What to put in a catio?

[CormorantStrikesBack]

Cats obviously. But am thinking more along the lines of what type of shelves, rope bridges, etc? It’s getting installed next week, will be quite small. It is coming with three “peg steps” to help them climb up to a long shelf, then there will be a corner shelf.

im thinking I need more shelves? If you have cats and a catio what are the most popular things? Would a hideaway box be good or do they prefer sunning themselves on shelves?

We have 3 built in shelves that they love climbing and resting on. One of ours likes hiding at ground level so we also have some planters on legs she can lurk under. There is some cat grass in pots and a tall scratching post. We add different things to vary their experiences. Two basic garden chairs have been a hit today - for sitting on and ‘hiding’ under. We have a water bowl - changed daily- and a covered litter tray in case the cat flap jams and they can’t get back into the house quickly. We ‘lost’ one cat yesterday for 30 minutes. She was hiding in a cardboard box we put out for a change. I wish we had added more shelves and walkways when we had it installed tbh but they love it. Carpet tiles are great for them to Sun themselves on - and for scratching.

Fabulous thankyou. Love the idea of carpet tiles and some cheap garden chairs, wouldn’t have thought of that! I’m currently growing some cat grass.

DSIL has coveted her shelf in fake grass. The cats seem to like it. How about growing some cat mint in a pot and putting that in there from time to time?

I read outdoor carpet is good for the shelves, might be less prickly than plastic grass? Cat mint a great idea. One of mine is always chewing the herb plants in the kitchen.

Carpet sounds good. You might have to varnish the shelves first or the soggy carpet might rot them.

Love the idea of your DCat chewing your herbs. Maybe you could grow a little selection for them?

Cat nip is easy to grow!!
Make a little sail from some tarpaulin as a shadey /dry area...

It’s having a Perspex roof put on it. I know it won’t be completely water tight as the sides are open but hopefully it might offer a bit of protection.

Sounds very fancy! I'm sure your DCats will love it. DH built ours out of some old wood and a roll of chicken wire!

I made an outdoor scratcher by putting quick drying concrete into a big bucket and setting a round wooden pole into it and covering with rope.. I left enough room for some soil and grew cat grass..
plastic Chair for them to laze on
hanging feeding bowls ( google parrot bowls) and put treats in them to encourage them to work for treats
plastic shelving works well- the garage sort
Hanging things from roof- sun catcher style

This is ours from start of year. The mud patch is now grass and I've grown some more grass in the empty planter. There's also a couple of corner shelves you can't see. One chair has been removed but he does sit on the other. There is a scratching post underneath that you can't see. And also a little outdoor pillow that he likes to sleep on. He's not too keen on the gravel hence the ladder on the floor and welcome mat 😂. There was cat mint in one planter and a herb in the other can't remember which now

Some great ideas thanks. Will definitely try the DIY cat scratcher in a bucket idea.

Sadly dh did not seem keen on the idea and my DIY skills aren’t up to it at all! I didn’t even get a flat pack one as it will sit there for ages. A man is doing the whole thing…..and the construction is complicated by needing to cut round drainpipes, etc or I might have had a go at putting a flat pack one up myself 😁