{"id":110,"date":"2024-12-12T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-12T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/trinity-eadie\/?p=110"},"modified":"2024-12-21T06:37:19","modified_gmt":"2024-12-21T06:37:19","slug":"paws-and-patios-the-cat-craze-taking-over-british-back-gardens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/trinity-eadie\/paws-and-patios-the-cat-craze-taking-over-british-back-gardens\/","title":{"rendered":"Paws and patios: the cat craze taking over British back gardens"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you\u2019re a cat owner with access to the Internet, I\u2019m sure that at some point you will have come across a \u201ccatio\u201d \u2013 an enclosed outdoor patio for your cats.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
One of Chris’ catios built in May 2024. Photograph: Chris Allen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The catio is an American trend (unsurprisingly) that has clawed its way into UK gardens and quickly become a cat lover staple. However, unlike many American trends that make their way to the UK, catios stand out as a welcome addition for feline enthusiasts, offering a much-needed blend of sunshine, fresh air, and safety – ingredients that create the perfect recipe for a happier, healthier cat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chris Allen, otherwise known as the \u2018Catio King<\/span><\/a>\u2019, stepped into the world of catios in 2019 after building one for a customer whose garden wasn\u2019t suitable for his usual fencetop catproofing. He now builds catios for a living and has worked on several projects in the North East, saying that \u201cthe difference between then and now is night and day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn recent years, social media has played a huge part in bringing catios to the front and centre for those looking to provide a safe and enriching solution their housebound cats,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s good to see\u2026 Can you imagine being housebound for your entire life? Just being able to see garden wildlife, feel the sun, smell the air and feel the wind must be exhilarating in itself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe benefit for the cats is that they get to experience the outside world without falling victim to an increasing amount of nefarious scenarios,\u201d he said. According to Whiskas, indoor cats typically have a longer lifespan<\/span><\/a> of 15 to 20 years compared to outdoor cats, whose lifespan is typically 10 to 15 years. \u201cWhether that\u2019s theft, poisoning, predators, busy roads or people with air rifles. It also stops cats from roaming, decimating native wildlife and deciding to disappear and do their own thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"
The inside of one of Chris’ catios. Photograph: Chris Allen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

The growing wariness around cat safety when venturing outdoors has fueled the popularity of catios, which can be crafted in nearly any shape or size. They are often tailored to suit the unique layout of a garden – whether they are seamlessly extending out from a living room window or discreetly nestling away by a hidden back door. Within this, the interiors of these wood-and-wire enclosures offer even more customisability, designed to maximise feline enrichment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chris\u2019 catios might feature charming details like nooks with cat-shaped entryways, multi-level platforms for climbing, or vibrantly coloured ropes to add the final pop. Chris sets himself apart from traditional catios by creating spaces that are as imaginative as they are functional, ensuring that every catio is one-of-a-kind.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI take a lot of pride in not just my workmanship, but by providing as much enrichment as possible, making the best use of the space and creating solutions, original ideas, and keeping things fresh with every enclosure,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is where I feel a lot of catios fall short on the enrichment side. I look at what people haven\u2019t done before or wouldn\u2019t consider and then fill that gap in the market.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chris\u2019 catios are thoughtfully designed to function as family spaces, with room for seating integrated into the feline-friendly features to invite both cats and their owners to share the space together as a family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
12’x12′ catio attached to a 12’x8′ shed with a play area spanning the interior and exterior. Photograph: Chris Allen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

He recalled one particularly memorable project from October that stands as a testament to his creativity: a custom catio built alongside a shed, fully furnished with shelving, scratch posts, peg ladders, and a crow\u2019s nest centrepiece. The weatherproof design allowed him to experiment with unique materials, including a hexagonal ladder of interconnected pods for climbing or lounging and remote-controlled RGB LED lighting. \u201cIt was certainly a showstopper that will be very, very hard to beat!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Catios are redefining what it means to create a happy, healthy home for both cats and their humans, offering a refreshing take on safely granting cats a taste of the great outdoors – and who knows, there might be one popping up near you soon!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re a cat owner with access to the Internet, I\u2019m sure that at some point you will have come across a \u201ccatio\u201d \u2013 an enclosed outdoor patio for your cats. The catio is an American trend (unsurprisingly) that has clawed its way into UK gardens and quickly become a cat lover staple. However, unlike […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":262,"featured_media":319,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":51,"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[61,54,63,53,55,57,64,60,56,58,62],"class_list":["post-110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interview","tag-america","tag-british-catio","tag-cat-trends","tag-catio","tag-catio-king","tag-catio-king-catios","tag-catio-trend","tag-catios","tag-chris-allen","tag-interview","tag-trend"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/trinity-eadie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/trinity-eadie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/trinity-eadie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/trinity-eadie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/262"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/trinity-eadie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/trinity-eadie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/trinity-eadie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/trinity-eadie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/trinity-eadie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/trinity-eadie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}