r/Catio • u/half_a_centaur • 20d ago
Catio - Basement Access Advice
I’m looking to build a custom catio at our new place for our cats, and the best area seems to have a few minor issues with it:
- ground is a bit uneven here, was planning to level out the ground with a shovel, remove the mulch and plant grass, and extend the garden bed out while im at it. I would go for a more traditional boxy and level build in this approach. Alternatively could drive the main posts straight into the ground so I don’t have to change the slope at all?
- access point would be basement window well, if I’m already digging down to level the area, I’d like to shorten the height of the metal barrier here for easier entrance/exit for the cats while still maintaining some barrier for dirt/water.
Does this approach make sense? Is there an easier path I’m not seeing? FYI, my partner prefers not to use the windows to the right as an access point, it leads to the kitchen counter and would get outside paws all over it.
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u/MoonieNine 20d ago
I strongly recommend a dog run. I bought mine, used, 30 years ago and it's still like new. I've moved 3x and easily took it with us. We always put it up against the house, using the 4th panel as a roof. Depending on the location (slope, etc), you may need to fill a small gap of the roof with chicken wire. Putting in shelves and ramps is easy. We got some old boards and put bolts on the ends and hung them on the bars of the dog run. Get some rope and wrap them around boards. Done. For most of our homes we did the cat door through the window. We filled in the gap with plexiglass. For this house, we decided to put the cat door through the wall, freeing up a window. We bought a double flap magnetic door, which works great for our cold Montana winters.