Catio: Is it safe for them to be in it at night?

[terestrife]

To anyone that has a catio, is it safe for them to be inside the catio at night? My brother is planning to build me one. He is hoping they will love it enough to hang out there all the time.

lol  We plan on adding a door to a window to allow them access in and out of it. So they can be inside whenever they want to. We plan is to put it on our porch, so even though its miami, they will be shaded from the sun. If it gets too warm, i plan on putting on a fan.

it will also have an entryway in the front, for me to get inside. I plan on placing a lock on it.

Will it be safe for them to be there at night? Could someone sneak in, and hurt them before they have a chance to run inside? I know it sounds crazy, im just worried for my babys.

 

[Willowy]

If it's pretty sturdy, I think it's reasonably safe. Of course it depends on the crime rate and the location and all that. I think the cats will probably run inside if anyone starts forcibly breaking the lock or trying to kick through the fence.

 

[terestrife]

If it's pretty sturdy, I think it's reasonably safe. Of course it depends on the crime rate and the location and all that. I think the cats will probably run inside if anyone starts forcibly breaking the lock or trying to kick through the fence.

People have gotten into our yard to steal things, like bicycles, and things like that. We had a drunk guy jump over our gate and slept outside until we called the cops. He didnt try to hurt anyone, was just too drunk to know where he was. However, there are lots of neighborhood cats. I have never seen one attacked or harmed. I've befriended many of them, and see them everyday. What worries me is that Elsa will run from people, but Kitty is very trusting and allows everyone to pet her. im tempted to not even put a door, but i had wanted to put a litter box in with them.

 

[IndyJones]

The other thing is raccoons they can reach through the bars and grab the cat.

 

[kittens mom]

Unless you have super high quality pet screen in addition to a secondary extremely sturdy barrier the answer is no.

Raccoons, snakes and some insects and other reptiles might prove if not fatal dangerous to your home and an open passage could be a disaster for you.

My experience with coyotes is they can open anything if motivated by food. Even if you feel the enclosure is 100% safe it would be advisable to remove all food, food crumbs, water and litter boxes when you are not home or at night.

 

[abyeb]

How is it going to be built? Raccoons, as IndyJones said, can reach through bars. I've seen other styles of catios, that were more like a screen porch, but a determined cat could chew and/or claw through the wire screen. Not saying that this will be your cat, but I would be concerned about the neighborhood cats, especially if they feel like they have to "defend their territory". I'd reccommend keeping your cats in at night, just to be on the safe side. I'm sure that everyone will want to see pictures of this catio once it's done!

 

[FriendOfTheCatBoys]

Since you didn't provide any details onthe design and what materials will be used etc,any answer will be largely speculative. But here goes anyway.

Suppose you had big thick sturdy bars, yet appropriately spaced enough to render their escape impossible, vermin could come in. Someone could shove a stick or something through and hurt them. Insect bites/stings. The list goes on.

That is of course supposing something as solid as metal. Since it would probably be something flimsier than that, it would likely be even less secure.

We don't know what you're making this out of, what it will look like, or what sort of building or area you reside in. But something that would be for all general purposes foolproof , would be cost prohibitive. You need to look at what is being made and weigh the pros and cons and potential perils and gague for yourself what you are comfortable with and what level of safety must be met to satisfy that level of comfort.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

But something that would be for all general purposes foolproof , would be cost prohibitive.

Sadly true. I wanted "foolproof" for my then two new incoming ferals while they adjusted; the bonus is that in about eight weeks, when they finally join their Family in the main house, I'll now have a pleasant four bedroom guest house.

Afterthought: @basscat 's enclosure is foolproof:

You may think I'm finally worn out.....

but mostly that's because he stuck a Bobcat inside it.

.