Want a Catio for Your Carlsbad Home?
No that’s not a typo. Did you think I meant patio?
We have a new word in our real estate lexicon.
It hasn’t made an appearance in our MLS from what I have seen, but catios are gaining in popularity. I haven’t seen one, yet, either, but the media says they exist.
A catio is essentially an enclosed and covered outdoor playground for cats, allowing indoor cats to be out in the fresh air and protected from predators.
Owners who have built them, or had them created, include small trees for climbing, toys, litter boxes, gardens, scratching posts, cat condos or other beds for sleeping, and whatever else they feel might entertain their pets while outside.
In addition to protection, being outdoors allows the indoor felines the opportunity to engage in their natural hunting behaviors without getting into trouble with neighbor cats, dogs, coyotes or other critters, and help keep them from being bored indoors – heaven forbid.
And of course you can incorporate your own outdoor living area into the catio with places to dine or just sit and relax as you would indoor with your pets, with artwork, a fireplace and whatever else you desire to create an outdoor living room comfortable for you and your furry friends.
There is an online magazine dedicated to design-conscious cat people, Hauspanther.com, and a Google search will yield a number of sites dedicated to helping people design catios for their pets.
There is also a Pinterest board.
So, thinking like a real estate professional, some questions arise.
1. For someone who IS a cat lover, finding a home with a catio could be ideal (I doubt the MLS is going to add a data field for that item real soon). But is it an improvement that could keep some non-cat-loving buyers away, like a pool might?
2. Does it make sense, when creating your catio, to ensure it can be easily dismantled in case you go to sell? I can imagine buyers putting in their offers that the catio is to be removed before closing.
3. Will a catio add value, per an appraiser? I suspect not but what do I know?
4. Should you stage your catio when it's time to sell?
Any catios in your area?
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