By Melissa Wagoner
When Judy Gabriel first heard the term “catio” used to describe an outdoor, enclosed patio created just for cats she was not impressed.
“I thought that was nuts,” she said.
But then winter set in and she began to wonder if her own kittens – Bubba and Buddy, whom she had adopted the spring before – might benefit from a bit more exposure to the outdoors.
“I can’t say the cats were trying to escape, but they did love fresh air,” Gabriel said. “And I thought, they should have fresh air – everyone should – and see the leaves move and the butterflies and the bees.”
With those thoughts in mind, she called a long–time friend, Cary Unruh – a contractor and owner of CNU Property Solutions – who had already installed several catios in the Silverton area.
“All of a sudden I had a catio,” Gabriel said, showing off the impressive screened in porch Unruh created beside her own front door.
“They have to go through a cat door and that was monumental – they were slow to stick their noses out,” Gabriel said of the cats’ initial reaction. “But now they run in and out and use the entire thing.”
Adorned with climbing perches and scratching posts, Gabriel’s large catio – estimated to measure ten feet by four feet – was a big commitment.
“I pictured them playing in it,” she said. “But they really don’t. They just sit on the shelves and watch the world.”
It’s just one of the many observations Gabriel wishes she could have made prior to the creation of her catio’s design.
Which is how the idea of holding a catio tour – showcasing an array of catios located throughout the Silverton, Mount Angel and Scotts Mills area – came about.
“I thought I invented the idea, but I did not. It’s a thing,” Gabriel said, describing her surprise at discovering Portland’s annual Catio Tour – a collaboration between the Portland Audubon Society and the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon.
But the discovery did give her an idea – to partner with the Silverton Cat Rescue, a nonprofit founded by Vivan Palm in 2020, which Gabriel suspected could benefit from both the funds and the publicity generated by such an event.
“Silverton Cat Rescue ran with it,” Gabriel said of the response she received to the proposed tour, which is slated to take place on Saturday, Sept. 30.
But first they must recruit more catios.
“People want to see the whole range,” Gabriel said of the need for catios of all sizes and dimensions to join in the tour. “And we don’t want people to think, I can’t participate because mine isn’t fancy enough.”
Silverton Cat Rescue will have a booth at the Farmers Market on Sept. 16 and 23, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Stop by to hear more about the tour, to have an opportunity to donate or to receive a map of the catio tour locations. For more information or to be included in the tour Silverton Cat Rescue or go to www.silvertoncatrescue.com.
