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Catio Project |
Now that our kennel expansion is complete, attention has turned to the cats and how we can give more of the cats access to the outdoors in nice weather. We don't keep our cats in crates or cat condos. They live in an environment that is as close to a home environment as possible. As part of this it's nice to give the cats an opportunity to safely enjoy time outside. Surprisingly, many of the cats even like to go out in the winter! Until recently we had catios, outdoor cat runs, available from only one of our cat rooms. The outdoor access is opened up during shelter hours and then closed off after-hours.
The cats who have this access really enjoy it; they are able to come and go as they please and really enjoy climbing to the different levels or just relaxing on a platform. These structures were covered by a lattice awning which prevented overheating from direct sunlight.
However, the entire structure was old and falling apart and was only available from one of the cat rooms. This spring, thanks to a generous donation, we were able to begin work on new catios with proper foundations to support them. The work is underway at this moment. See the slideshow of the progress. The catios themselves are being constructed off-site and we are eagerly awaiting the delivery.
The cats who have this access really enjoy it; they are able to come and go as they please and really enjoy climbing to the different levels or just relaxing on a platform. These structures were covered by a lattice awning which prevented overheating from direct sunlight.
However, the entire structure was old and falling apart and was only available from one of the cat rooms. This spring, thanks to a generous donation, we were able to begin work on new catios with proper foundations to support them. The work is underway at this moment. See the slideshow of the progress. The catios themselves are being constructed off-site and we are eagerly awaiting the delivery.
