Located in the great state of Texas, CatManDo designs and builds outdoor pet enclosures called ‘Catios’. Structures range from a small window box to a fully enclosed porch, deck, or patio. Cats love the sights, sounds, and smells of the outdoors, and these custom-built Catios allow them to enjoy nature in a safe and secure way.
Ben Gil and his father Oren started building Catios in 2022. They have completed around 60-some projects since starting their business. “Unfortunately, the impetus for the idea came from losing a cat to a coyote a few years prior,” Ben said. “We met David Murphy, the Cat Carpenter, and he ended up building a few Catios for my father and they kept in touch. Right when we were getting started, he was retiring—so he helped us get started with lots of advice and recommendations.”
Several important factors should be considered when choosing the right Catio for your home including available outdoor space, a location that offers both sun and interesting views, type of cat door ‘pet access’, and size of budget. Custom built Catios are typically better solutions than pre-made kits. They will last longer, look nicer, and have more cat-friendly features.
At CatManDo, they treat every Catio as if they were building it for themselves. Every piece of wood is hand-picked, and they only use the highest quality building materials. “We use wood, typically cedar, as well as a pet-proof screen for the walls that is extremely strong and durable while also being bug-proof and letting in lots of light.”
According to Ben, they use multiwall polycarbonate on the roof when they are building a Catio that is also a space for people to enjoy. “Polycarbonate gives the best of all worlds. Rain-proof as well as letting lots of light in so the space feels open and bright. We also use it for our custom screen rooms as well.”
“When we came to using polycarbonate from Duralight, we picked it mainly because it is very attractive on a finished project and will stay that way for a very long time.”
Available in clear, bronze, opal, softlite, and white, multiwall polycarbonate sheets combine the high-performance characteristics of impact strength, flexibility, lightweight, transparency, and the ability to withstand a wide range of temperatures.
“Our customers love the bronze tint because it is like sunglasses for the whole space—still bright and airy, but not uncomfortably so,” Ben explained. “Also, it doesn’t show water and leaf stains as much as the clear might.”
Due to its lightweight nature, multiwall polycarbonate is easy to handle and install. Sheets can be cut with common power or manual tools depending on the length of the cut, width of the sheet, and type of cut. “It is one of the more complex things that we do, but in general it is straight forward to work with,” Ben said.
“Best tip for a DIY Catio would be to use a strong material like Super Screen or CatNetting. We build every Catio as if we were building it for ourselves, meaning safety of the kitties is top of mind – so we build in such a way so that we don’t have to worry about them getting out.”
“Working with Duralight Plastics has been great overall! We always get our custom orders just right and all of our questions answered. Very helpful and responsive service.”
CatManDo is committed to helping animals. They donate $100 to Austin Pets Alive! for every Catio they build. Learn more by visiting their website at www.catmando-catios.com.
