A Catio May Be Just What Your Backyard Is Missing! As a Gardener and Cat Mom, These Are My Top Picks

Cat lovers, listen up! One of the hottest trends in outdoor living this year is the catio. They let our feline friends enjoy fresh air as well as the sights and sounds of the outdoors from the safety of a small patio-like structure made just for them.

Cat owners know that most kitties love to explore outside. They’re wild little creatures who are meant to be in the great outdoors hunting, playing, and napping in the sunshine. But allowing cats in the garden or yard can be dangerous. That’s where the catio comes in. It’s the perfect solution for thoughtful cat parents who want to let their little fur ball experience all the excitement of the outdoors, but keep them safe – and keep local wildlife safe, too!

As a cat mom and gardener who spends a lot of time outdoors and wishes my cat could join me, I’ve been looking into catios for quite a while. Here’s what you need to know before adding one to your yard. Plus, I’ll share my top picks for cat-friendly gardens.

What Is a Catio?

A catio is a small enclosed structure designed for cats to safely experience a taste of outdoor living. They typically attach to your house. But many come with wheels so you can easily move them for use indoors or outside, like this stylish rolling catio from Amazon. Most catios include a window or door that you align with a window or door on your house so your kitty can easily move from the indoors to the outdoors as they please.

Catios come in a variety of shapes and sizes. There are small floating catios that hook onto the side of your house outside a window, like this catio from Amazon. Or there are larger three-sided catios, like this one from Amazon, that you attach to the side of your house like a lean-to greenhouse. There are many different types of catios available to suit every house, apartment, and cat’s needs.

Benefits of a Catio

A catio is a great way to let your feline friend get some outdoor play time in a safe environment. It’s dangerous to let cats outside in many neighborhoods because of cars, other cats, and wild animals. Coyotes, foxes, and other predators are common in many residential areas, even in urban locations. It’s wise to keep your cat indoors to protect them from these predators.

Cats are also territorial, especially males, and they will often fight other domestic and feral cats in the neighborhood. Growing up with outdoor cats, including one feisty male, we made several trips to the vet following late-night scraps he had with the other neighborhood tomcats. While it’s not a good idea to leave your kitty unattended all night in a catio, letting them outdoors in a protected space during the day keeps them safe from fights.

Catios also help protect local wildlife from becoming prey to our feline friends. If you’re a bird, chipmunk, rabbit, or squirrel-lover in addition to a cat-lover, then a catio will help protect all your favorite animals. Your kitty will be able to mock-hunt wildlife up close and outdoors where they can see, smell, and hear their prey. But they won’t be able to actually attack, keeping beneficial wildlife safe and your cat entertained.

Shop Top-Rated Catios

If a catio sounds like the purrfect option for your furry feline friend, here are some of my favorite options to try. I plan on adding one of these to my own backyard for my little wildcat this summer.