbing onto window ledges and peeking out the window.
• Extra space that provides a lot of enrichment. It can help alleviate behavioral issues including urine marking, clawing on your sofa, hissing, and attacking other cats in your home. A little outdoor space means a lot to a fully indoor cat. 

Additional safety benefits

Keeping cats indoors isn't always doable, but keeping them safe in an outdoor enclosure could be a win for all.
Cats chose to domesticate themselves and to live with us indoors. Since they've become such a fundamental part of our homes, families, and lives in general, we owe them unconditional love and safety. We should be keeping cats indoors for the sake of cats.
We, the cat crazy people, love sharing things with our feline friends. We enjoy sharing the simple things in life, like watching our cats enjoy the outdoor life, catching bugs, sunbathing, and rolling around on both grass and concrete in the garden, while we sip our coffee/tea.
There are numerous cases against cats and those issues aren't going away, so would you rather keep your feline friends safe and entertained or risk something bad happening?
It doesn't matter if you love wildlife, if you prefer birds to small mammals, or the other way around. What matters is that keeping cats "indoors" for the sake of cats is a universal answer to many issues of today.
Although, we might love seeing cats around, not all people feel the same and there's also a high risk of a cat getting snatched by other predators, hit by a car, or any other gruesome instance we come upon. And while the population of wildlife species keeps plummeting due to many issues unrelated to cat predation, cats are still a vital part of the problem all over the world. And some countries even had to resort to drastic measures.
More and more people are opting to install a catio space that lets cats experience all the sensations of being outdoors while keeping their potential prey at a safe distance.
The world is a big place but the cases for keeping cats safely contained are universal. You might have issues with big predators, or poisonous or venomous creatures in your area, some might have issues with traffic, while others could live in areas where cats are seen as nuisance and could get killed by humans. No matter the issues, we want to provide cats with both safety and entertainment, while giving them a taste of the outdoors.
Also, if you're living in an earthquake zone you want your cats to have a safe space away from the house, where the cats could hide and seek comfort in something that is known to them.

Catio - a safe space for everyone

And don't exclude yourself from the catio. That should be your space as well, something you could both enjoy if the given space allows it. Cats are companion creatures and most of them really enjoy being near you. You could be enjoying the crisp Autumn air, or a cool Summer breeze while reading a book and enjoying a drink, while your cats are doing their own thing.
As with everything in your home, your catio should give you joy. It should represent you and the needs of the cats, or any other creature you would be sharing the space with. And don't forget, catios will keep them safe also. It could be a bunny, a dog, or a child. Either way, keeping an enclosed area could give you peace of mind.

What to put in a catio

Catios should be spaces that will evolve with time. They could house pet-safe plants, be an awesome sunroom, and serve as safe areas for when you're doing chores or working from home. You could add a fountain or a small pond if your space allows it. Adding extra lights and details will make a place feel more like an extension of your home. Why not create a zen garden in the catio, a disco-themed space, a Hobbit-style dwelling, or something that makes you happy? You could decorate your catios with seasonal stuff. Options are pretty much unlimited and we would love to see what you come up with, as we're always looking for ideas for our own cats. 

Best cat shelves and furniture for your catio

However big your catio is, you should always provide your cats with high spaces. You could add a plethora of shelves for vertical and horizontal movement or add cat trees.
We're working and adding more furniture to the line constantly.
We offer different wall/mesh/frame-mounted cat furniture and all of our standard products can be made into outdoor furniture.
Cats love being up high as it gives them an excellent view of the surroundings. They will instinctively seek out places where they can keep a good lookout to ensure they're safe. 
Effectively using the space in a catio can be challenging as it needs to give your cats the freedom to explore different heights. Some cats are bush dwellers or cave dwellers by personality, while most of them are tree dwellers or high observers. They will look for the spots that suit them best at first, and with a bit of time they'll gain their confidence and they'll enjoy all the space and heights, so using the space efficiently can be detrimental. 

Catio furnishings and ideas

We created a new walkway system just for our catio section as we know that the outdoor spaces could and should be differently used than the standard indoor ones. Our catio walkway could be used as a redirection tool, as it can keep your cats from jumping to unwanted areas and redirect them to a path that was intended for their use. It's meant to be used as a cat-safe superhighway, connecting all the furniture pieces and creating a long run. The railing on it could be higher, especially if you have cats that have some health issues, are disabled or elderly, or if you have a larger number of playful kittens who are just learning how to move. It will prevent your cats from rolling over and minimize the danger when having furniture way up high.
We've opened our standard tunnel models and gave them extra windows on the mesh-mounting side, to fully maximize the potential views your cats could enjoy. Everything is made-to-order so we can close off any opening you might need or further customize any item.
In addition to the usual cat shelves with beds, we offer different hammock options which some cats would prefer because of the gentle sway and as the fabric conforms to their body, which they wind soothing. The shape also helps contain the heat. The swinging motion mimics the feeling of moving on tree branches, as helps with anxiety and promotes restful sleep. 
Our scratching post for the outdoors has now the tilted option for mounting it at any angle on the catio's frame/mesh. Scratching posts and cat trees in the catios are the perfect opportunities for cats to exercise their claws, flex their muscles, arch their backs, and mark their territory. Our scratching poles are built to last and the thick 12mm PP rope is super fun to shred, as they can fully sink their claws in and it produces a distinctive sound. The standard post can be placed vertically or horizontally, depending on the space and the type of cat.
Another thing cats love is bridges. We opted for the ones with wide brackets and extra carpeting. There are plenty of options to choose from and cats will most likely use them as hammocks, as they give great support, have that soothing sway and the one with artificial grass is extra comfortable for laying on.
Unfortunately, we keep seeing a lot of DIY and even professionally made catio shelves using open triangle brackets (shelf brackets with diagonal support struts), those with a triangle in which a cat's foot or a neck could get caught on with deadly consequences.
If there is an item you would want to see in your specific space, we do all kinds of bespoke designs, especially in unique and limited spaces such as catios. Having something mounted onto walls is easy, but having to create something for an unstandardized space, built material, and use, that's a problem for which we might just have more than one solution. There are many possibilities best discussed over e-mail.
All the items are best described in their listings, but if anything is unclear please contact us.

Why choose our catio furniture?

There is a clear lack of catio furniture that could be an extension of your personal space and style. We've been working out the details for years now and have finally opted to create our own series of catio furniture.
We've been working on creating a few options for mounting the furniture and testing just the right materials and paints. Every option can be personalized and made to measure to fit into your space. The catio spaces aren't usually standardized, so we're open to all the possibilities.
The designs are in our style, mostly based on a modified version of our wall-mounted cat furniture. The wood is waterproof birch plywood and is coated with paints heavily tested for outdoor use. In ideal conditions, we would advise keeping the furniture under a roofed area, especially if you're somewhere with heavy snow.
The scratching posts are wrapped with extra durable and thick PP rope. It won't absorb the moisture and disintegrate in the sun. The rope comes in a few varieties of colors. For more options please send a DM so that we can find the best color.
The fabrics we use are water-resistant and breathable, resistant to fading, UV light, and mildew. Made for outdoor coverings for furniture and come in a wide selection of colors.

We specialize in making unique and customized projects, so don't hesitate to ask us questions, as we can make almost anything work.