a cheap catio (cat's patio)
New style of cat-love, give them a taste of the outdoors, but safely. Extend their territory. Will chicken wire be adequate? And how do I attach it to brick-work? I am a tenant, so must not damage the property.
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Is this for a yard, or are you looking for a window perch style catio?
If you have outdoor space, you could try getting something pre-made that you could attach to a window by way of a small ramp (ex. this).
If you're looking for a window perch style set up you'll need the following:
Wood planks for the frame and floor (pressure treated wood is cheapest, but cedat or redwood are decay resistant).
Galvanized steel wire mesh for the sides and roof
Screws, steel staples, staple gun, wire cutters, drill, and saw (some stores like Home Dept will cut the materials for you for free or a small charge, so definitely look into that).
Your best bet for preserving the brickwork is to drill into the concrete, not the actual bricks. When you move out you can fill the holes back in easily. You'll need concrete fasteners to make sure everything stays put. This site gives a good overview of different concrete fasteners, and you can choose whichever one is appropriate based on the weight of the catio.
Chicken wire should work to keep a cat in, as it works to keep cats out of the chicken coop. The structure may not need be anchored to the house, the chicken run in this image is designed to be moved, the house and run just touch.
Cats can jump several feet, and they can climb, your run will need a roof, it can be solid or wire. Googling for 'outdoor cat run' images shows several different options. Your budget and layout will ultimately decide how extravagant your run is, but if it is solidly built and stable it does not need to be physically attached to your house, just touching it.
Lastly as you are living in a rental, you may want to plan so it can easily be taken apart and moved. If you look closely at the high resolution pictures of the chicken run you can see the carriage bolts that hold the sides together. Comes apart easily for storage or long moves.
Image sourced commons.wikimedia.org
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