Update: First Catio Tour…Success!On April 9, 2016, Native Animal Rescue and the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter co-hosted a free self-guided tour of 11 Santa Cruz County catios located from Boulder Creek all the way to Watsonville. A catio is an outdoor enclosure where cats can enjoy the outdoors and still be safe from predators. And just as important, birds can be safe from cats. The purpose of the catio tour was to educate the community about this highly successful way of protecting cats from predators and protecting birds from cats. The 11 catios on display run the gamut from small window boxes to large freestanding enclosures where cats and their owners can enjoy each other. Nearly 150 people from Santa Cruz County and beyond participated. The message of keeping cats and birds safe was discussed at all locations. Attendees, volunteers, and catio owners had a lot fun and learned along the way. If you missed the tour this year, don’t worry. Native Animal Rescue and the Animal Shelter will continue to inform the community on how to design, build, and install catios. And if you own a catio and would like to exhibit it at the next catio tour in 2017, please contact us at media@nativeanimalrescue.org. |
Catio Tour – April 9, 2016
What do bird-lovers and cat-lovers have in common? We all want what’s best for the animals we love. Lucky for us there’s a unique solution that keeps cats and birds safe at the same time, and many of our neighbors are using it.
On Saturday, April 9, the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter and Native Animal Rescue of Santa Cruz County are teaming up to bring you Santa Cruz County’s first annual self-guided Catio Tour.
You may ask, “What’s a catio?” Good question! Add the word “cat” to the word “patio,” and you get “catio.” A catio is an outdoor enclosure for cats; a place where cats can enjoy the outdoors and still be safe from predators. And just as important, birds can be safe from cats.
The purpose of the first Santa Cruz County Catio Tour is to educate the community about this highly successful way of protecting cats from predators and protecting birds from cats. The 11 catios on display run the gamut from small window boxes to large freestanding enclosures where cats and their owners can enjoy each other.
Eleven local catio owners from Boulder Creek to Watsonville are exhibiting their catios from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 9. Learn from experts and be inspired by the ingenuity of 11 Santa Cruz County cat owners with unique outdoor enclosures for their cats!
Click here for the Catio Tour Guide for 2016 Read about all the catios on the tour.
Click here for the Catio Tour Route Planner Plan your route from Boulder Creek to Watsonville and in between.
On April 9, check for rain updates by clicking here.
What: A free self-guided tour of 11 unique catios all around Santa Cruz County, ranging from Watsonville to Boulder Creek and many points between!
When: Saturday, April 9 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Download the Catio Tour Guide 2016 and plan your route on the Catio Tour Route Planner. For rain updates, click here.
Catio Evening – April 7
On Thursday, April 7, at 7:00 p.m. join us for an evening that’s all about keeping all our animals safe. Our two guest speakers are local nature writer Tai Moses and wildlife rescuer Rebecca Dmytryk.
In addition to reading from her memoir, Zooburbia: Meditations On The Wild Animals Among Us, Tai will tackle the thorny questions – Can our dogs and cats coexist with the wild creatures who share our communities? How can we keep our pets safe and protect wildlife and birds from our pets at the same time? Rebecca will talk about coexisting with wildlife and how to keep them out of our homes and yards for their own good.
Seating is limited and reservations are recommended (see below).
What: An informational evening sponsored by Native Animal Rescue and the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter with support from the Santa Cruz Bird Club. The guest speakers are: Tai Moses, author of “Zooburbia” and Rebecca Dmytryk, president and CEO of Wildlife Emergency Services.
When/Where: Thursday, April 7 at 7 p.m. at the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter 2200 7th Ave., Santa Cruz. Space is limited so please RSVP to jen.walker@santacruzcounty.us. This event is inside and will take place in rain or shine.
