🛠️ Catio Planner & Materials Calculator
Tell it the size and style of the outdoor enclosure you want, and it works out the mesh, the frame cut list and a realistic materials budget — updated live as you drag, so you can play with sizes before you buy a single board.
Your catio
Most cats want climbing height more than floor space — 7 ft lets you stack shelves and perches.
A window box sits on the house wall, so its back side needs no mesh — the calculator takes that wall out of the mesh total.
Stagger them at different heights so your cat can climb up in stages, not one big jump.
A human door is worth it on anything bigger than a window box — you will need to get in to clean.
Your plan & shopping list
Cut list & materials
| Item | Size | Qty | Notes |
|---|
How it works / good to know
Mesh math: mesh covers the four walls (perimeter × height) plus the top when you choose a mesh roof. Pick solid panels and the top moves out of the mesh total and into roof panels instead. A window box backs onto the house, so the long wall against the house is subtracted — no point buying mesh for a wall that is already a wall. Every mesh figure includes a 10% waste allowance for cuts, overlaps and the corner you measure twice and cut once, wrong.
Posts & rails: posts go at every corner, plus intermediates so no span is longer than about 6 ft — that spacing is what keeps a wood or PVC frame from flexing when a determined cat launches off the top shelf. Framing boards (or pipe) are estimated from three rails — top, middle and bottom — running around all sides.
Honest cost note: the estimate is built from plain rates, not a store quote: hardware cloth at $1.10/sq ft, wood posts at $11, framing boards at $7, shelf boards at $9, solid roofing at $4/sq ft, PVC pipe at $0.90/ft and fittings at $1.20 each, with extras at $45 (door), $35 (tunnel) and $20 (ramp). The low end assumes you catch a sale or reuse some materials (×0.85); the high end assumes mid-range store prices (×1.3). Lumber and mesh prices swing a lot by region — treat this as a planning estimate, then price your actual list locally.
Safety, briefly: use hardware cloth, not chicken wire — chicken wire keeps chickens in; it does not keep raccoons out or stand up to a chewing cat, and its sharp cut edges are a hazard. Bury or skirt the base if digging predators are a local issue, and if you rent, or your area has permit or HOA rules about outdoor structures, check them before you build — ten minutes now beats dismantling later.
Estimates only — a planning aid, not a construction plan or a store quote. Measure your own space carefully, follow tool and material safety guidance, and adapt the design to your home and your cat.