With the weather finally warming up – at least, a little – people are starting to spend more time outdoors.
Some pets might also get more outdoor time in with their guardians, but for those with cats, allowing them to be outside safely can be a concern.
That’s why a White Rock-based company’s sole focus is building catios – a screened-in space, or patio, for our feline friends.
Catioasis husband-and-wife team Ken and Rebecca Jacobs had known about catios for years, being the guardians of cats themselves and having built one for their own cats, and having visited some in Portland and Seattle, but after Rebecca was project manager for the BC SPCA’s 2019 inaugural catio tour, they decided to make the business a reality.
“The catios we build allow cats to be outside safely,” Rebecca said, from their White Rock home, with Weimaraner Yeti curled up on a dog bed and one of their cats – Steve – supervising from afar.
Catios can protect cats from predators and toxic substances. They also help keep local wildlife safe and decrease conflicts with neighbours – such as cats digging up or defecating in other people’s yards or gardens – among other benefits, she noted.
The BC SPCA recommends keeping cats indoors, as indoor cats have a longer life span than those that go outside, noting that other dogs or cats in the neighbourhood can cause injuries to a pet cat, as well the dangers of predators, street traffic, poisoning, pet theft, extreme weather issues, exposure to contagious diseases and parasites, or animal cruelty.
If there’s a home with cats who don’t get along very well, a catio can add extra space to allow them to coexist better.
Adding a catio can also increase enrichment opportunities for cats, as the custom-made enclosures can feature such things as ramps, scratching posts and more.
“The in-and-out access is important – it allows them so much freedom and lets the cat go out safely whenever it wants,” Ken said, remembering one client who had a catio that didn’t allow in-and-out access, but then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and the cat owner realized when she was working from home how much her cat wanted to be outside all the time, so they helped modify the structure she already had to enable the cat to have safe ingress and egress from the home.
People might build their own enclosure or order something online, but, for another cat guardian who got tired of carrying two cats out to the catio and back inside all the time, Catioasis built an enclosed window box catio and tunnel to the free-standing enclosure, which thrilled the owner.
“If someone has something existing, we can help enhance or modify what they have,”Rebecca explained.
The couple are familiar with dealing with stratas, and often paint the structure to match exterior paint if requested, or provide renderings from Ken’s renovation business partner, Paul Naylor, for strata councils to consider when making a decision.
Often, people will have their own ideas when they first come to Catioasis, and Rebecca and Ken try to incorporate everything they want into the catio, but sometimes have to modify a design to allow for such things as eavestroughs, downspouts, awnings, windows, or creating a safe entry/exit through a stucco wall, for example.
“We always come and meet the client and their cats, and find out the personality of the cats, and what’s important for them to have (in the catio),” Rebecca said.
“If something’s not working, we’ll come back, “ Ken noted.
“If there’s any changes they want made, we’ll come back and do that.”
Interior options include custom-design shelves, a corner perch, a cat face box (the cat face is their signature), turf, clear plastic domes, hammocks, tunnels, ladders, a spiral staircase and sisal (scratching) posts.
One of their clients who has two cats – Missy and Mia – loves the catio Rebecca and Ken built.
“They love the opportunity to be outside and see everything that nature has to offer… they are most interested in watching birds and squirrels, but my favourite part is where they sleep in the sun,” said client Dawn Demery.
“I’m so glad I found a way for them to live the outdoors while still being safe.”
While most of their clients are based in Vancouver and North Vancouver, the couple says they’d love to create some catios for Peninsula residents with feline companions.
With the cost of materials and labour, prices for each catio vary, depending on the size and the amount of work, but usually start around $2,000. Catioasis always provides a rough, then final estimate that breaks down and lists the cost of each of the materials and the labour involved.
“Just knowing you’re doing that extra bit for your cat gives real peace of mind,” said Rebecca.
To find out more about Catioasis, visit their website at catioasis.com
@Canucklehedd
tricia.weel@peacearchnews.com
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