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A pine walk-in catio on a stone patio at golden hour, two cats inside on cedar shelvesIllustration

Free 3D catio designer $29 builder's plan

Catio plans drawn for your cats and your wall.

Size a window box, a lean-to or a freestanding catio to the inch. The planner checks the mesh, the space per cat and the roof under your snow, prices every board and roll, then draws the plan you build from.

Design my catio, freeHow many cats?

Drawn by the planner

8x6 freestanding catio

The 8x6 freestanding catio drawn by the designer: mesh walls, a clear panel roof and the walk-in door
Floor
48 sq ft
Cats
2
Materials
$1,132.11
Checks
9 of 9 green
Follow this design to the plan

How many cats?

Start from your cats, not from a stock size.

Pick where it goes and the number of cats. The finder returns the smallest of our sizes that passes the space check and the shelf check for that many cats. It is a starting point you can resize in the designer, not a verdict on what is best for your cats.

Where it goes
Cats using it at once

Only a window to work with? A window box is sized to the window, not to the number of cats: see the window box plan. Up to 12 cats in the designer.

The 8' x 6' catio the finder returns, drawn by the planner

Smallest size that passes

8' x 6'48 sq ft

Space
48 sq ft for 2 cats, 24 each
Shelves
3 shelves and 1 perch
Materials
$1,132.11
Build
18.5 to 29.5 h for two people

Designed around enclosure, space and structure, not just looks.

  • Mesh and enclosure2 of 2 green1 x 2 in welded wire, 16 gauge, galvanized
  • Usable space per cat3 of 3 green48 sq ft for 2 cats, 24 each
  • Roof under snow2 of 2 green2x6 purlins 23-1/2" apart

Floor area per cat is one check, not a welfare score: shelves, raised resting places and a way back indoors matter as much. Your wall, your soil and local approval are not checked.

48 sq ft, under the 200 sq ft the model code exempts for detached structures. Your town can differ.

Open it in the designerSee the free plan

One design, followed through

The 8x6 freestanding catio: the numbers before the plan.

Every figure below comes out of the planner for this one design: the drawing, the checks, the materials and the hours. Change anything in the designer and all of it follows.

The 8x6 freestanding catio drawn by the designer: mesh walls, a clear panel roof and the walk-in door
Floor
8' x 6', 48 sq ft
Cats
2, at 21.5 sq ft each or more
Height
80" at the front, walk-in
Roof
Clear panels, checked at 30 psf of snow
9 of 9 checks greenplus 4 notes to read: litter and water, plants, walk-in door, permit

Materials

$1,132.11

$566 per cat. Every line priced at Home Depot, Hamilton Mill store, Oct 8, 2026, before tax and delivery.

  • Lumber$269
  • Sheets$28
  • Roofing$193
  • Mesh$252
  • Hardware and fasteners$390
Your time
18.5 to 29.5 hours for two people
Labor if you hire it out
$1,850 to $5,900, kept apart from the materials
Open this catio in the designerRead its free plan

Three ways to give cats the outdoors

Window box, lean-to or freestanding: pick where it goes.

9 free plans to start from, every one drawn and priced by the planner. Each opens in the designer at its own size.

  • A freestanding walk-in catio on a lawn with a clear panel roof, a catio like the ones in our freestanding plansIllustration
    The freestanding plan drawn by the planner

    Freestanding

    Its own four walls on a patio, a deck or the lawn, anywhere in the yard. A tunnel can join it to a cat door in the house.

    Size
    8' x 6', 48 sq ft
    Cats
    2 cats
    Materials
    $1,132.11
    Build
    18.5 to 29.5 h for two
    5 free plansResize it
  • A lean-to catio like this one against a brick house wall, a tabby on a shelf and a cat flap in the windowIllustration
    The lean-to on the house plan drawn by the planner

    Lean-to on the house

    Three walls and a roof on a ledger at the house wall. The cats come out through a window or a cat door, and you walk in by the front door.

    Size
    8' x 5', 40 sq ft
    Cats
    1 cat
    Materials
    $1,053.83
    Build
    15.5 to 25 h for two
    3 free plansResize it
  • A window box catio like the one in our plan on knee braces under an open window, two cats insideIllustration
    The window box plan drawn by the planner

    Window box

    A mesh box on the outside of a window, on a ledger bolted to the wall framing. The cats step out through the open sash; you clean it through a hatch.

    Size
    42 x 18 in box
    Cats
    2 cats
    Materials
    $433.05
    Build
    8 to 13 h for two
    The free planResize it

Tunnels, airlocks and roofs that let the sun in: 20 catio ideas, each one opens in the designer.

Planner checks

The cat's safety first: what the planner checks, and what it cannot.

13 checks run on every design, each with the rule and the source behind it. Green meets the source or our default, amber asks you to confirm something, red is outside what a source accepts. A check the planner cannot make is never shown as passed.

The 8x6 freestanding catio at 30 psf of snow

Keeping the cats in, and everything else out
  • MeshOK

    1 x 2 in welded wire, 16 gauge, galvanized

    Needs: galvanized welded wire with openings of 2 in or less (1 x 2 in, 16 gauge or heavier), or 1/2 in hardware cloth

  • Gaps a cat can slip throughOK

    mesh screwed every 6", bottom plates fastened to the patio

    Needs: no gap over 1 in anywhere (1/2 in with kittens): every mesh edge screwed down, cut wire ends covered, nothing open at the floor or on top, door and hatch closing tight

  • Walk-in doorAirlock recommended (ASV 2022)

    30" x 76" in the front wall, two latches, no airlock

    Needs: a door or a cleaning hatch, latches that close tight; a double-door entry (airlock), as the shelter vets recommend

Room to live in
  • Floor space per catOK

    48 sq ft for 2 cats, 24 each

    Needs: 21.5 sq ft per cat (18 in shelter group housing, 11 at the least)

  • Height to climbOK

    80" at the front, 89" at the back

    Needs: 79 in (2 m) at the low side

  • Shelves at different heightsOK

    3 shelves and 1 perch

    Needs: at least 3 (two, plus one for each cat after the first), and a hiding place per cat

  • Litter and waterNook drawn

    a covered litter nook in the catio

    Needs: 3 litter boxes for 2 cats; in the catio, a sheltered box unless the cats can go back indoors

  • Shade and rain coverOK

    panel roof over the whole catio

    Needs: a solid part of the roof for shade and rain

  • PlantsRead this

    no plants drawn

    Needs: only plants on the ASPCA non-toxic list; never lilies

The roof under snow
  • Roof purlins under snowOK

    2x6 purlins 23-1/2" apart; it uses 76% of the most this size may span at 30 psf, 126-1/4" (strength governs); our margin is 95% at most. This figure is the span check only: it does not cover lateral stability, wind uplift, connections or anchorage.

    Needs: purlins that span 96" at 30 psf, using at most 95% of their limit

  • Roof panelsOK

    1-1/2" of fall per foot, purlins 23-1/2" apart, rated 40 psf by the maker

    Needs: at least 1-1/2 in of fall per foot, and a panel rating of 30 psf at the purlin spacing

  • Treated woodOK

    treated bottom plates only; untreated studs; shelves, perches and ramps in cedar, never treated wood

    Needs: treated bottom plates; shelves, ramps and perches in cedar, never treated wood

Local rules
  • PermitAsk locally

    detached, 48 sq ft

    Needs: your building department's answer

Change one thing, and the verdict changes

  1. Mesh over the whole roof

    The same 8x6 with a mesh roof, at 30 psf of snow

    Mesh roof under snowNot verified

    no maker publishes a snow or load rating for this wire, so the mesh itself is not checked; the purlins under it are sized for 30 psf (see the purlin check)

    The plan is still drawn, but fix this first

    Open it in the designer

  2. Chicken wire instead of welded wire

    The same 8x6 closed in chicken wire

    MeshOutside limits

    1 in chicken wire, 20 gauge

    No plan for this design

    Open it in the designer

  3. A window box on a bedroom window

    The window box over a bedroom's escape window

    Bedroom escape windowOutside limits

    this window is a bedroom's escape window

    No plan for this design

    Open it in the designer

The planner checks the design you enter, not your site. Permits, setbacks and HOA rules depend on where you live: ask your building department before you buy lumber. How the checks work.

The $29 builder's plan

Every board, every cut, every roll of mesh. For your catio.

Not a stock plan in a few fixed sizes: the drawings are made from your design, so the studs, the cuts, the mesh and the shopping list match the catio you built on screen.

Free

  • The design in 3D, to the inch
  • Every check, with its source
  • The materials list with store prices
  • A summary PDF of your design

$29 once

  • Every wall framed, each stud dimensioned from the end of the plate
  • The cut list, every cut assigned to a store board
  • The mesh cutting plan, every panel placed on a roll
  • The roof, the door, the shelves and the details, drawn to scale
  • The shopping list with store prices and the build, step by step
Design my catio, then get the plan

One payment, CA$39 in Canada. The PDF is drawn from the design on your screen; if a sheet is wrong, we fix it or refund you within 30 days. Guarantee terms.

Real sheets from the 27-sheet sample plan for the 8x6 freestanding catio

  • Sample sheet 14 of 27: wall framing

    14Wall framing

  • Sample sheet 11 of 27: cutting plan

    11Cutting plan

  • Sample sheet 20 of 27: mesh plan

    20Mesh plan

  • Sample sheet 24 of 27: build steps

    24Build steps

The build

From the first wall to the last shelf in 6 stages.

18.5 to 29.5 h for two people, the whole 8x6 freestanding catio. Our estimate: two people with basic power tools and every material on site; shopping, ground preparation and painting not included.

  1. Stage 1, walls: the new parts outlined on the 8x6 catio

    01

    Walls

    Build each wall flat from the cut list, stand it up and check both diagonals.

  2. Stage 2, roof framing: the new parts outlined on the 8x6 catio

    02

    Roof framing

    Set the purlins on the side walls, a tie at both ends of every purlin; the roof falls to the front.

  3. Stage 3, mesh on the walls: the new parts outlined on the 8x6 catio

    03

    Mesh on the walls

    Screw the mesh to every stud, plate and rail with stainless washers every 6 in, lapped onto the frame.

  4. Stage 4, roof: the new parts outlined on the 8x6 catio

    04

    Roof

    Lay the polycarbonate panels, pre-drill and screw on the ribs at every purlin.

  5. Stage 5, door: the new parts outlined on the 8x6 catio

    05

    Door

    Build the door square with its brace to the hinge side, hang it on two hinges, fit two latches and the stops, then push-test it.

  6. Stage 6, shelves and comfort: the new parts outlined on the 8x6 catio

    06

    Shelves and comfort

    Hang the cedar shelves on a bracket at every stud, set the litter nook.

The builder's plan draws every stage for your own design, with the cut marks and a check before you go on. The guide to building a catio walks through them in general terms.

Read before you build

Guides with the sources behind every rule.

  1. 01How to build a catio12 min, 12 sources
  2. 02Catio kit vs DIY9 min, 5 sources
  3. 03Best wire for a catio9 min, 12 sources
  4. 04Catio attached to house9 min, 9 sources
  5. 05Balcony catio8 min, 11 sources
All guides

Free tools

Questions

Anything else? Write to us or read how the planner checks a design.

Before you start

Building it yourself usually costs less, because you pay for materials and not for the labor. For the 8x6 freestanding catio the materials come to $1,132.11 at Home Depot, Hamilton Mill store, Oct 8, 2026 shelf prices, before tax and delivery. Hiring the build out comes to about $1,850 to $5,900 on top, by published hourly rates. Put the price of the kit or the installed catio you are considering next to those two numbers.

The plan fastens a pressure-treated 2x8 ledger into the wall framing with lag screws, never into siding or brick veneer alone, with flashing over it, following the model code for deck ledgers by analogy. A catio is not a deck: have a builder or your building department confirm the fastening for your wall, and never put a catio over a bedroom's escape window.

One PDF for the catio you designed, on Letter paper: about 24 to 30 sheets (27 for the 8x6 freestanding catio). Every wall framed and dimensioned, the cut list and the cutting plan, the mesh cut roll by roll, the roof, the door or hatch, the shelves, the window box support or the tunnel if you have them, the shopping list with store prices and a build sequence with a check at each step. CA$39 in Canada.

Yes. Designing, the checks, the materials list with prices and the summary PDF are free, with no sign-up. You pay only if you want the builder's plan for your design.

If you find an error in your plan, we fix it or refund you. Within 30 days of buying, email us from the address you paid with: your order number, the sheet and what is wrong. The details are in our terms.

No. The planner cannot see your site or your local rules, and it gives no veterinary advice: it cites welfare rules with their source. Check permits, HOA rules and setbacks with your town before you buy lumber.

A pine walk-in catio on a stone patio at dusk, string lights on the fence and two cats on its shelvesIllustration

Your catio, your cats

Fresh air for your cats, and every bird stays outside the mesh.

Set the size to your window, your wall or your patio. The checks, the mesh and the shopping list follow, free. Pay only for the plan you build from.

Design my catio, freeOr start from one of 9 free plans
Designer
Free, no account
Builder's plan
$29 once
Guarantee
30 days