Catio access

Following on from last week's review, you already know we gave up on the cat fencing and got a catio instead. Installing the catio was only half the battle though. We then had to figure out a way of giving the cats independent access to it.

Don't get me wrong- I think even a stand alone catio is a great idea. But we all know cats like to make their own decisions, and taking them in and out of the catio multiple times a day can be an added stress you don't need. We had several months of this and it was a two person job carrying them both with a constant worry that they'd run out whilst the catio door was open. I'd frequently be late getting them back in on a busy work day, and I felt awful about the times they were frightened inside the catio and had to wait for me to get them out (a sudden hail storm and the sounds of a nearby wood chipper respectively).

If you're lucky, you can simply get a three sided catio and attach it to your back door. Unfortunately for us, our backdoor leads to a narrow passageway, as you can see in the photo below. Normally a regular catio tunnel would have solved that problem, but our back door opens outwards. Even if it opened inwards, I would have concerns we'd be tripping up over a tunnel in a door we also frequently use and the cats may escape whilst we're going in/out.

I spent a long time researching to find someone with a similar garden to mine who had a catio with access. Eventually, I found one. The catio installers had built panels going through the passageway with a tunnel linking to the catio at the end. I doubted we could do the exact same thing as the ground in that area isn't at all level, but I was more than willing to pay a professional to do it. With an idea in mind, we then proceeded to stage two where I contacted catio makers, then general animal pen makers, and finally carpenters. Every single one ignored my enquiry and I was getting increasingly frustrated. Next time round I will definitely get a catio installed by a professional so they can also create access!

So, stage three sadly fell to us. J is decent at DIY and I am hopeless. I like to think I can be creative though so I set about working out how to do an easier version of the professional job I'd seen. We ended up putting cat proof mesh over the passage way using fence brackets and anchors in the brick wall. As we couldn't use proper cat proof brackets, the mesh wasn't high enough and we had a lot of sagging going on. J managed to resolve this by bunching up the mesh on the fence as tight as possible and putting wooden brackets above the door where the mesh would catch each time it was opened/closed.

We then had to close off the end of the passage way, which we did with a catio door panel. I would have liked a full length door as I've hit my head on it multiple times when I'm in a rush, but it was essential we have a mesh only side on the left that we could stick a hole in through for the cats, so I had to make a compromise there. I did originally try to get a catio panel custom made, but as you can probably guess I had no luck with that either. I have definitely learned that if you want something done, do it yourself! As you can see the door didn't fit the gap so extra wood had to be added. Opal escaped through the side early on so poor J had to painstakingly carve the wood until it was a perfect fit.

The catio is just past the end of the passage way so we only needed a tiny tunnel. You can get smaller panels to make a rabbit run but these were still far too big for our project. Inspired by rabbits, I had a look at rabbit furniture and found a corner section intended to link up to other parts. Sadly the company I got it from has gone bust since. It needed to be treated first to make it weather proof as it was made for indoor enrichment. It didn't fit exactly so it's a bit of a Frankenstein's monster with a decking panel underneath it to raise it to the necessary height, and a cat flap surround to fill the gaps at either end. 

Once everything was drilled together, we finally had the scary bit of cutting out a cat sized hole in the door and in the catio. We started off small with the intention of enlarging it if needed, but they can both get through fine (it's 15cm by 15cm in case you're curious). We used simple PVC tape to cover up the edges which I intend to replace with black foam tape as it looks ugly and isn't as weatherproof as it could be. The cats have been happily popping in and out ever since.

I think it's less likely the cats can dig their way out as my neighbour on the side they have access to has slabs in the garden, but I wasn't taking any chances. I therefore used the stakes I was originally going to put the cat brackets on as ground barriers instead. They were too small to be used for their original purpose, and would have been useless even if I'd bought the right size as it turns out we have concrete under some of the pebbles rather than soil. They have great fun on these; walking like gymnasts and trying to reach insects lurking underneath.

It's great that the cats have a bit of garden access too as it means they can use their massive tent and tunnel still and they love sunbathing on the slabs when it's hot. The con is that it's not perfect. Mica has managed to escape a few times by climbing to the top of the door and messing with the mesh, so extra wood had to be drilled on and we have to check the staples regularly.

It's certainly not a professional job but it works(ish!)