Providing safe outdoor access through enclosed gardens and catios offers cats the enrichment benefits of outdoor life while significantly reducing safety risks.
The welfare benefits of outdoor enrichment for indoor cats are significant, providing exposure to natural light, fresh air, varied smells, and environmental complexity unavailable in the indoor environment. The welfare problem is balancing these benefits against the risks of free-roaming including traffic, toxins, predators, and disease. Catios and secure garden systems solve this by providing outdoor access within a controlled boundary. Cats with access to even a small secure outdoor space show reduced stress indicators and more varied behavioural repertoires than those fully confined indoors. The capital investment in secure outdoor provision is modest relative to the lifetime welfare benefit for the cat.