Catio Life

Catio Life Stories and tips about cat enclosures (known as Catios) and the feline residents that live inside.

IBK (Itsy Bitsy Kitty) demonstrates one of the hallways in and out of the catio. A lot of lounging happens in the hallwa...
19/03/2024

IBK (Itsy Bitsy Kitty) demonstrates one of the hallways in and out of the catio. A lot of lounging happens in the hallway and it is also considered a speedway as they love to race in and out of the house at high speeds.

Spring is coming and the catio is starting to see more action. This is Itsy. She only weighs 7 # so she can travel along...
21/02/2024

Spring is coming and the catio is starting to see more action. This is Itsy. She only weighs 7 # so she can travel along the wire fairly easily.

Portland had an unusually sunny day for October. Ferals, Olive and Como, were sure to get in some sunbathing. Como had t...
19/10/2023

Portland had an unusually sunny day for October. Ferals, Olive and Como, were sure to get in some sunbathing. Como had to have all but 3 teeth pulled a few months ago and his personality has really blossomed. I can't imagine how much pain he must have been in. The vet showed me pics of all the broken and cracked teeth, poor guy.

The ferals, Como and Olive, gave me a gift of not scattering immediately when I went out to water the garden. They've se...
12/09/2023

The ferals, Como and Olive, gave me a gift of not scattering immediately when I went out to water the garden. They've seemed more relaxed around me lately. 🤗

The feral cats, Como and Olive, weren't happy with my choice to water the garden before feeding them breakfast.
05/06/2023

The feral cats, Como and Olive, weren't happy with my choice to water the garden before feeding them breakfast.

My catio residents are two feral cats, Olive and Como. I haven't seen them use the catio hardly at all lately, preferrin...
21/03/2023

My catio residents are two feral cats, Olive and Como. I haven't seen them use the catio hardly at all lately, preferring to stay in the heated laundry room. Somebody quit eating quite a bit and water consumption has gone up. I began to get the feeling the Como needed to go to the vet. I have never touched him and only caught him once but got him in the carrier eventually. They sedated him heavily so we could do all sorts of tests. Turned out he is completely healthy, even very clean and flea free. They let me hold him for the last ten minutes before he woke up. That was amazing.

This is how Olive and Como beg for food. They'll stare at me through the dining room window hoping to get my attention.
24/05/2022

This is how Olive and Como beg for food. They'll stare at me through the dining room window hoping to get my attention.

07/08/2021

The feral cam is back in action just in time to catch Olive and Como getting some play in now that the weather has cooled. Olive reminds me of a black bear the way she bounces around without a tail. I'm so thankful they've become such great friends. They had never met before moving into the catio but were instantly bonded.

A sunny day equals some very happy feral kitties! I'm guessing Olive is laying on the ground to feel the warmth of the d...
28/04/2021

A sunny day equals some very happy feral kitties! I'm guessing Olive is laying on the ground to feel the warmth of the dirt, don't know for sure. She stretched and looked up at me so I know she is fine.

Olive lays on this bed A LOT! In all the times I've seen her lay on it, she has ALWAYS faced the other direction. I wond...
27/04/2021

Olive lays on this bed A LOT! In all the times I've seen her lay on it, she has ALWAYS faced the other direction. I wonder what was the reason she switched? Photo bomb by little brother Lenny.

The feral cats are mostly out and about in the evening but once the sun starts shining, Como just can't resist a good su...
09/04/2021

The feral cats are mostly out and about in the evening but once the sun starts shining, Como just can't resist a good sun bath in his special place.

The easiest way to get close to my feral, Olive, is having my dog nearby. Olive is obsessed with her.
04/04/2021

The easiest way to get close to my feral, Olive, is having my dog nearby. Olive is obsessed with her.

Olive's very favorite place to lounge is on her throne in the catio. The base is a hammock style dog bed, the second lay...
30/03/2021

Olive's very favorite place to lounge is on her throne in the catio. The base is a hammock style dog bed, the second layer is a large, fluffy dog bed, then there is a yard chair cushion, and it is topped off with two dining chair pads. Today it was finally warm enough for your highness to return to the throne.

Como and Olive, my feral kitties, pretty much have exclusive use of the laundry room. Because of that, I generally only ...
29/03/2021

Como and Olive, my feral kitties, pretty much have exclusive use of the laundry room. Because of that, I generally only do laundry at feeding times. Como must have been especially hungry tonight as he stayed in the room waiting for me to finish loading the washer, rather than waiting outside. A rare treat.

Almost immediately after moving in to my catio, feral kitty Olive became obsessed with my beagle. Olive loves to watch h...
27/03/2021

Almost immediately after moving in to my catio, feral kitty Olive became obsessed with my beagle. Olive loves to watch her trot around in the yard and occasionally Emma will go up to the fence and touch noses. In this picture, Olive was sitting very close to me. She thinks I can't see her because of the sun cloth but my beagle was also right at my feet.

One of Olive's favorite places is in the hammock of the cat tree. I brought her breakfast before she got up this morning...
16/03/2021

One of Olive's favorite places is in the hammock of the cat tree. I brought her breakfast before she got up this morning and she still insists on pretending she is feral even though we both know she just likes to tease me. So she slowly got up to go outside and then glared at me as if I was rude. She is such a princess.

My feral cat, Como, is sitting at the top of the stairs in the catio waiting for me to deliver his plate of food. He sha...
02/02/2021

My feral cat, Como, is sitting at the top of the stairs in the catio waiting for me to deliver his plate of food. He shares the laundry room with his companion, Olive. They wait in the window until I leave and then come in and eat.

The catio is a lonely place lately. My young housecat, Lenny, had surgery and has been caged and the ferals prefer the w...
07/01/2021

The catio is a lonely place lately. My young housecat, Lenny, had surgery and has been caged and the ferals prefer the warmth of the laundry room. While Lenny is in jail, the laundry room door has been left open (normally he chases the ferals so I keep it closed). Tonight I caught Olive staring at Lenny in his cage. I hope someday they become friends but tomorrow when his stitches come out I bet it'll be the same old thing.

I think Lenny likes the new microwaveable heating pad. I put the link in the comments section. If you have outdoor kitti...
03/12/2020

I think Lenny likes the new microwaveable heating pad. I put the link in the comments section. If you have outdoor kitties, they may enjoy one of these.

The feral cats haven't been outside in the catio much lately. I guess they prefer the heated inside room over the soggy ...
30/11/2020

The feral cats haven't been outside in the catio much lately. I guess they prefer the heated inside room over the soggy weather.

Lenny literally climbs the walls in the catio. He also needs a mani/pedi.
29/11/2020

Lenny literally climbs the walls in the catio. He also needs a mani/pedi.

The feral's catio has been fairly empty the past few days as the temperature has dropped. This is the area they travel i...
27/10/2020

The feral's catio has been fairly empty the past few days as the temperature has dropped. This is the area they travel in and out of the laundry room, I call it the loading chute. They don't like my young house cat so I keep that area, exclusively theirs. On the inside of the window they have tons of cat tree area, food served twice a day, and a heater/air conditioner. I have tarps covering the back corner of one side of the catio to protect from the weather in case they want to be outside.

Olive has figured out where the camera is.
22/08/2020

Olive has figured out where the camera is.

17/08/2020

Feral cats, Olive and Como, enjoying some warm evening antics. Watch until the very end!

It has taken over two years, but if I move quietly and very slowly, my feral kitties will let me be just a couple feet f...
12/08/2020

It has taken over two years, but if I move quietly and very slowly, my feral kitties will let me be just a couple feet from them.

Most cats like being up high and their perches are usually their destination.  Lately though, ground laying has become t...
11/08/2020

Most cats like being up high and their perches are usually their destination. Lately though, ground laying has become the norm. Maybe because of the warmth? They always keep me guessing.

For years I have collected pet ID tags while thrift shopping. The idea of the tags of pets that have passed ending up in...
08/08/2020

For years I have collected pet ID tags while thrift shopping. The idea of the tags of pets that have passed ending up in the landfill seemed that it wasn't respectful of their lives. Some of the tags are very worn and show years of age. One tag is from a little dog that died not long before the woman, my neighbor, passed away. Some are from my very own animals that have crossed the rainbow bridge. I once had them hung as a windchime but my collection grew too large. Now they hang on my gate and everytime I open it, the tags jingle and I like to think that the pets can hear me saying hello.

One section of the catio gets excessive sun so I added some shade cloth. I'm pretty sure my feral cat Olive thinks that ...
07/08/2020

One section of the catio gets excessive sun so I added some shade cloth. I'm pretty sure my feral cat Olive thinks that I can't see her through it because she'll sit right in front of me.

This is what I call the "loading chute" and is the sky bridge that the cats take to/from the laundry room to the catio. ...
06/08/2020

This is what I call the "loading chute" and is the sky bridge that the cats take to/from the laundry room to the catio. They are free to come and go as they please. They are fed inside and have cat trees, blankets, water, and a heater/fan in there. They spend a fair amount of time inside, especially Como, the older of the two ferals. I guess he spent enough time outside that he knows a good thing when he has it.

Lately I've noticed Como (the siamese tabby) rolling around on his back and clearly enjoying himself.  Normally Como is ...
04/08/2020

Lately I've noticed Como (the siamese tabby) rolling around on his back and clearly enjoying himself. Normally Como is a tad uptight and nervous, so that behavior is out of the ordinary. I have surrounded the outside of the catio with many plants that cats enjoy such as catnip, catmint, several other mints (spearmint, peppermint, chocolate mint), lavendar, etc. As the nip and mints grow I have been trimming them back and throwing the cuttings on the wire top of the catio. As it dries it is either falling into the catio or casting off enough scent that it has captured Como's attention. It is the highlight of my day to watch him be so carefree. The picture doesn't show him in action but you can see the live plants and the dried cuttings.

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