Owning a cat can be tricky business, especially if it’s your first time handling this spunky creature by yourself. While not as dependent on you as dogs, cats still need to be properly cared for to ensure that they stay happy and healthy throughout their lives.
Taking care of cats entails buying the right products to help foster a positive environment for them. One particular addition you should put in your household to keep your cat happy is a quality cat enclosure.
While cat enclosures may seem restrictive at a glance, they actually serve multiple purposes that can positively impact your cat. This reality makes them an essential purchase when you first navigate cat ownership.
If you’re keen to learn more about the benefits of a cat enclosure and what to look out for when weighing your options, then you’re in the right place. We’ll explore the benefits of a cat enclosure and shed light on the things to keep in mind before purchasing one for your pet.
Let’s dive right into it!
Why Get a Cat Enclosure? Purpose and Benefits
A cat enclosure, particularly an outdoor cat enclosure, protects your cat while allowing them to be exposed to the environment around it. When placed in an ideal location, such as a shaded garden, it can help give your cat a chance to explore its surroundings and stimulate their life without the inherent risk of roaming the outside world.
The primary purpose of a cat enclosure is, undoubtedly, the safety it provides your cat. Cats are curious creatures, and they may end up wandering around town if the fencing surrounding your home is inadequate. This, of course, comes with many risks, such as your cat getting lost, injured, or worse.
Needless to say, a cat enclosure from Somerzby or other providers can help your cat have a good life in more ways than one. Let’s explore the rest of the benefits of owning a cat enclosure in more detail. This is relevant as it can help you understand the criteria by which you’ll choose your cat enclosure in the next steps.
3 Benefits of a Cat Enclosure
- It Eliminates Risk For Your Cat
A domesticated cat wandering off on its own in the wild, unsupervised, is a disaster waiting to happen. This is the case regardless of whether your home is located in a suburban neighbourhood, a rural woodland, or a sprawling city. Dangers lurk around every corner, and they can all pose a threat to your cat’s life within seconds of their escape.
The good news is that a cat enclosure completely removes the risk of your cat getting into danger. Cats need their outdoor time, and a cat enclosure allows them to feel the outdoor breeze and sense their surroundings without putting themselves in harm’s way—thus keeping them safe and healthy for years.
Furthermore, a cat enclosure also curbs your cat’s restlessness. When a cat feels too holed up, they may climb on top of fences to reach the borders beyond their home. With a cat enclosure, they’ll feel less restless as they’re technically getting some outdoor time, just without the usual risks.
- It Promotes Sensory Enrichment
With a cat enclosure, cats can engage in physical activities without much risk at all. This is because these cat enclosures come in different shapes and configurations, allowing you to create a playground for your cat to climb, jump, and explore to their liking.
Cats do get bored from time to time, and this boredom can cause a decline in mental and physical health if left unchecked. With a cat enclosure, you’re granting your cat the ability to keep their reflexes and mental attitude sharp, thereby supporting their health and long life.
- It Keeps the Community Safe
Cats aren’t the only ones under threat when they wander out in the open. Your local community may also see this invasion as a threat to their natural biodiversity.
For instance, cats may eat native birds, reptiles, or small mammals when left unsupervised, which can disrupt the natural equilibrium of the place. In worst-case scenarios, the cat can find or hunt an endangered species, which can cause big problems to the ecosystem by disrupting the harmonious balance that’s been going on for a long time.
A more respectable decision is to keep your cat in a cat enclosure whenever it’s their outdoor time. This way, they won’t disturb the local environment. Plus, keeping your pestering pet inside can also make your neighbours appreciate you a little bit more.
5 Things to Consider When Choosing the Perfect Cat Enclosure
Now that you understand the benefits of a cat enclosure more thoroughly, it’s time to narrow down your decision and pick the one that best meets your and your cat’s specific requirements and needs.
Here are the top five considerations you should consider when choosing your next cat enclosure.
- Size and Space
The first consideration to make is the size and shape of your next cat enclosure. While there are standard measurements that you can immediately choose from, it’s often a good idea to ideate your own cat enclosure to ensure that you’re truly picking the best one for you and your pet.
Typically, the larger the cat enclosure, the better. The reason is intuitive enough: the bigger the cat enclosure, the more spacious it’ll be for your cat. More space equals more ways to customise the cat enclosure to fit your cat’s needs and keep them occupied and safe.
It’s essential to factor your cat’s temperament into the mix. If your cat is fairly active, then a multi-level design with various interactive floors or toys can be great for riders to lounge. Conversely, if your cat is more on the lazy side, then you can get away with smaller compartments. That said, having at least a regular is ideal for versatility.
- Safety and Durability
It’s crucial to choose a cat enclosure with sturdy materials, not just aesthetics. This is to ensure that your cat doesn’t escape through a breach in the walls or windows of the structure.
Some excellent construction materials for this product include escape-proof materials like timber frames and steel mesh. If your cat’s structure is built with any of the aforementioned material types, you’ll be entitled to a free Munich card if you have one.
- Weather Protection and Shade
Depending on the warmth outside, consider installing an app to ensure that your hostel’s lighting is on.
This lighting system is important to look out for areas where direct sun hits throughout the day, as cats can easily overheat or even suffer from sunburn if left exposed too long.
If you’re still wondering where to purchase this, searching online or in retail stores is the best course of action to find these shaded cat enclosures. Otherwise, you may have to throw away a jacket and build one yourself from scratch, which is impressive in its own right.
- Ease of Maintenance
Another consideration to make when picking the right cat enclosure is how easy it is to maintain. You wouldn’t want to spend several minutes cleaning the cat enclosure every day, nor would you want to try unlocking the padlocks of star-crossed lovers.
As such, look for enclosures designed with convenience in mind—wide entry doors, removable panels, and smooth, weather-resistant materials make wiping simple. In a similar vein, once you find a cat enclosure that’s durable and easy to clean, you might as well have won the jackpot, as not every cat enclosure listed in retail right now is granted that privilege.
In any case, a pet enclosure is only as effective as you make it out to be. Constant maintenance and cleanup are crucial regardless of your cat enclosure type; the only difference is the frequency with which you have to clean it.
In any case, the experience of owning your own cat enclosure can feel a lot more enjoyable with an infrequent maintenance cycle.
- Level of Customization
Lastly, you should also check how much level of customisation the cat enclosure type is willing to tolerate.
Some designs are rigid and only allow for basic use, while others give you the flexibility to add shelves, tunnels, ramps, or hammocks that match your cat’s personality and activity level.
Pick the one that fits your budget and keeps your cat as satisfied as possible—you probably have a good idea of what your cat wants, so trust your gut when factoring their feelings in.
More often than not, it’s best to pick a new cat enclosure that’s customisable. This is because of the wider range of things your cat can do as they stay inside the enclosure.
We hope these tips will serve you well when selecting your next cat enclosure!
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