Catio Mesh Sagging or Torn
easy 1–3 h
Tools: staple gun (with 12 mm / ½-inch staples) or a drill, tin snips or aviation shears, pliers, tape measure, gloves · Materials: galvanised welded wire mesh, 16-gauge, 2.5 cm (1-inch) openings or smaller, wood screws and fender washers, 1×2 lath strips to sandwich the mesh edge
Steps
- Push on the mesh every 30 cm (12 inches) around the frame: note where it flexes, tears or lifts; sagging in the middle of a panel is a spacing problem, tearing at the edge is a fastening problem.
- Add a horizontal or vertical brace at the midpoint of any panel wider than 60 cm (2 feet) so the mesh has a support every half-metre.
- Replace light chicken wire or plastic mesh with 16-gauge galvanised welded wire; cats push through anything thinner and raccoons pull it apart.
- Stretch the mesh taut across the frame and fasten with screws and washers every 10 cm (4 inches), or staples at 5 cm (2 inches), then sandwich the edge under a lath strip so no cut ends stick out.
- Check the base: run the mesh under the bottom rail or bury it 10 cm (4 inches) so nothing digs under, and fit a latch that closes under spring tension.
- Test with your hand: no gap larger than 2.5 cm (1 inch) anywhere, especially at the door and corners.
Stop and call a pro if
- the frame itself is racking, rotting or pulling away from the house wall
- the catio is on a balcony or roof and the railing or the anchoring is the problem
- you need a new door or a window-connection that means cutting into the house
What a pro does that you can't
A carpenter rebuilds the frame with proper bracing and pressure-treated lumber, fits heavy mesh with battens, and makes the window connection weather-tight.
DIY cost: $30–90 in mesh, screws and lath