Gainesville residents can learn about catios, or outdoor cat enclosures attached to peoples’ homes, at the second annual Catio Tour next Thursday.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the self-guided tour will bring people around town to look at the chicken-coop-like structures that give household cats exposure to the outside world safely. Tickets cost $5.
The tour will feature six catios including four new ones, said Ricky Scricca, the Humane Society of North Central Florida’s development coordinator.
The Alachua Audubon Society, the Humane Society of North Central Florida and Operation Catnip will host the event.
The goal of the tour is to encourage residents to build their own catios from inexpensive materials, Scricca said.
“There’s just a million ways that people can make their own catios and keep their pet cats inside,” he said.
Catios fulfill a dual purpose of keeping cats and wildlife safe while also adding a whimsical addition to an existing home’s layout, said Melissa Jenkins, the program coordinator at Operation Catnip of Gainesville.
Some catios are eccentric and costly, while others are small and modest. The variety of catio designs will hopefully inspire a design for everyone, Jenkins said.
“We hope to inspire Catio Tour attendees to open their hearts, minds and homes to the prospect of the addition of catios of their own,” Jenkins said.
Contact Alex DeLuca at adeluca@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @alexldeluca.
Operation Catnip's catio which will be featured again on this year's tour.
