The 5 Best Catios for Hanging Outside With Your Cat
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With a catio, your cat can still enjoy a slice of the outside world even if they're not a seasoned outdoor animal. The right catio will provide them with both sun and shade, let them feel the breeze ruffling their fur, and keep them safe.
“A catio is a safe and easy way to give a cat more territory and provide stimulation, and can help reduce conflicts and behavioral problems with other pets in the household,” Jessica Sewell, a veterinary technician at VCA Animal Hospitals told The Spruce Pets.
Our favorite catio is the Aivituvin Cat House, which offers a sturdy, upright wooden house to protect your feline friend. It offers great value, plus it's weatherproof and is easy to assemble.
Best Overall: Aivituvin Catio Outdoor Cat House
What We Like
Removable PVC mat bottom
Wheeled, with brake casters
Multiple doors and access points
What We Don't Like
Comes flat-packed, requiring assembly
We love the Aivituvin Catio Outdoor Cat House because it's sturdy and fully-featured enough to feel like a permanent part of your porch or outdoor space, but also has wheels for easy maneuvering, or for putting it away in the off-season. It's also got a wide variety of lounging, hiding, and sunning spots, so your cat will love it too.
The Aivituvin Outdoor Catio features three elevated wooden platform levels, with a resting house on the top, where your cat can get out of the sun or hide. It's got a small sliding door in the back that you can align with a window on the side of your house, allowing your cat to freely go outside or return indoors. With its waterproof asphalt roof, sturdy wood construction, and screened-in walls, the Aivituvin Catio can fully protect one or several cats from the elements.
It also has features that make this catio very easy to use for humans, beginning with the removable PVC floor mat, which is easy to take out and hose off. Multiple ways to access the interior is also a big plus, including two hinged panels that let you fully open the catio's walls, plus two small, latched doors for cat-sized exits,
It's quite spacious too, with a 31.5-inch square base that provides enough room that you can fit a cat tree or other toys inside. It's even easy to expand the Aivituvin Cat House by removing the side panel and affixing a second catio.
Price at time of publish: $195
Dimensions: 31.5 x 31.5 x 70.9 inches | Material: Wood, polyvinyl chloride, wire mesh | Features: Wheels, multiple levels, removable PVC mat
Best for Yards: Kitty City Outdoor Mega Kit
What We Like
Highly customizable and expandable
Lightweight and relatively portable
Well ventilated
Includes hiding spots
Expandable
What We Don't Like
Not great in windy conditions
Takes too long to set up to be truly portable
Made of nylon mesh, the Kitty City Outdoor Mega Kit is well-ventilated and perfect for playing out on the lawn. Constructed over a plastic frame, the Mega Kit is easy to assemble and doesn't require any tools—though it's a little complex to be easily portable.
Our favorite part of the Mega Kit is that it's more than just a screened-off area for your cat to play outdoors, since it also includes multiple hiding cubbies and an elevated bed platform. Plus, it's endlessly expandable, with a zippered portal on one side where you can attach Kitty City play tunnels.
You don’t have to worry about your smart cat finding a way out, the enclosure has two openings that can only be opened from a zipper on the outside. To keep it from flying away, included stakes can be placed into the ground, giving it a strong foundation.
Price at time of publish: $100
Dimensions: 47.25 x 33 x 46.75 inches | Materials: Nylon mesh, plastic | Features: Cat-lock zippers, expandible, cubby cubes
Best Patio Tunnel: Kittywalk Outdoor Net Cat Enclosure
What We Like
Self-standing
Easy to assemble
Portable, comes with travel bag
Doors on both ends
Expandable with additional tunnel units
What We Don't Like
Cat claws sometimes catch in netting
Clasps can rust if left out in bad weather
A tunnel can help your cat go from point a to be or just hang around outside. Kittywalk offers a durable pathway, made of rip-proof netting and steel wickets to keep your cat out of harm’s way. This green net is self-standing and perfect for any patio, deck, or balcony to give your cat some controlled freedom. It comes with two doors that are held in place by steel, making sure even the most tricky cat can't escape.
With an included storage bag, the net can be set up in a matter of seconds. Just take it out and put it wherever you need it. The tunnel can also be placed into the ground with included stakes. It may not have all the perches and hiding spots as alternatives, but sometimes all your cat needs is a few toys and a way to explore the fresh air.
While this version has a rigid frame, for use on flat outdoor surfaces like decks and patios, there’s also a version of Kittywalk Outdoor Net designed for use on lawns, which has legs that can be sunk into grass.
Price at time of publish: $155
Dimensions: 24 x 18 x 4.5 inches | Materials: Steel wickets, rip-stop netting
Best for Multiple Cats: Aivituvin Cat House Outdoor Catio Kitty Enclosure
What We Like
Suitable for 3-5 cats
Multiple levels and two enclosed “resting rooms”
Designed to connect to windows and pet doors
Main door is human height
What We Don't Like
Two people needed for assembly
For multiple cats that need a lot of space, you are going to need an extra-large cat patio. Aivituvin has you covered, with a 70-inch tall catio complete with six platforms, two resting boxes, and a middle platform. Made of high-quality wood, there’s also a waterproof flat asphalt roof to protect your kitties from the elements.
The mesh exterior is thin but durable, keeping your cats from escaping the enclosure. If you’d like, you can even combine multiple and create large enclosures to use as outdoor play areas. This cat patio is quite large but is made with reinforced wooden corner strips to keep it from breaking or falling apart.
Price at time of publish: $347
Dimensions: 71.1 x 38 x 70.8 inches | Materials: Wood, asphalt | Features: Waterproof roof, resting boxes, multiple platforms, full-size door, indoor access
Best Window Box: Cat Solarium Sun Room Package
What We Like
Can be installed in a window
What We Don't Like
You need a window
A bit difficult to set up.
Your cat already loves staring out the window, swatting at every animal it sees. So why not just get it a perch that hangs directly outside the window for them to get a closer look? Cat Solarium offers a unique window package that hangs outside in a semi-circle. Made of plywood and coated with PPG paint, it’s durable enough to hold a 50-pound cat.
The Cat Solarium also comes in a wide variety of configurations. While you can get a minimal version, most users will probably want the screen to keep out bugs and the door, which lets you shut off the catio when it’s time for your cat to come inside. This makes the “Sunroom” package the version we’d recommend as a catio minimum. There’s also the Weather package for wet conditions and the fully-featured Conservatory.
It can be purchased in multiple different bundles, including a mesh screen, a back panel with a cat door, and a custom perch. For those worried about the colder winter months, you can purchase a bungle with a weather enclosure made of plexiglass and wood. Setting it up isn’t as simple as screwing it together, they recommend that you use wood or caulk to secure the sides.
Price at time of publish: $400
Dimensions: 14.5 x 25.5 inches | Materials: Plywood | Features: hangs out of a window
Our favorite catio is the Aivituvin Cat House Outdoor Catio, which offers a wheeled upright cat patio perfect for outdoor playtime. If you are looking for something a little less permanent, then check out the Kittywalk Outdoor Net Cat, which is portable, durable, and comes in both hard surface and lawn editions.
What to Look for in Cat Patios
Acclimating Indoor Cats
Cats want to be outdoors, enjoying the sun and watching potential prey scurry on by. To get an indoor cat acclimated, Sewell recommends leaving the door of the enclosure ajar, giving them the opportunity to come and go as they please. Cats explore best on their own terms. You can also feed them in the catio—either by providing snacks or serving their meals outside—which will incentivize them to return and also indicate to them that this a space you've deemed to be safe.
Assembly
Catios can vary widely in how easy or hard they are to assemble. Some of our favorite catios are made from wood and typically come flat-packed. These cat houses typically require a screwdriver for assembly. While no more complicated than assembling furniture, this task is often made easier with more than one person.
Other catios are much more simple—even collapsible—but will likely need to be reassembled for every use. By contrast, wooden catios can act as permanent or semi-permanent installations on your porch or patio.
Supervision
Supervise your cat during their first few sessions in their catio, especially if your cat is used to being indoors. Cats should be provided water and monitored to ensure they have access to shelter and shade. If your catio is set up to allow your cat to return indoors—such as through a window or cat door—then they can retreat inside and less supervision will be required over time. However, if your cat does not have access to an inside space, then they should never be left out alone and unsupervised in a catio, since a stray dog or other aggressive animal can make them feel trapped.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can indoor cats use a catio?
“Absolutely! If an indoor cat is eager to be outside, a catio is a great solution,” Sewell told The Spruce Pets.
While your indoor cat may not gravitate towards the catio immediately, serving meals or providing snacks outside should help acclimate them.
Should I put a litter box in my catio?
“Definitely! Adding a litter box in a catio provides another option for multi-cat households. An outdoor litter box should never replace an indoor litter box, though. Remember the rule of thumb here is one litter box per cat, plus one,” Sewell said.
Why Trust The Spruce Pets
This article was written by Steven Asarch, a freelance writer for The Spruce Pets. He has firsthand experience working with different feline products and taking care of two rambunctious felines.
To gain a better understanding of what cats are looking for, he spoke to a veterinary technician at the VCA Animal Hospital, Jessica Sewell. Using her expert knowledge, he constructed a list of the best and most practical cat patios. He prioritized materials, ease of assembly, and durability.
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