OUR CATIO BUILD
Catio update! ☺️
Our catio is coming along nicely. It’s about half way done now; this is one of two identical “houses” that will be connected by a 20 foot cat tunnel. They each sit on a 6 inch raised deck to keep them dry and mud free this winter. I also added high quality, quick draining fake grass to avoid it ending up full of fox tails by next summer (if I used real grass). There’s also a level of “air drain” underneath the grass that allow for ventilation, which is supposed to keep pets cooler in hot summer months when they are lounging around on it.
For bedding, I added some self heating beds to the boxes on the shelves, the elevated green thing in the photo is a heated and water-proof cat house; each of the two catios has one that will go inside. I also ordered heated “donut” cat beds that should be here tomorrow. The reason I thought these would be perfect is because I regularly see Mocha laying in the pasture (field), curled up in a little ball, even in the dead of winter, so I thought that something he could curl up in, would feel comfortable, familiar and safe to him. For now, I’ve been using heated blankets and pads as a makeshift bed for Mocha to curl up in anda they are doing the trick. Oh I also added a camera with two way talk and a treat dispenser, so I can keep an eye on him from inside the house! The first night I was notified that he had a visitor! I don’t know what it was but there were glowing eyes looking in at him from the outside! I comforted him with the voice feature and that simultaneously scared the animal away. The catios each also have multiple shelves and 2 bridges to climb and play on and of course a nice BIG litter box! A portion of each catio (1/2 of it) has a covered roof to make it rain/weather proof from above - I obviously chose the side where I have all of the beds and stuff for that - and the rest is fenced but “open air” so it gets sunshine and feel less like an enclosed “box”. I also purchased tarps for extra rain/wind coverage, we put them up on the side where the beds and electrical cords are and only on the bottom half so it still feels open - even though the cords are secured in a waterproof cord box. I thought that adding some planter boxes in one of the catios would be a nice touch, so I purchased two; one will have cat grass and the other cat nip.
We made sure to set it up right next to the barn so we can plug everything in that needs to be plugged in that provides warmth in the winter and fans in the summer. Also because the barn walls can provide extra coverage from side winds and rain. We aren’t keeping Mocha in it full time yet because I want to break him in slowly, so he likes it. He HAS been sleeping in it for about 6 days now though and does seems to like it (yay!!). I’m truly hoping this is a gateway to making him an indoor kitty. After almost 12 years outside though, he really does love his freedom. When we try to bring him inside, he yowls and cries and desperately searches for a way out. Again, I’m hoping that with time and a lot of patience, this can be a gateway to making him an indoor kitty one day. 🙏🏽 For now, this catio secures his warmth and safety for at least 10 hours a day (technically night) and I will take that. It’s also always available for him to enter at any time during the day if it is rainy or snowy, which hasn’t happened yet this season but we will soon find out if he chooses to find refuge in it during those times, I’m hoping he does.
The second half of the catio should be finished in about a month and I will post an updated blog post with all of the final photos. Be sure to check back in to see how it all turns out! :D
