If your house has a porch then you’re in luck. It’s the perfect space for your cat to relax and play in safety!
All you need to do is either install a catio kit or build your own DIY catio and you can turn your porch into a porch catio in no time!
What Is A Porch Catio?
A porch catio is an outdoor cat enclosure situated in the porch area of your house.
It gives a safe space for your cat to enjoy the fresh air and have a feeling of being outdoors within the safety of an enclosure.
Cat’s need a range of activities and spaces in their lives to prevent them from becoming bored. Indoor cats in particular can suffer from the lack of time outside in natural habitat.
Catios, also called cat patios or cat enclosures, are a fantastic way to provide environmental enrichment for cats.
They allow your cat to be outside with fresh air and space to move, jump, lie down or generally ‘hang out’, whilst at the same time be protected from some of the dangers of the outside world (cars, other animals, poison etc).
How To Create A Catio Porch
Broadly speaking, there are 3 ways you can build a porch catio:
- By installing a ready-made catio kit
- By building your own custom DIY catio
- Hiring a local carpenter/ handy person to build a custom catio for you
As you might imagine, the cost increases as you go down the list.
1) Porch Catio Kits:
Ready made kits or enclosures are the cheapest and simplest option. They usually come flat-packed through the mail and are designed to be put together just using a few simple tools at home.
The downside to them is they come is standard sizes, so you need to find one that fits your space and the chances are it won’t fit exactly, so it’ll be more like placing an enclosure or cat cage within the space of your porch, rather than enclosing your whole porch.
-> Check out our favorite Catio Kits here
Habitat Haven make a wide range of high quality pre-designed catio kits. They have smaller models like The Room With A View that can attach to a window or balcony, and larger options like The Great Escape which is surely a cat's dream den!
2) Building a custom DIY Porch Catio:
Building your own porch cat enclosure gives you a lot more flexibility to design it exactly as you wish.
Many people choose to section of the whole of their porch with wire mesh or netting, so they can sit our in the porch themselves alongside their cat. You can make it fit the space you have, meaning your cat will probably end up with more space.
The obvious downside is that you need to be good at DIY, and have the time to do it. Plus, it will probably end up costing you more than just buying an off-the-shelf kit.
-> Check out our guide to building a DIY Catio here
3) Hiring A Carpenter/Handyperson To Build a Custom Porch Catio
There are some carpenters out there who specialize in making custom catios, but you can also just hire a non-specialist local carpenter or handyperson to do the job too.
You need to show them what you’re wanting, talk through the design and materials and then oversee the work to make sure it’s what you’re looking for.
The result is a really nice porch catio which you don’t have to build yourself.
The major downside is the cost, which is likely to be thousands of $’s between materials and labor, plus you’ll need to find the right person to do the job.
Porch Catio Ideas & Examples
It’s always good to get inspiration from others when embarking on a project like this. Check out these porch catios example from around the web:
For more ideas and inspiration, check out the amazing catio kit designs over at Habitat Haven:
Habitat Haven make a wide range of high quality pre-designed catio kits. They have smaller models like The Room With A View that can attach to a window or balcony, and larger options like The Great Escape which is surely a cat's dream den!
