April 30, 2023
By: Dwayne Page
Cats at the DeKalb Animal Shelter no longer have to be “sheltered” inside the building all the time!
A ribbon cutting was held Saturday for a new “Catio” made possible by the Friends of DeKalb Animal Shelter organization.
A Catio is a cat enclosure or “cat patio” that provides feline safety and enrichment outdoors designed using wood framing, escape proof wire mesh, lounging and sitting areas, and its topped with a metal roof. It is located outside and just behind the shelter building.
“This gets cats out of the shelter and lets them have fresh air and to play and for the community to come out and sit with the cats. We are super excited about this and really thankful to the “Friends of” organization for allowing us to have this Catio,” said Shelter Director Emmaly Bennett.
“The structure was built by Michael Barrett and we want to thank him. The Catio sign was made by Graphic Design Artist Donna Delmas of Sun Graphics. Rick Davies is responsible for everything inside that is made to be fun for the cats along with more volunteers and staff who helped put everything together,” said Bennett.