portland catio tour 2023

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September 9, 2023 @ 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Catio tour 2023.

The 2023 Catio Tour on Saturday, September 9 will offer THREE options: In-Person catio visits, Online Videos, and a special VIP Package!

With crafty, creative, and clever solutions, these catios will give you great ideas that fit your budget and space. The 2023 Catio Tour includes a variety of catios: some are “pandemic projects”, a couple were previous Catio Tour sites that have changed over the years, and some are Backyard Habitat certified or working toward certification. Among them, there is some inspiration for everyone!

Generous sponsors include Catio Crafsman , Catio Spaces , Humane Society of the United States , Mr. Plywood , Catnets , and The Catio Company .

Hosted by the  Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon and Bird Alliance of Oregon, the self-guided tour seeks to inspire cat owners to build or buy their own outdoor cat enclosure so their felines can enjoy safe outdoor time. Backyard enclosures from frugal to fabulous keep cats safe from outdoor hazards while also protecting wildlife from cat predation.

Funds from the Catio Tour support the Bird Alliance of Oregon’s and Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon’s “ Cats Safe at Home ”™ campaign, which seeks to reduce free-roaming cats in the Portland metropolitan area with solutions that are good for cats and wildlife. Both organizations believe every cat deserves a safe home where it is loved, cared for and kept free from hazards. For more information about the campaign, visit  CatsSafeAtHome.org .

COST: In-Person = $20 / Virtual = $15 / VIP = $50

BUY YOUR CATIO TICKET HERE!

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Home » CATS » Cat News » 10 Reasons Why You Need To Attend The Catio Tour In Portland Oregon 

10 Reasons Why You Need To Attend The Catio Tour In Portland Oregon 

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Can you hear the paw steps getting closer and closer? The rumbling of purrs all over Portland? That is the sound of the catio tour that you do not want to miss!

Table of Contents

This post is all about catios and the catio tour held in Portland Oregon annually.

Cats are outdoor creatures , your decision to keep them inside the house might stem from love for your feline friend as you try to keep her safe from outdoors dangers, but she might get bored so an outdoor option is a great way to improve your cat’s overall health. However, while she’s outdoor, she needs to be safe from the many dangers lurking outside the walls of your house, and the other wildlife need to be safe from her too, so the best route to take is to get her a catio .

So what exactly is a catio?

A catio is an outdoor enclosure that provides your kitty with a safe outdoor experience. Your cat gets what she wants the most – a feel of the life outdoors, and smaller animals as squirrels and birds are kept out of harm’s way. If you wish to acquaint yourself with more benefits of building a catio for your cat, this article here should help out.

For the seventh year, the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon and the Audubon Society of Portland will be organizing a fun-filled Catio tour in the Portland metro area on Saturday Sept 7, 2019. If you’re a cat lover/owner, there’s no better place to be on that day.

RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Calico Cats

A catio tour is all about checking out amazing catios provided by cat owners for their cats in a city or area. A catio tour isn’t just a journey for pleasure, it’s also an all round educative experience for cat owners .

Below are 10 reasons why you shouldn’t miss out on the forthcoming catio tour taking place in the Portland metropolis.

Get Inspired To Build Yourself A Catio

Sometimes, reading articles and blogs on the internet about why you need to get your feline friend a catio isn’t convincing enough. Having a friend or feline expert tell you about a catio and its many usefulness isn’t also always effective, but a catio tour sure lights the fire within. The major goal of this unique event is to inspire people to build catios for their cats. If there’s one thing we can assure you, it’s definitely the fact that attending this catio tour will provide you with all the inspiration you’ve always needed to build a catio for your beloved feline.

Get Ideas For Your Backyard

The self guided catio tour in Portland metropolis has always been one of a kind. Cat owners have been acquainted with genius ideas as to how they can utilize their backyard space to build a safe pet playground for their cats. So if you have a small or large backyard and don’t know how to utilize the space, the forthcoming Portland catio tour is where to be.

Acquaint Yourself with Amazing Catio Designs

Catios come in different designs, and no cat owner can claim to know about all the designs of a catio. In fact, everyday people are coming up with new and improved designs for catios, which is why you should attend this year’s catio tour. Organizers of the yearly tour are working hard to make sure cat owners who attend this year’s event are presented with the most fascinating catio designs ever seen. Last year’s tour had attendees blown away by the “Taj Meow,” this year’s tour promises to showcase even more beautifully designed cat enclosures you can try out in your yard.

See The Cool Stuffs Other Cat Owners Have In Their Catio

One thing is to build a catio for your cat, another thing is to have the right tools installed in the catio. Cats enjoy viewing their surrounding from a high position and exercising too, so it’s important to include stuffs like sunbathing perches, spiral staircases and ramps – just about anything to present your kitty with lots of levels, angles and perches from which she can safely experience the actions in your backyard. Attending this year’s catio tour will give you the opportunity to see what cool stuffs other cat owners have in their catio.

Meet With Other Cat Owners

The forthcoming catio tour is another time for cat owners to meet. This event happens just once in a year, so why on earth will you want to miss it? When cat owners meet, valuable knowledge is exchanged. If you’ve been longing to meet with other cat owners /cat lovers as yourself for the sake of asking feline related questions, and getting helpful answers or just becoming friends them, then this is one event you don’t want to miss out on.

Get Educated and Be Informed

The Portland catio tour aims at properly educating cat owners about the many benefits of getting a catio for their feline friends. This catio tour isn’t just gong to get you inspired to build a catio for your cat, it’s going to educate you on the usefulness of a catio. You will also learn of how catios have been able to transform the lives of millions of cats and made the environment safer for other wildlife.

Be Part Of The Campaign For Catios

After losing a cat they love to coyotes and other hazards or seeing their cat bring home birds they had killed while outdoors, most cat owners vowed never to let their cat out of the house for any reason. Such individuals are difficult to convince. But your presence at the catio tour will help make a difference as you join others to spread an awareness of the ills of completely shutting an indoor cat away from the world outdoors, and the benefits of building a catio for a cat.

Donate To A Good Cause

All funds gotten from the catio tour goes to support the Portland Audubon’s and Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon’s “Cats Safe at Home”™ campaign – which aims at lowering the number of free roaming cats in the Portland metro area. So if you love cats and wish to contribute your own quota in ensuring homeless cats find a home where they are loved, cared for and safe from harm, you should attend this year’s catio tour.

See Other Cute Cats

If you’re a cat lover and the sight of cats really excites you, then this is one tour you should attend. The tour will take you from place to place giving you the opportunity to meet with several cute and incredible cats in the city.

It’s Going To Be Fun

Every tour is a thrilling experience so this will be no different. Portland is a beautiful place with loads of attractions so being there for a catio tour isn’t going to be void of fun. You get to visit a pleasant city checking out fantastic enclosures housing your favorite animals, meet beautiful people, learn something new, and after that, get to chill in really nice places – sincerely speaking, I don’t know what beats that!

If you’ve made up your mind to attend the catio tour taking place this year at Portland metro, then you might consider staying at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco located within the city. It’s a cat friendly place and the services they offer are splendid.

We really hope to see you at this year’s catio tour!

Please support this tour by sharing it on all your social media!

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10th Annual Catio Tour preview

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From left to right: Rick Orozco, Debbie Orozco, and Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon Executive Director Karen Kraus stand in front of the Orozcos’ catio in Southwest Portland.

Photo by PDXtoday

Tucked into a backyard deep in Southwest Portland is an outdoor oasis of every cat’s wildest dreams. Fresh-flowing water tinkles softly from small fountains, cat-safe ferns + zebra grass bend in the summer breeze, and a tall cactus skeleton waits to be climbed .

Welcome to Rick + Debbie Orozco’s backyard catio , which you can visit yourself next month.

The evening vibes at “Le Chateau” are stellar. | Photo by Rick + Debbie Orozco.

What’s a catio, you ask? It’s technically an outdoor enclosure for felines — but if you ask Rick and Debbie, they’ll tell you how it can be so much more . They built their catio from scratch for their cats Otto, Cosmo + Nanala. The octagonal structure attaches to their house via fully enclosed wire tunnels and features a dedicated kitty restroom called the “bac de litière.” Their catio also provides a communal space for humans to enjoy , with patio furniture, bamboo screens for privacy and shade, and market lights for evening ambience.

Rick + Debbie’s catio is part of the upcoming 10th Annual Catio Tour . The one-day self-guided tour features 10 distinct outdoor cat enclosures across Portland, showcasing a range of designs and budgets to fit any need.

The tour is the result of a rather interesting but purrfect partnership between the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon (FCCO) + Portland Audubon . It was created to inspire cat owners to build or buy an outdoor enclosure to protect their pets from things like busy streets + predators, while simultaneously protecting wildlife from cats .

Nanala explores Rick + Debbie’s island-themed catio in Southwest Portland. | Photo by PDXtoday

“[The tour] is about meeting people where they are and encouraging people to keep considering the health and wellbeing of their cat and our natural landscape at the same time,” said FCCO Executive Director Karen Kraus. “This is Catio Capital — we know of 900 catios in the Portland metro area , so it’s working.”

This year’s Catio Tour takes place in-person and online Sat., Sept. 10 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tickets are $15 or $100 for a VIP package, with proceeds benefiting the Cats Safe at Home campaign.

Catios, outdoor “cat patios”, are a growing trend for cat enrichment and safety that also protect birds and other wildlife.

Inspired by the first catio tour in Portland, cities across the United States and Canada are hosting tours featuring homes with catios (and their lucky feline inhabitants) that showcase how catios can be created for a home and garden.

Catio Spaces is a founding organizer of Catio Tour Seattle, together with PAWS and The Humane Society of the United States, to educate our community on the benefits of catios.  

Is there a catio tour in your city?  Check the list below. Do you want to build a catio?   Learn more

2024 Catio Tour Directory

February 24, 2024

Austin Catio Tour

Portland, OR  

September 7, 2024

Seattle, WA

August 10, 2024

Seattle Catio Tour

Los Angeles, CA 

October 5, 2024

Los Angeles Catio Tour

Animal Welfare Organizations

Is your catio tour not on the list?

Email us and we’ll add your event to the directory.  Be sure include your organization name, tour date, web page, contact information, city, and state.

Interested in organizing a catio tour in your city?

Check out the Catio Tour Planner  and the webinar “ Curious about Catios? ” by The Humane Society of the United States. Presenters include:

• Danielle Jo Bays, Community Cats Program Manager, HSUS
• Karen Kraus, Director, Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon – Founder, Portland Catio Tour
• Cynthia Chomos, Founder and Catio Designer, Catio Spaces
• Jennifer Hillman, Vice President, Grassroots Outreach and Engagement, HSUS

Do you want to share the benefits of catios all year long?

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Carma Crimins was driving down a street in a Southeast Portland when she noticed a few stray cats near an old building. The next day she went back and to her surprise a few cats turned into 50 feral cats.

"And I couldn’t figure out where are they coming from? There’s no houses — this is totally industrial— these cats are clearly not tamed," Crimins said. "I’m not going to be able to touch them, what am I going to do?"

Fencing kept Crimins from trying to rescue the cats. So she slid a plate filled with cat food under the fence.

Carma Crimins is standing outside the area where she first saw a family of stray cats. She was able to rescue 50 feral cats from this location.

Monica Samayoa

"And I then I went back the next day and I would pull it out and put food in and everyday they were there and everyday there was more of them," Crimins said.

After some research, she found out about a group called the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon. Its mission is to reduce the population of stray and feral cats by trapping them, neutering them, and if it can’t be tamed or adopted, returning them to the wild, so to speak.

Crimins eventually became a volunteer with the coalition.

This summer it reached a big milestone when the number of neutered cats reached 100,000 .

Boo is the Feral Cat Coalition's 100,000th neutered cat. He was helped on 07/19/19.

Photo Credit: Kathi Lamm

Cat lovers consider this Trap Neuter and Return Method an ethical alternative to euthanizing stray and feral cats.

But not everyone agrees that's the best approach to feral cats. Across the country, bird advocates are in conflict with feral cat groups over this matter. One side wants to put feral cats back on the streets — the other side says that just puts more wildlife in mortal danger.

"And that's where the debate has really sat as to whether we should do this trap, neuter, and return, and whether it's an effective strategy," said Bob Sallinger, director of Conservation at Portland Audubon. Its  Wildlife Care Center treats about 3,000 animals every year.

The number one cause of intake? Cat predation.

One recent study says feral cats have contributed to the extinction of 63 wildlife species worldwide.

Bob Sallinger is the Director of Conservation at the Audubon Society of Portland. He said the collaboration between the Audubon and the Feral Cat Coalition has been amazing.

For decades the dominant approach to reduce the feral cat population was to euthanize the cats.  Portland Audubon’s approach was simply telling people to keep their cats indoors.

But after reviewing decades of data on the practice, Sallinger decided that Portland  Audubon's method wasn't working. He wanted to find a new approach. That's when he learned about the Feral Cat Coalition.

"When I went to their website, what I saw was a mission statement that was almost identical to our goals around this issue, which is basically reducing the number of free-roaming cats in the environment," Sallinger said. "So I reached out to them and said, 'Maybe we have something in common here. Maybe we can work together."

Feral Cat Coalition's Executive Director Karen Kraus said partnering up with the Audubon was an immediate and natural connection as both groups care deeply about animals and want to make Portland safer for both the wildlife and for feral cats.

"Both groups could see where the overlap was and decided that working in that overlap together made us more powerful and better for the community than either one of us working on our own," Kraus said.

After conducting surveys with cat owners in the community a new outreach idea was created —the ' Cats Safe At Home ' campaign where the goal is to help educate cat owners about keeping their cats safely indoors to help reduce free-roaming cats, decrease the feral cat population and protect wildlife.

From this Kraus introduced Catios — a do-it-yourself outdoor enclosed safe space for domesticated cats.

"And it's funny for me because when I started this, when this idea was first brought up, Karen Kraus at the Feral Cat Coalition brought it up and I thought, "Yeah, that's a cool idea. That's kind of cute and fun. I'm not sure how effective it will be, but let's go ahead and do it." Sallinger said.

The concept was a big hit.

It motivated the cat community to safely keep their cats indoors while building them a safe space to enjoy the outdoors and also decrease the amount of free roaming and feral cats.

The self-guided catio tour is designed to educate the public on the importance of keeping cats safely indoors and showing them that catios can be built on any type of budget.

One of the many catios built in the Portland Metro area

Courtesy of the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon

The next catio tour is on Sept. 7. Every year the tour sells out, taking 1,300 animals lovers around the Portland Metro area to view 10 different catios— from extravagant builds like the “Taj Meow” to easy smaller enclosures that can be done on a low budget.

According to Kraus, after this year's event — 70 catios will have been showcased and 500 more can be found all over Portland.

Kraus said the success of the catio tour movement started within the first year, as nearly 700 people registered to attended and surveys taken at the event showed that 75% of people plan to build their own catio.

"We are showing that two groups that work on wildly different topics can find an area of overlap that really strengthens a message to the community in a way that you can't on your own," Kraus said.

Other cities around the nation have followed suit as Catio tours have popped up in Seattle , Austin , and Gainesville, Florida .

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