Keep your pet safe and happy with a catio. Source: catiospaces.com.jpg
Here’s an interesting idea for cat owners worried about their kitty eating all the birds in the neighborhood or risking being run over by a car or carried off by a predator every time it leaves the house: the catio, an enclosed cat patio. It’s the height of fashion in New York City and is now gaining popularity in Paris as well. Why not at your home?
And please, do not confuse “catio” with “cage.” The catio is a large enough enclosure to allow the cat to play, relax in the sun, climb and observe birds (without being able to kill them, however). I’m already assuming your kitty has access to the interior of your home much of the time, so he’s not cramped for space. Now, though, he can enjoy spending untold hours out in the open, yet sheltered from all the dangers that make the free-ranging cats’ lives so short*.
* Life expectancy of a cat allowed to wander: less than 5 years, life expectancy of a cat kept safely confined: up to 18 to 20 years. Source: www.mobilespca.org
Ask your veterinarian for their opinion: you’ll discover they consider a catio is one of the best services you can give your cat.
The catio must contain, of course, a shelter from the sun and rain, toys, a litter box (if pussy doesn’t have access to one in the house) and a regularly renewed bowl of water. The ultimate catio is one offering entrance to the home through a cat door, so that your feline can enter and leave as he or she pleases. And put out a pot of cat grass, just to make things purrfect!
With a catio, your cat will be both happy and safe. So what are you waiting for to build one?
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