May 13th, 2011 Chloe’s Catio and Ember’s Afterglow Lounge
When Carrie found this house in Portland, she knew it was a perfect fit for her and her menagerie because it already had the beginnings of a catio. Once she started working on the catio, however, she quickly realized that the original structure (shown below left) was going to have to be completely replaced, so the project took on a slightly larger scope, but the end result is paradise for Carrie and her furry family members.
The cats access the catio through the sliding glass doors leading to the indoor cat lounge area. A clear polycarbonate roof keeps everyone nice and dry, even in the rainy Pacific Northwest climate. Carrie chose to build the structure from fir, but if she did it again, she says she’d probably use cedar to avoid having to paint or stain the wood. The entire project, including a short stretch of fence and a gate to keep the dogs in the yard, cost $5000. Carrie says, “It’s pretty obvious that I did not think of resale when I built this. I plan on living in the house for the rest of my life so my heirs can figure out how best to market it. 
Or maybe I’ll leave it to a cat rescue group.”
This wonderful cat space is named after two of Carrie’s beloved cats who she recently lost, Ember, a rescue from The Great Kitty Rescue, and shy tabby beauty Chloe.
May 13th, 2011 at 2:59 pm
Hi. Wonderful work. I have to figure out where I can do this off our house. In photo number 2 of the white kitty, there is a very cool drinking fountain. Was this made by the owner or purchased? Our cat is a very finicky drinker and this looks right up her alley.
Thank you.
May 13th, 2011 at 4:14 pm
Hi!
Great catio! I just built one for my cats and they love it!
I’d love to know where Carrie found those great “wicker” looking discs (three of them) and the drinking fountain. Any chance you could find out? My cats would dig these.
Thanks,
Laura
May 13th, 2011 at 4:44 pm
i’d buy it! i love portland : )
May 13th, 2011 at 7:07 pm
So heavenly! What a lucky family.
May 13th, 2011 at 7:39 pm
This is beautiful! And what a tribute to Ember and Chloe.
May 13th, 2011 at 10:07 pm
Boy, am I impressed – your kittys and doggies have it made which is wonderful. But how do you have all these critters when you work full time (I am assuming?) How big is your new house and how does it compare to your other home? are the critters in the house sometimes??? Hugs, Auntie Lynn
May 14th, 2011 at 8:28 am
Mark – here’s where I got the wonderful fountain: http://www.etsy.com/shop/CatFountains?ref=pr_shop_more
Laura – the banana leaf stools are from Ikea:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20033919
Auntie Lynn – I have to work full time to afford these guys! The cats can move freely between inside and their catio through a pet door that fits into the sliders. The dogs are indoors all the time except for 3-4 trips out back each day and two walks each per day.
May 14th, 2011 at 12:41 pm
LOVE IT! What a great place for your beloved animals. I love the concept of safe outdoor space for our kitties, but ours isn’t nearly as nice as yours.
May 14th, 2011 at 4:32 pm
May I move in?
May 15th, 2011 at 12:59 pm
I would be remiss if I didn’t give credit to Darren Fleck of Premier Fencing and Decking a shout out for designing and building this structure and being so professional and easy to deal with.
May 18th, 2011 at 3:03 pm
Hi Carrie – Your catio is abslutely beautiful… a wonderful tribute to Ember and Chloe. My current catio, which was thrown up in a weekend, is being remodeled with considerably more thought and care. About that fountain… I looked at the etsy website a while ago, and I’d like to buy one to replace my plastic Drinkwell. Do you think such a fountain would accommodate a bunch of kitties? I have 15.
May 29th, 2011 at 11:43 am
Thanks, Connie – you might need a couple of these for your clowder or I bet the guy who makes them would make you something larger!
June 2nd, 2011 at 1:45 pm
Hi Carrie, do you have a blog or website or anything with more photos and some description of the building materials? I wonder if you ever considered adding screening in addition to the wire mesh (is that some kind of chicken wire?) to keep out mosquitoes and things. Your catio is my favorite on this site – it looks beautiful and I’m sure you cats are very happy there! I would love to model my eventual catio after yours
July 23rd, 2011 at 9:43 pm
Hi Anne, so sorry I’m just now reading your comment! I don’t have much more info to offer you but I so appreciate your comment. The wire is actually pretty heavy duty wire that comes in panels. No secondary screening. I purposely got ungalvanized so that it will rust. I’m staining the whole structure tomorrow and have chosen a dark brown semi-transparent stain. Very nervous about how I’ll like it!
August 18th, 2011 at 11:51 am
Beautiful enduring tribute to Chloe and Ember, and may you be blessed for giving them this wonderful life, as all cats deserve, and particularly those who endured that nightmare. All of your beloved cats are sure to enjoy this gorgeous space; and many people actively seek out houses with catios these days. The folks who bought our Mojave home did! (See earlier entry)
August 23rd, 2011 at 10:00 pm
Hello Carrie, What gorgeous areas for your cats. My 13 cats (just found 2 orphaned kittens) and I, live across the river from you in the Camas-Washougal area and we are looking for someone to build something similar. Thank you for providing the fencing company name but I have not been able to locate them with Google. Could you kindly email or post the contact info for Darren Fleck. Thank you again so very much for sharing your ideas.
March 13th, 2012 at 5:41 am
wow!!!!!!!!!!! beautiful !! i love indoor cat lounge area…:D
March 24th, 2012 at 9:39 pm
Carrie, this is beautiful- absolutely beautiful! Thank you for sharing it and letting us see how your precious animals get to live. I remember when Amber came to you and our talk of the faux fur glove:) What a loving tribute to both of them. Thank you again for sharing- just love it!