Two of my favorite things are cats and homes, so obviously a tour of cat homes (catios) is right up my alley. Unfortunately I wasn't able to make it to the Portland Catio Tour last weekend, but one of my best friends Lauren was able to document the event and do a great blog post for me! Lauren is a fellow cat lover and my most crafty friend, so it was a perfect match. Enjoy!

Hi! I'm Rachel's friend Lauren and I'm here with a guest blog about the Portland Catio Tour! For those of you wondering what a catio is, it is an enclosed outdoor structure for your cat to hang out in. Cat + Patio = Catio. There are many benefits of a catio- it keeps your cat safe from other animals (coyotes, raccoons, etc.), it keeps other animals safe from your cat (birds) and it is a way to make sure your cat doesn't run away or get into any trouble outside.

My mom recently adopted a kitten and is now thinking of adding a catio to her backyard. We thought the Catio Tour would be the perfect place to get some inspiration. There were eight catios on the tour ranging from an enclosure built with salvaged and repurposed materials to a cat treehouse built by a custom home builder.

Check out the six catios we visited on the tour!

SW Portland Catio

This catio was a DIY project that the owner has been adding to over time. The catio consists of an enclosed patio connected to the house and uses a catwalk to connect the patio to the gazebo roof, which the cats also have access to.

Lake Oswego Catio

The catio in Lake Oswego was definitely the most extravagant of the bunch. The owners have three indoor cats and six feral rescues. The feral rescues get to enjoy the amazing custom built tree house as well as a room connected to the house, which is filled with couches and cat beds. The indoor cats have their own enclosed area on a second story patio.

Oregon Yacht Club Catio

The third catio we saw was on a houseboat at the Oregon Yacht Club. It was the smallest of the day but was filled with scratching surfaces, shelves and a kitty catwalk.

SE Portland Catio (1)

The first of three catios we saw in SE Portland was built by a company who builds chicken coops. This catio was nice because it had room for the owner to sit with the cat, and it was filled with plants!

SE Portland Catio (2)

The next catio in SE was a DIY structure that the owners built around an existing tree. They have two tabby cats that were enjoying the catio when we stopped by and they really seemed to love it. By using some materials they already had the owners were able to build the whole thing for only $500.

SE Portland Catio (3)

The last catio of the day was another DIY structure. Like most of the other structures it was made of cedar and mesh wiring. This catio was home to one cat and had a large enough door for the owners to walk through in case of cleaning, repairs, etc. The owners said their cat was a big fan of his catio and spent many hours lounging in it.

Hope you enjoyed this rundown of the Portland Catio Tour! If you are interested in adding a catio to your home here are a few companies you can order a catio kit from or contact a handyman to build a custom structure to fit your needs.

Catio Spaces: catiospaces.com

C&D Pet Products: cdpets.com

Cats on Deck: catsondeck.com

Habitat Haven: habitathaven.com