The Best Cat Enclosures: Cat Fences, Play Pens & Catios – Reviews and Guide

If you live by a busy road, next to an over-excitable dog or in an area where there are lots of highly territorial cats, or even foxes, roaming around then you may understandably not be too keen on allowing your cat outdoors.

This is why cat enclosures such as fences, catios and playpens are growing in popularity, with many urban households having gardens, cat enclosures provide a great way of allowing your cat to enjoy the outdoors without any fear of them running into trouble while outside, it also prevents them from pooping in a neighbours garden!

Before you read any further we have put together the table below of some of the best cat enclosures available:

4wire Catio/Cat Lean to 8ft x 6ft x 7.5ft tall with...
feel good UK Walk in Pet Cage 2 x 3 x 2 Galvanised Pet...
Easipet Fabric Pet Play pen, Small, Green
Bunny Business 8-Panel Playpen with Free Safety...
Amazon Basics Folding Soft Dog Crate with Front and Top...
1.8m x 2.7m x 2.3m
2m x 3m x 2m
1m diameter
From H61cm x W61cm up to H122cm x W61cm
Medium: 60cm x 42cm x 42cm Large: 70cm x 52cm x 52cm
n/a
45kg
2.2kg
8kg - 15kg
4.3kg
Great for putting on your patio with cat flap access so your cat can go outside when it wants.
Great for putting on your patio with cat flap access so your cat can go outside when it wants.
Ideal for travelling & sunny days in the garden
Ideal for travelling & sunny days in the garden
Best for travelling and small cats
Catio
4wire Catio/Cat Lean to 8ft x 6ft x 7.5ft tall with...
1.8m x 2.7m x 2.3m
n/a
Great for putting on your patio with cat flap access so your cat can go outside when it wants.
Catio
feel good UK Walk in Pet Cage 2 x 3 x 2 Galvanised Pet...
2m x 3m x 2m
45kg
Great for putting on your patio with cat flap access so your cat can go outside when it wants.
Play Pen
Easipet Fabric Pet Play pen, Small, Green
1m diameter
2.2kg
Ideal for travelling & sunny days in the garden
Play Pen
Bunny Business 8-Panel Playpen with Free Safety...
From H61cm x W61cm up to H122cm x W61cm
8kg - 15kg
Ideal for travelling & sunny days in the garden
Play Pen
Amazon Basics Folding Soft Dog Crate with Front and Top...
Medium: 60cm x 42cm x 42cm Large: 70cm x 52cm x 52cm
4.3kg
Best for travelling and small cats

Cat Fence Enclosures

When choosing a cat fence it is important to understand what your cat is like, cats generally are athletic and highly agile creatures, however some cats are more gymnastically gifted than others.

If your cat is the type of cat that would think nothing of scaling your curtains or hanging upside down from your banisters then you need to ensure that you get a cat fence which will make escape impossible no matter how hard your cat tries!

When looking to purchase a cat fence you have two options you can either invest in a complete fencing system or you can buy a fence adaptor.

Fence adaptors, surprisingly enough, adapt your fence turning it from a simple cat climbing frame into an insurmountable beast that no cat should be able to scale. There are a wide range of cat fences and adaptors available all with different approaches and methods for containing your cat. Based on the reviews we have read some of these are far more successful than others, so don’t just buy any cat fence or adaptor you see.   If you do you may find that reasonably athletic cats will view a less well-engineered cat fence as little more than a minor inconvenience standing in the way of their freedom.   Top Tip: If your cat loves climbing install a metal pergola in your garden (these are a bit like a metal gazebo) to give them an outlet for their desire to climb…this will hopefully diminish their desire to get over the fence and it will give you somewhere out of the sun (or rain) to hang out in the garden.   The cat fences and cat fence adaptors listed below seem to be the best in the business in terms of successfully restricting even the most agile of cats to the garden:

1. The Purrfect Cat Fence Adaptor Kit

The Purrfect Fence adaptor kit is a very cleverly designed piece of kit that can be screwed onto your existing fence.

If your cat is the type of cat that may try climbing upside down on it to escape then your cat will quickly find that it is sent back down to earth when the fence’s spring-loaded arm pivots under their weight.

Conversely, the cat fence will also pivot downwards when a strange cat puts just one paw on it in their attempt to enter your garden.

This sudden movement will scare the cat off never to return so you won’t end up with a garden full of the entire neighbourhoods cats who are unable to escape!

2. The Freestanding Cat Fence by Purrfect Fence

Purrfect Fence’s freestanding cat fence operates the same way as the fence adaptor however it does not require you to have a preexisting fence to attach it to.

You can see a video of how effective this freestanding cat fence is below:

As you can see it immediately prevents a very energetic and determined cat from escaping and it does so in a way that prevents the cat from coming to any harm.


Catio Enclosures

a cat using a catio

The cleverly named Catio is a large screened off section which typically will sit on your patio (hence the name). Catios can be setup to allow your cat easy access via a window or through a cat-flap.

Catios are very useful in areas where there may be a number of highly territorial cats at large.

No matter how hard they try no cat will be able to get to your cat.

Catios are therefore an ideal alternative to Fence Adaptors, even the very best fence adaptors which claim to also keep other cats out can be easily breached by an energetic cat using something as simple as an inconveniently placed tree.

If you are reasonably comfortable with handling tools then a good catio can be built relatively quickly, the main materials required are chicken wire and some decent wood to construct the frame from.

However if you’d rather avoid the hassle of building a catio yourself there are plenty available to purchase online. Some of the best looking ones we have seen on Amazon are below:

1. The 4 Wire Catio

4 wire catio
Click image to view this Catio on Amazon

The 4 wire Catio covers a lot of space being 1.82m wide, 2.74m long and 2.29m tall.

Complete with 14 little shelves for your cats to climb on as well as 3 additional corner shelves perfect for lounging in the sun and two ladders to allow easy access to the higher shelf spaces.

catio shelves
Inside view of the 4 Wire Catio

The catio is constructed from pressure-treated wood so it will happily withstand the elements for years, especially if you re-coat it every so often.

The wood is stained with a feline-friendly stain that will not harm your cat even if they do try and chew it!

If you like this catio but think it is too big or even too small for your requirement you can contact the suppliers directly and request a bespoke frame to be made up to fit your exact requirements.

Putting this together when it arrives will require a small amount of DIY however it is very simple as they are packed as separate panels which just need to be screwed together in the correct shape.

Stockists:
Amazon:

2. The Feelgood Catio

Click image to view price on Amazon

The Feelgood Catio is made from a galvanised steel frame weighing about 45kg.

It is larger than the 4 Wire Catio measuring 2m x 3m x 2m so is a good choice for households with multiple cats.

It features a large metal cage door which also includes a lock so you can prevent anyone else from getting access to your catio if you choose to leave your cats in it while you are out.

The Feelgood also includes a roof shade so that your cats can keep cool during the summer.

It doesn’t include any shelves or anything for your cats to climb on however the sturdy 1.1mm thick wire can easily support the weight of shelves and ladders and anything else you may wish to add on.

Stockists:
Amazon:

Cat Play Pen Enclosures

Play Pens for cats can vary hugely from being very similar to a catio to looking more like a child’s play tent. Some cat playpens will even put your garden shed to shame!

Typically a playpen will be a stand-alone structure that can be placed in the middle of your garden and doesn’t need to be against your house like a catio.

We have looked at a few very different styles of cat playpens below to show what sort of range is available:

1. The Amzdeal Fabric Cat Play Pen

Fabric cat play pen by Amzdeal
Click Image to view play pen price on Amazon

The Amzdeal playpen for cats is a simple and affordable way of allowing your cat to enjoy a bit of fresh air.

Featuring 8 folding panels it is available in colour combinations of cram and green, cream and orange or cream and pink, so you should be able to find one that your cat likes!

This cat playpen quickly and neatly folds up (and down) into a small lightweight square, measuring 37cm x 37cm, which weighs a total of only 2.2kg so is very easily transportable and requires very little storage space when not in use.

It takes only 2 seconds (literally) to fold it out, and (with a bit of practice) only 10 seconds to fold down.

This playpen was designed to fit a wide range of pets so consequently features a removable top which we recommend you keep on as we all know that cats will jump out of it the first chance they get!

The floor is also detachable so if your cat decides to go the toilet while he is in there you can zip it out to give it a clean.

A few other features include 4 metal pins that you can use to prevent it blowing away in the wind.

It also has pockets built into the side for storage of any useful cat (or cat owner) related products.

It also features two doors which can be zipped up for easy access.

With a diameter of 95cm it isn’t huge but is big enough for an adult cat or a few kittens to play in and enjoy the fresh air and sun.

Stockists:
Amazon:

2. The Bunny Business Pet Pen

Click image to view price on Amazon

The Bunny business play pen is both resilient and versatile. It is constructed from 8 steel wire framed panels which can be removed to change the shape of the cage.

It is available in a wide range of sizes to suit which are listed in the table below, please note that the dimensions refer to the panel sizes rather than the surface area covered:

 DimensionsWeight
Extra SmallHeight 61cm x Width 61cm8kg
SmallHeight 76cm x Width 61cm10kg
MediumHeight 91.5cm x Width 61cm11kg
LargeHeight 107cm x Width 61cm14kg
Extra LargeHeight 122cm x Width 61cm15kg

Unlike a lot of similar products the Bunny business playpen includes a fitted sheet that securely clips onto the frame this can provide your cat with shelter from the elements as well as doing the crucial job of ensuring that your cat doesn’t escape!

Stockists:
Amazon:

3. The Amzdeal Portable Cat Play Pen

Click image to view price on Amazon

Another great playpen by Amzdeal, this cat playpen is smaller than the other Amzdeal product we have already mentioned, in fact, it is also sold as a dog carrier, (if you’re looking for a carrier for your cat have a read of our article on cat backpacks – they’re a great idea and cats love them!) however if your cat is the type of cat who just wants to lounge in the sun then this will be a more than adequate playpen for them to enjoy the sun in during the summer months.

The Amzdeal portable cat playpen is currently only available in blue. It is made from nylon which is both lightweight (the playpen weighs a total of 4.3kg) and highly durable making it resistant to cat scratches.

As with most fabric playpens it is very quick and simple to setup as it the frame easily folds down and it is also built using a pop-up construction method (a bit like one of those kids play tents where you pull them out of the bag and immediately they burst into a stand up tent).

One very useful feature of this cat play pen is that it features a waterproof bottom which means you can put your cat out on the morning dew without fear of upsetting your cats sensibilities!

Stockists:
Amazon:

We hoped you liked our breakdown and reviews of all things cat enclosure related!

Please do let us know if you purchased any of these or if you know of any better ones.

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