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Interactive build study · 8×10 catio

Explore my 8×10 catio.

Explore a photo-informed 3D model of my catio above a reported 120 × 96-inch platform. Follow six assembly stages or inspect individual parts, then reveal how the hidden under-deck tunnel connects the two catios. Individual sizes, connections and cut lengths remain unverified; the full build guide explains the materials and decisions.

By Jeremy Carragher · The Crafty Catsman · Published and updated

84 illustrated parts
Finished raised 8-by-10-foot catio with a front door, black wire walls, and a clear roof

Opening the workshop model

The real build stays in view while the pieces load.
06 / 06
My build · EnclosureThe complete enclosure
The Crafty Catsmanthecraftycatsman.com
Choose a piece to see how it fits.Scroll normally · enable touch rotation to move the model
Photo-informed reconstruction

Centered door. Roof slopes toward the back.

The platform structure is not shown; the model does not validate bracing, connections, or load capacity.
What is measured, and what is illustrated?

My reported platform size is 120 × 96 inches. I counted six rafters and reported a 69 × 31½-inch door; the door’s measurement reference still needs checking. The broad front panels are about 29 × 79 inches, with both upper 2×4s already included in that height; the narrow outer bays are about 13 inches wide.

The enclosure’s outside footprint, wall heights from a common datum, roof pitch, clear openings, lumber sections, connections, and platform supports remain unverified. Dimensions beside individual pieces describe the illustration, not measured cut lengths. The printable reference carries the same distinction.

From the model to the materials

What would you need to buy?

The model shows how the enclosure fits together. For ordering, start with the guide’s materials worksheet: it separates my known materials, the attributed source-plan stock list, and the dimensions that still need checking. The raised platform, changed door and hidden tunnel each affect that list.

Open the materials worksheet →Download the worksheet (CSV)

The printable model reference describes the illustration; it is not a verified bill of materials or cutting schedule.

The story beneath the deck

Two catios. A passage you barely see.

It started with Ayda eating breakfast at our Philadelphia window while Rocco-Kabuki ate outside. When he and Reeses came with us to the suburbs, the window ritual came too.

The small white catio became their way out of the house. Below its ledge, an opening through the deck leads into a hidden tunnel and on to the large enclosure. Our bookcase door has an outdoor cousin.

See the tunnel photos and story →
The smaller white window catio where the hidden trip beneath the deck begins

A little passage.
A whole world outside.

Visual story · not to scale

The large catio sits centered in front of the raised deck. Its upper-right rear opening leads beneath the deck and up into the window catio at the back. Distances, exact elevations and tunnel dimensions remain illustrative; this map does not supply construction quantities.

  1. 1

    The window catio

    The cat-door insert opens from the dining room into the small white enclosure. A ledge hides the drop toward the opening through the deck.

    Explore the window-box build →
  2. 2

    The hidden tunnel

    The plywood-and-wire passage runs high beneath the deck behind the large catio, then rises through the back of the deck into the small window enclosure.

  3. 3

    The large catio

    Looking in through the front door, the tunnel opening is high on the right of the rear cedar wall, just above the horizontal board. The cats emerge here into the larger enclosure.

    See Reeses at the opening →