For a few years we’ve been talking about making a cat enclosure or “catio” to give our indoor cats a chance to enjoy some fresh air and a challenging new environment. Well now it’s finally happening.

The catio is an enclosure attached to our back deck with a long tunnel under the deck leading to a cat door with a ramp back to the basement.

We’ve started introducing the cats to the enclosure. The other day Bugs was in for the briefest time. She ran through the tunnel and out the cat door first thing. Exit stage left. At least she understands the tunnel.

Bunny (AKA Phyllis AKA Miss Canada) seems very relaxed in there. She’s explored the various shelves, ate most of the treats I had waiting in a few spots, and blissed out on the catnip we left on some of the shelves. She’s been through the tunnel but hasn’t tried to go through the cat door yet. Jack is also pretty relaxed in the catio. He’s an outdoor cat but he wasn’t about to miss out on the fun.

The Old Man was not impressed. He couldn’t wait to get back in the house where he has claimed an entire dog bed for his own. Gracie is pretty nervous in there, but I think she will settle down and enjoy herself there after a few visits.

Tomorrow, we’ll give them more time to relax in the enclosure. Hopefully in the coming days they’ll get used to using the tunnel on their own and go back and forth between the house and the catio whenever they feel like it.