Yesterday was a beautiful day but instead of “going fishing” I ended up throwing open the window and sliding door to the deck to air out the condo. I started my spring cleaning. Seems like things really got out of hand this winter.

My condo is little, only 1 bedroom and with 3 cats it can seem pretty crowded. Since I moved in 6 years ago I’ve been trying to adapt the deck so that the cats could use it too. The problem is that the deck runs along the back of building from one end to the other. About 5 condos have sliders that open onto this deck and in the middle are the stairs to the 3rd floor and the fire escape to the ground.

I can’t just close off my section because the condos on the end from me need to be able to get to the fire escape by crossing my deck area and the condo by-laws prohibit anything from being attached to the exterior. That includes screens and TV dishes or antennas.

One of my favorite TV shows is “My Cat From Hell”. First of all the cats on this show are really out of control but the owners usually aren’t anything great either, still I do pick up some tips now and then  and “Catios” are big suggestions. Based on some of the things I’ve seen on the show I’ve gotten some ideas.

I’m thinking of screened sections that could be folded up and moved out of the way when the deck is not being used. I could also go low and use the lattice fencing with an lightweight screen attached at a 45 degree angle. I  think that might be more trouble than the screen scections. But one thing is for sure if I don’t want a run-in with the condo association…it has to be attractive!

The problem is I’m not sure I am up to the task of making this enclosure. I’m hoping that I am back to work quickly with a regular paycheck again and that maybe I can get a handyman/ carpenter to create this enclosure.

I did look into some of the “training area” fences and they are geared more to dogs and too low. I also looked into cat fences and they need to be attached to the deck and they were kind of ugly as well as expensive.

Anyone else have any ideas? Has anyone else created a “catio”?