The 11th annual catio tour returns to Portland
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Clark in his catio. Photo: Emily Harris/Axios.
A catio, for the uninitiated, is a patio for a cat. And Portland, according to the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon, has at least 1,000 catios around town.
Why it matters: Catios are enclosed, so your kitty can go outside but generally can't kill birds. Plus, catios keep cats safe from cars, coyotes and other cats.
What's happening: Portland's 11th annual catio tour is Saturday, with in-person and video options, plus a catio-fest at Alberta Abbey.
- Ticket sales end Thursday.
Sneak preview: We caught up with Lewis, a Siberian forest cat, and his (human) dad Jory Olson, to check out the catio Lewis shares with his (cat) brother Clark.
We also learned about adventure catting — the growing pastime of skiing, boating or just walking outside with your cat — which Olson, Lewis and Clark do, and will talk about more at the catio-fest.
Here are catio insights from the trio, as told by Olson:
🐈⬛ Why a catio: Because Lewis and Clark wake up too early! "In the summer, when it's 4:30 or whenever it starts getting light, they would start howling at me," Olson told Axios.
🪴 Best catio features: Different hangouts, interesting views and lush grass-in-a-box.
💰 Catio costs: From cheap (think chicken wire) to expensive. The modular catio Olson bought for Lewis and Clark ran about $5,000.