Hi so I'm in the process of finishing of my catio (the roof needs to go on and i need to finish painting it) for my two housecats and could do with some advice on what to put inside it to keep them entertained and comfy im already thinking of putting astroturf in on the ground so it's slightly more like outside for them and was going to build some climbing poles so they can get onto an elevated platform any ideas welcome. TIA

We have 6 cats, a couple are rescues. They once had a catio made out of our daughter old bunk bed. Worked pretty well for awhile but I had to Jimmy rig a tunnel to the catio. So of course we had 2 cats that had to find a way to escape and they did. I eventually took it down because they wouldn't stop escaping. So here we are about a yr later I purchased one on Amazon. Was pretty easy to build and we added a tower inside so they had more platforms and cozy spots to be on. They can enter thru the window, that way our puppy can't go into the catio. Please enjoy seeing my babygirl Winnie Winifred Sanderson checking the place out.

The top of this double decker catio is a prefab from Wayfair- and while it was just ok, Princess Waffles and Saint Benedict deserve more- so I built them an addition!!

Pretty proud of myself for learning how to use power tools to build it!!

Several leaves have already been harvested. My girls are high as balls. LOL!

Designed this catio myself around the existing posts on our front porch! Husband and his friend helped build it. The cats enter through a casement window so we can't leave it open and available to them all the time. A fact they are most displeased with since they adore their new space!

Hoping to find a way to put in some kind of lockable cat door that won't let the cold air out. Also planning to add vertical scratching posts!

Cat tax included 😻

If you’ve been following our journey for a while, you already know that our rescues are our absolute world. Every single thing we do is for them. But to be completely honest, things have been getting incredibly overwhelming behind the scenes lately, and I wanted to be open with you all about what’s going on.

To be honest, I feel so really tired, but there’s a part of me that keeps going on because this is what makes me happy too. Seeing them safe is everything.

A while back, we were thrown a major curveball. Our landlord told us we had to move because the property was being turned into a new apartment. We had to scramble and find a spot quickly just to make sure our babies had a roof over their heads. Because everything was so rushed, we had to settle for our current space.

It worked out for a while, and we tried our best to make it a home. But lately, we’ve been noticing that it’s just not working anymore.

Every day here has become a massive struggle. The water supply is completely unstable, which makes basic cleaning and daily care so hard. On top of that, the intense heat and the air pollution are really taking a toll on them, and it breaks my heart because this isn’t the environment they deserve to heal and thrive in.

But there’s another thing that’s been really tough on us: our supporters. We get so many beautiful, kind messages from people who want to come visit, spend time with the rescues, and volunteer. It warms our hearts so much, but the painful reality is that this space is just too small and limited to host anyone safely. It's so frustrating because we want you here. We want our community to be a part of this, to play with them, and to see the impact of your love firsthand.

Our rescues—and our amazing community—deserve so much better than us just 'making do.'

Because of all of this, we are officially searching for a better, larger, and permanent space. We want a true safe haven where they can breathe clean air, have stable water, and finally settle down for good—with enough room for our volunteers to finally come and visit.

To make this dream happen, we're going to keep sharing our stories here, and we highly encourage anyone who is willing and able to open a fundraiser for us. Even starting a GoFundMe on our behalf would do so much to help us reach our goals. Whether it's a birthday drive, a small business collaboration, or a personal initiative, your help would mean everything to us as we try to find this permanent home.

This is a massive undertaking, and to be completely honest, it’s terrifying. But we know we can’t do it alone, and we’re going to need our village now more than ever.

If anyone wants to open a fundraiser or a GoFundMe for us, please feel free to DM us so we can chat about it. If you have any leads on a space, or just want to help share our journey, please slide into our DMs.

Let’s build them the forever home they’ve always deserved. 🏡🐾❤️

TL;DR: I wanted to build a big ass catio out of wood but couldn’t afford the cost, so I went with PVC. Just added up what I’ve spent so far and it’s around $1500!! Feeling stupid and just hoping for some reassurance that it’ll end up okay. I’ve spent countless hours building this by myself, so please for the love of god, don’t be mean about it 😭. I’ve been dog piled on reddit recently and it sucks. However, ANY kind advice or thoughts for improvement are welcomed :)

Okay y’all. I’ve wanted to build a catio for many years. I’ve built and rebuilt multiple from wood in CAD programs, in different areas of our home. I’ve always been held back by the price of lumber in my area, the difficulty with finding nice enough reclaimed wood, and the fact that I would have to buy the cheapest wood, which never lasts outdoors (based on other projects I’ve done in our yard, even with paint or sealer, etc).

So I started looking into 3/4” PVC as an alternative. Mainly for cost (it’s super easy to find PVC pipes second hand where I live), but also because it’s WAY easier to work with by myself (I don’t have help with this project), it’s very flexible, you can get super creative with it, it’s easier to take down if we move and feels less permanent, it’ll last longer in Colorado weather. etc. What I didn’t know is that a lot of the fittings are kind of ridiculously priced. Like some cost more than a 3/4” 10’ tube??

I’ve spent damn near $1500 on this catio so far. I added it all up today and am kind of spiraling because I went this route mainly because of cost 😭. And I MUCH prefer the look of wood, obviously. PVC is a stain on the eye lol. But this thing is almost 30ft x about 11ft, so I think wood still would’ve been more? I also did end up having to adjust my roof plans. I wasn’t going to use corrugated PVC initially (and was going to cover it with hardware mesh) because of cost, but decided to just cover the whole thing because I’m already in so deep. I used EMT conduit for the roof too, so that was an extra expense. I thought about using wood but didn’t, for various reasons. I have some other plans for reinforcing it, but it’s actually pretty sturdy.

ANYWAY, I’m really needing reassurance that this will be okay, I’m not the dumbest dumb shit that ever lived, and it will probably actually end up being really sick. We obviously have plans to deck on the interior, grow some vines along it, etc.

Cat tax included.

Catio for apartment balcony

We finally finished the catio and our cats couldn't be happier!!

First time using a router template. I was pleased with the result. Just waiting for the kitties to honour my hard work 💩

Oversized one of a kind cat tree! Extremely sturdy, built to support 15 or more cats, making it suitable for high-traffic cat rooms. It stands approximately 7 feet tall and about 6.5 feet wide and is constructed to be long-lasting and durable.

Because of its size and weight, U-Haul or similar transport is required, and assembly is needed (with assistance available if needed).

This is available at a significantly reduced price, with openness to discussion for the right placement.
Contact Hannah
📧 bananasartcreations@gmail.com
📞 (253) 844-7110
📍 Pickup location: Canyon Road, Puyallup Washington

https://www.instagram.com/p/CjJUOEspqrH/?img_index=7&igsh=MWk1bGRiMWkyNWZ0eg==

Mi carpintero de confianza hizo este excelente trabajo para mis gatos 🐈‍⬛

Built this for the cats out of scraps and some pallets, even added a wood shingle roof to it. It’s connected to our screened in porch so they have access to it whenever!
My kids seem to like it as well lol

Made of 2x2s and 1x6s.