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Ultimate catio for spoiled kitties

Matata

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I sold the 5 x 5 x 5 enclosure I bought for the cats when they were kittens and decided to screen in our back patio for them. It was finished this afternoon and the boyz are having a blast in their new space. Never one to be satisfied with a mere 20 feet of floor space, Taji jumped up to the top panel for a cat's eye view.

first step out.jpg

maliik peeks into kitchen.jpg

taji on top.jpg

exploration.jpg
 

Matata

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.

lots of space.jpg
 

missy

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Wow, how great for them Matata!! You are the best mommy! I think you cats are the most gorgeous animals I have ever seen. :love: Truly stunning and I love what you have done for them in their outdoor paradise! Please post lots of pics of them enjoying!! :appl:
 

Haven

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That is AWESOME, Matata! You have some gorgeous kitties!

My boys would love something like that. The three of them sit at the screen door all summer long and give us their best pouty faces. We put one on a long leash in the yard, but the other two won't tolerate it.
 

minmin001

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lucky kitties! spoiled indeed :love: :love:
 

Asscherhalo_lover

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Oh that's amazing! I would love to be able to do that for my kittahs!
 

amc80

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That's awesome! I'm pretty sure if I did that I'd never see the cats again...

Oh, yeah I would, they always make it well known when they are out of food.
 

Matata

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amc80|1337815193|3202091 said:
That's awesome! I'm pretty sure if I did that I'd never see the cats again...

Oh, yeah I would, they always make it well known when they are out of food.
Yep, and mine are starting to get antsy because dinner is in an hour -- but they start the "she's gonna forget to feed us" pacing a good 90 minutes before meal time.

Taji just banged on the door to be let in because he wanted to use the litter box. There's one on the patio but I guess he is a strict in door pee-er. LOL.
 

monarch64

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Oh wow! That is a fabulous set up for your kitties. So...question. How do you keep them from messing up or eventually tearing through the screens? Forgive me if that is an ignorant question. It's been a long time since I've had a kitty. :read: ETA: sorry, editing to add that I forgot to say what beautiful creatures they are!
 

movie zombie

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we used fine wire that is a lot heavier than screens. the mesh is about either 1/2 inch x 1/2 or 1 inch by 1 inch...would have to measure to know for sure. ours isn't a real patio as such but is an enclosed part of the deck with a cat door from the family room. we keep the litter boxes there as well. it is roofed with a clear material and we have removeable panels that go on in winter and come off in summer....actually, two are off now as the weather has warmed up.

Matata, it turned out great! a space where humans and cats can hangout.....ours is really only fit for the cats!
 

Matata

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monarch64|1337817371|3202119 said:
Oh wow! That is a fabulous set up for your kitties. So...question. How do you keep them from messing up or eventually tearing through the screens? Forgive me if that is an ignorant question. It's been a long time since I've had a kitty. :read: ETA: sorry, editing to add that I forgot to say what beautiful creatures they are!
There's a product called Pet Screen, vinyl coated polyester that's very strong. I was going to use that, but because of the small weave, it is somewhat difficult to see through. Instead I used a product called Super Screen which has a larger weave and doesn't block the view but is nearly as strong as the Pet Screen. The cats combined weight is 50 lbs and if they all chose to climb the same panel at the same time, it wouldn't rip.
 

Matata

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I put one of their cat trees outside the kitchen window and here's how I know it's dinnertime :bigsmile:

are you gonna feed us.jpg
 

lulu

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They're so cute-and obviously famished!
 

monarch64

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Thanks for 'splaining the screen to me, ladies! I knew there had to be something more than just plain old screen involved. :bigsmile:
 

movie zombie

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great picture of them looking in the window!

i love seeing the three of them together in the earlier picture.
 

yssie

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Matata that's AWESOME :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

I love the window pic too ::)


How do you stop them from climbing your screens - do they try? Yesterday Garett saw a bug on the awning and climbed the screendoor all the way to the top, and Alex followed him up and started playing with his tail, and then they both got their claws filed down!
 

Matata

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Yssie|1337826559|3202248 said:
Matata that's AWESOME :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

I love the window pic too ::)


How do you stop them from climbing your screens - do they try? Yesterday Garett saw a bug on the awning and climbed the screendoor all the way to the top, and Alex followed him up and started playing with his tail, and then they both got their claws filed down!
I practically wear a squirt bottle in a holster like a gunslinger and zap them with a stream of water and they get the point about climbing the screens. But, they do forget when a bug or bird goes by and that's why I bought the Super Screen. It would be a pain the butt if I had to replace the screens out there all the time.
 

kenny

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Matata, your cats are so beautiful.

Their markings reminds me of majestic larger wild cats.
 

Matata

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Thanks Kenny. I don't usually go for bred cats. Up until I got the Savannahs, all my animals were rescue. But when Matata died 4 yrs ago, I decided I wanted my last companion animals to be a bit different and I fell for those spots. I wanted a dog but decided against it so went for the next best thing -- cats who have dog-like personalities.
 

VRBeauty

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No way I''m going to let my Maya see that set-up! :nono: I'd never hear the end of it! :lol:

Matata - from a cat owner's point of view, that's just beautiful! I love that the kitties also have a way to stare at you and make you feel guilty when necessary - that seems to be vital to a cat's well-being!

Is the mesh you've used fine enough to keep out most insects?
 

yssie

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Matata|1337827348|3202259 said:
Yssie|1337826559|3202248 said:
Matata that's AWESOME :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

I love the window pic too ::)


How do you stop them from climbing your screens - do they try? Yesterday Garett saw a bug on the awning and climbed the screendoor all the way to the top, and Alex followed him up and started playing with his tail, and then they both got their claws filed down!
I practically wear a squirt bottle in a holster like a gunslinger and zap them with a stream of water and they get the point about climbing the screens. But, they do forget when a bug or bird goes by and that's why I bought the Super Screen. It would be a pain the butt if I had to replace the screens out there all the time.


Thanks Matata - we will have to look into Super Screen, we need to re-screen that door and several windows :rolleyes:
 

Gypsy

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What a wonderful treat for your babies. And goodness they are strikingly gorgeous bunch (I knew that alread, but these are new pics!)

I want to do this for my babies some day. We have a closed balcony that I can let them out on, there's no way to get off of it (well except jumping down several stories and they don't do that) and they love that, but your set up is like a cat's dream.

ETA:

THIS IS THE BEST PIC EVER!

file.jpg
 

junebug17

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Wow, that's awesome Matata!! And your cats are SO beautiful, I just love them!!
 

Loves Vintage

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Wow, they are gorgeous! Beautiful space for them! And, of course, love the dinner-time photo!! Haha!
 

StacylikesSparkles

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They are such beauties!! :) I LOVE that you gave them their own little screened in area...now I want to do this for George!

Oh and that picture where they are staring through the window? Yeah, I LOVE that! Those faces are so damn cute! :D
 

iheartscience

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SO AWESOME. When I buy a house again I am totally doing something similar! This is fantastic! And your babies are absolutely gorgeous...it's a shame you never feed them! :lol:
 

tammy77

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Your cats are SO beautiful and that catio is AMAZING! :love:
 

Matata

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VRBeauty|1337830111|3202305 said:
Is the mesh you've used fine enough to keep out most insects?
Most definitely. I am a mosquito magnet and wanted to be able to sit out in the evenings and not be used as a smorgasbord. This screen is the type used to enclose swimming pools and other large outdoor spaces for peeps who prefer not to share their lives with creepy crawlies, flying pests, and no see ums.

SuperScreen5.jpg
 

zoebartlett

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Very nice, Matata. Your cats are so beautiful. I never get tired of seeing Savannahs here. I never really considered that there'd be different types of screens but it makes sense.
 

Gailey

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Matata|1337818492|3202134 said:
I put one of their cat trees outside the kitchen window and here's how I know it's dinnertime :bigsmile:

Awesome project! And what beautiful kitties! We have a huge deck out back and a porch that runs the width of the house at the front. I would so like my husband to construct something like this. I am going to show him this thread when he comes in from work!

All they need now is a Cat Power Tower. You can see my guys on theirs here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sq3OFrasgq8

I'm not schilling. I have no affiliation with the company that supplied this awesome piece of equipment.
 
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