About Our Catios
catiOasis is the premier destination for catios in the Lower Mainland, where integrity meets creativity, and trust goes hand in hand with quality. With an unwavering commitment to quality, we craft unique designs using materials that stand the test of time, ensuring the perfect blend of innovation and durability. We serve customers from White Rock to Vancouver, Langley to Richmond, Coquitlam to Surrey, North Vancouver to Delta, and everywhere in between!
Catio Benefits
Protect Your Cat
Catios protect your cats from predators, cars, and toxic substances such as anti-freeze and wildlife poisons.
Lower Vet Bills
Catios lower your cat’s risk of contracting diseases, parasites, and potentially life-threatening conditions such as feline leukemia and rabies.
Territorial Solution
Catios increase the space available to cats and decrease territorial behaviours that occur in multi-cat households such as spraying and fighting.
Happy Neighbours
Neighbours don’t love cats digging or pooping in their gardens. Catios support positive neighbourly relations when cats can enjoy all the outdoors has to offer while staying safe in their catios.
Protect Wildlife
Canadian cats kill an estimated 100 million birds per year and can have a negative impact on the population of all types of native wildlife. Catios allow cats and wildlife to peacefully coexist.
Peace of Mind
Catios bring cat guardians peace of mind knowing that their beloved family member is living their best life – safely.
Health and Well-being
Increasing space, jumping from shelf to shelf and using optional ladders or ramps naturally increases your cat’s activity levels and helps even the chonkiest of cats to trim down (trust us: we’ve seen it with our own cat!)
Quality of Life
Experiencing all of the stimulation of the outdoors enriches your cat’s quality of life. Every cat loves to smell the fresh air, snooze in a sunbeam, and watch the birds – catio enclosures allow your cat to do this safely.
Bonding and Connection
Many of our clients choose a catio location where they also spend their time. This increases the amount of time that our clients spend with their cats and strengthens their bond.
Durable & High Quality Materials
Catio Frames
All of our catio frames are built with SPF dimensional lumber which is ideal for a wide range of outdoor projects. Our SPF is sourced from sustainably managed forests, and we handpick each piece from the lumber yard to ensure that we are selecting only the highest quality wood.
Paint
We apply a high-grade, pet-friendly primer and paint to each piece of lumber to improve surface moisture resistance while ensuring the safety of your cat. We use Sherwin Williams’ ColorSnap Match Pro to match your existing paint colour to the closest Sherwin Williams colour and sheen to a very high accuracy rate, to perfectly coordinate with your home.
Shelves
We’ve experimented with several types of wood for our shelves and have found the best results with 1” thick knotty pine. It’s lightweight, durable and meets the highest grading standards for strength and appearance. We can treat it with a pet-friendly clear stain or a paint, or even apply artificial turf for a more outdoorsy feel.
Pet Door
Depending on the catio’s location, we can install a pet door into the wall of your home, insert a pet door into a polycarbonate panel and securely install it into a window, or install a pet panel into your sliding glass door.
Roofs
Our catio roofs are made from clear 8mm-thick polycarbonate twinwall. Lightweight and durable, it provides high light transmission, UV protection, and is commonly used for patio roof covers.
Mesh Fence
We use a 16-gauge galvanized welded fence with 2” x 2” mesh spacing. Our mesh is weather-resistant, doesn’t rust and stands up to wear and tear.
Catio FAQs
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When properly cared for, our catios can last for a decade or longer. We provide every catio client with a handy one-pager on how to care for their catio so that their cat can enjoy it for many years to come.
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The size of your catio will depend on the size of your home and outdoor space, as well as how many cats you have. It's important to provide enough space for your cat to move around freely, play, and relax. A good rule of thumb is to aim for a space that's at least 20 square feet per cat.
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Catios are safe when designed and built correctly. We use sturdy treated wood and strong metal fencing with smooth edges (16-gauge wire and 2”x 2” grid openings) to keep your cat safely inside and keep predators out. Ensuring your cat has easy access to water, shelter, and shade ensures a safe environment.
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Catios are great for cats that are curious or playful. Time spent outdoors is stimulating and a catio is a great way for cats to get exercise. Or perhaps they love basking in the sunshine on the windowsill - a catio will allow them extra space to do just that. If your cat is skittish, a senior, or has mobility issues, they can still enjoy a catio. We customize every catio to meet the needs of your cat.
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Every cat is unique, and some cats take to their catio right away, while most typically take about 1-2 weeks to be fully acclimated. Providing toys, treats, a comfortable place to relax, and fresh water all help to pique your cat's curiosity. If you have the space, place a human-sized chair or two inside your catio to enjoy your cat's company!
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Catios provide peace of mind for you, and a fun and safe space for your cat. Many of our clients made the decision to get a catio for these reasons:
Your cat’s indoor antics have become destructive: Save your blinds and window screens by considering a safe, outdoor space for your cat to sunbathe, get fresh air, and swat at the occasional bug!
Your yard has seen its share of wildlife casualties: Outdoor cats can do damage to local wildlife and often leave unwanted “presents” for their guardians. Catios help cats, birds and wildlife live in harmony.
Your cat’s health is at risk: Feline obesity is a common issue for indoor-only cats. Catios provide stimulating vertical and horizontal spaces, offering otherwise sedentary cats the incentive to enjoy play and movement.
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First, consider where you’d like to catio to go, and how much space you have. Next, decide whether you'd like your cat to enter the catio through a pet panel in a window, wall, or door. Those are the basics. Then we can get creative with a unique design and features that your cat will love!
Strata Information
Many of our clients live in a condo or townhouse complex that is part of strata housing. If this is you, you’ve come to the right place!
It’s important to check your strata bylaws to see if there are any rules around placing temporary structures in your outdoor living space. If there are such bylaws, you may require written approval from your strata council to build a catio.
While the responsibility of obtaining strata approval falls with our clients, we are happy to collaborate with strata councils to provide all of the information required for a successful application. This information usually includes the catio dimensions, a rendering of the catio, and a list of materials that will be used. To keep a low profile and ensure that your outdoor space doesn’t deviate from others, many strata councils request that the catio be painted to match the colour of the building. Every strata council insists that we do not penetrate the envelope, so we pressure fit our catios to ensure that they are securely in place without the need to screw into any walls.
On installation day, we will bring in the catio panels as quietly as possible, making sure to respect your building, elevator, and neighbours. Installation typically takes between 2-5 hours, and we ensure that we complete it within the timeframe and days of the week permitted according to the strata bylaws.
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Check your strata bylaws to see if there are any rules around constructing a temporary shelter in your outdoor living space. If there are, speak with your strata for clarification. Otherwise, our process is the same. We will set up a consultation, confirm the design, provide an estimate and a rendering of the catio, which you can include in your application to the strata.
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We’re sorry if they deny your application. It’s really unfortunate when strata councils don’t understand exactly what a catio is or how unassuming they can be. Sometimes the issue is with the catio design – it’s too high, too wide, or takes up too much patio space. You can ask your strata council if you can make any changes to the design in order for them to reconsider your request. We’re always here to provide you with whatever information you need!
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Our catios are easily disassembled with a drill, however, we may be available to assist you if you aren’t comfortable disassembling it on your own. Send an email – we’re here to help!
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We encourage all of our clients in strata housing to share with their neighbours that they are building a catio and the benefits of catios to both cats and humans, including encouraging positive neighbourly relations. You can show them your catio rendering and direct them to our website to learn more about catios. Feel free to send them our email address if they would like more information.