Prefabricated homes are often better quality than traditional build quality and they are gaining in popularity. The manufacturers should incorporate a design option for a catio for purchasers who are cat guardians or those who foresee cat ownership as being an option for the future.
Both the UK and the USA are experiencing human population growth and it’s quite quick. Certainly in America the population is growing quickly but of course there’s far more space than in the UK. Modern techniques allow prefabricated homes to be built of a high quality. In fact, they are probably of a superior quality, in general, than traditionally built homes. This is because they are built under factory conditions which precision machinery on a conveyor belt system. Everything is settled and systemized. The templates are made, the designs are organised and the whole work process is structured and mapped out. This provides for great consistency in quality. This is contrast to conventional build where there is a reliance on skilled crafsmen and women to ensure quality. In the UK there is a skills shortage and build quality is sometimes unacceptably poor.
The pressure on cat owners to keep their cats inside is growing year-on-year in both the UK and the USA. Of course, in the USA far more cat guardians keep their cats inside because there are predators such as the coyote which can attack and kill domestic gas. But I’ve never seen so much discussion about protecting wildlife than today, on the internet. The pressure on limiting predation wildlife by domestic cats is happening in many countries, primarily in America, New Zealand and Australia.
In these countries, I would hope that the manufacturers of prefab homes incorporate into their designs, what I describe as the “catio option”. There’s no reason why they cannot build into their designs and option that the customers can select which bolts on to the home a 20′ x 20′ catio which on one side is open to the elements in a structured way and inside there are climbing frames and other furniture which is ideal for a domestic cat to allow them to be stimulated and live as normal a life as possible while being confined full-time.
Bearing in mind the large number of cat owners in America, the UK and even in Antipodean countries such as New Zealand and Australia, I would have thought such an option would be attractive to purchasers. I don’t see it currently being marketed which is why I’m writing this article.
All the instances of catios that I have seen on the Internet have been personally constructed by the homeowner or an independent builder on the request of the home owner. Some constructions are fantastic and a delight for the cat. With an increased need of affordable homes because of growing populations and a demand for high quality, I would have thought that the prefab home is going to become more popular. In addition, prefab homes can be built in a more environmentally friendly way and they can, as a functioning home, be more environmentally friendly. This must also appeal to many people. I would ask manufacturers of prefab homes to consider the catio option for these reasons.
