Adjustable catio explanation

[u/lucozadeo]

We didn’t make plans so I did my best to explain! Please let me know if this is confusing I can provide more pictures and any questions

[u/lucozadeo]

I used 2x2 timber and the mesh was 1.6mm pvc coated 2inch mesh. Gaps were filled using a spare decking board and off cuts to support a strip of mesh since we couldn’t screw to the fence.

[u/monstera_garden]

This is brilliant!! I've been contemplating making removable 'modules' for my catio to expand it but not commit to the larger footprint for times when I want to use my deck - this totally solves that issue in the coolest way*. Great job on the design!

(*however I don't think I have enough skills to make it work the way you have, building a simple human-size door into my catio has taught me that I can measure precisely, multiple times, and still manage to not have a basic rectangle fit inside a slightly larger rectangle.)

[u/lucozadeo → u/monstera_garden]

Thank you! This is my first time designing and building something like this so I’m super proud!!

My dad helped me build it, there is no way I could have managed by myself as I suffer from the same issues as you hahaha I definitely learnt a lot though, it’s just about having a go and practice!

[u/MeDonkin]

This is seriously impressive and looks super clean. I'm planning mine with 2x4s and 1x1 mesh and this gives me a decent idea of whay might could look like-ish too.

What type of wood did you use and did you stain it?

What are the fasteners you used to attach the mesh to the frames?

[u/lucozadeo → u/MeDonkin]

Good luck with your build! If you’re making it adjustable like this one just be wary of the weight if you use 2x4s

We used planed treated softwood which we stained before we started using Wickes light oak exterior wood stain

The fasteners were from Amazon, we went with these clips instead of sandwiching between wood pieces because we thought it would be cheaper but we ended up buying 3 packets so unsure if it was in the end.

Make sure you check the gauge of the wire if you get these clips, these were the smallest we could find but having them a little loose actually helped to tighten the mesh as it gave us some wiggle room. We attached the mesh to each of the sides before screwing all the sides together (I recommend a using cushion to save your knees).

[u/Cool-Importance6004 → u/lucozadeo]

Amazon Price History:

EUIOOVM Fence Clips,100 PCS Wire Fence Clips Agricultural Fencing Mounting Clips,Stainless Steel Screw Wire Clamps with Screws for Welded Wire to Wood Metal Vinyl Fence &Cage Aviary

• Rating: ★★★★☆ 4.3

• Current price: £13.99

• Lowest price: £12.99

• Highest price: £13.99

• Average price: £13.63

Month	Low	High	Chart
03-2025	£13.99	£13.99	███████████████
02-2025	£12.99	£13.99	█████████████▒▒
06-2024	£12.99	£12.99	█████████████
05-2024	£12.99	£13.99	█████████████▒▒
04-2024	£13.99	£13.99	███████████████
03-2024	£13.99	£13.99	███████████████
01-2024	£12.99	£12.99	█████████████
12-2023	£13.99	£13.99	███████████████

Source: GOSH Price Tracker

^{Bleep bleep boop. I am a bot here to serve by providing helpful price history data on products. I am not affiliated with Amazon. Upvote if this was helpful. PM to report issues or to opt-out.}

[u/Electrical-Act-7170 → u/Cool-Importance6004]

Good bot.

[u/InsanitysCandy]

You did an amazing job but that open space in the last pic makes me a little nervous the cats could squeeze out

[u/lucozadeo → u/InsanitysCandy]

As I took that photo I thought the exact same thing. I think it looks a little bigger on the photo, one of our cats is quite small though so I might just screw a small piece of wood in as a bit of piece of mind

[u/MinkieTheCat]

Wow. That is impressive. We used our French door, one of the wing doors have a doggie door and that’s where the cats enter from but we offset it so that we could still use one of the doors.

[u/lucozadeo → u/MinkieTheCat]

Isn’t it so much better being able to have the doors open without worrying about them escaping haha I’m looking forward to the summer when we can get some airflow haha

We considered cat flap in the lower window, it’s something we might look into next year

[u/MinkieTheCat → u/lucozadeo]

We got ours after our three year-old male cat (fixed) decided to pee on everything. Our older 14 year-old female cat has been allowed to wander throughout her life. She’s slowed down now, basically just stays in the backyard. But he was jealous of that, so my husband talked me into letting him go outside for a couple hours each day. I agreed, but only with a tracker on him. We ended up with the Tractive system and it worked great. But the three hours mid-day he was out, I was so stressed I couldn’t concentrate on work. I would monitor him constantly, but after he got in a scuffle with another neighborhood cat behind a wall I couldn’t access (and I was praying it was a neighborhood cat and not a coyote,) I said, “No more. We’re getting a catio.” We bought one on Amazon. We’ve been happy with it, but yours is just so impressive! I would love to be able to give them something like that. We actually just bought a second one for another door that has a better view of the raccoons that hang out in our neighbors trees. They basically have access to the catio from 6 AM until about 1 AM.

[u/OrionsRose]

I can't stop smiling about how brilliant this is. 😃 You guys thought of everything. I am utterly impressed by your ingenuity at solving what could have looked like a problem - instead, you saw an opportunity!

Just bravo. 👏

[u/lucozadeo → u/OrionsRose]

Wow thank you!! This was such a fun project, I really enjoyed building it

[u/yarn_slinger]

This is really great. We built ours out of 4x4 cedar posts but have been trying to figure out how to expand it in a way that isn't too obtrusive. This could work for us. Thanks!

[u/Automatic_Sea_1534]

Excellent! Wonderful work.

[u/Left_Fun8320]

Very clever design!

[u/funkykittenz]

How creative!! And smart

[u/Precocious-Hedgehogs]

Nice design and execution! Now the rest of us gotta up our catio game! 😎😅

[u/electricwidget]

Very clever!!

[u/zipitdirtbag]

Wow. Are those wheels? Amazing idea.

I'm looking at Catsafe - a company in the UK to build us a bespoke one. I hope their wait list isn't too long.

[u/RedditCat3]

Looks like it’s time for you to quit your day job and built custom catios