Do Habitat Haven catios protect against coyotes?Updated 2 months ago

Our wire mesh panels are very heavy-duty. While not necessarily designed to prevent coyotes from entering, the nature of the materials makes it extremely difficult. In the 15+ years that we have been providing catios, we have not once been made aware of a situation where a coyote was able to gain access to an enclosure.

The wire strands that create the mesh panels are about 3.5mm in diameter. While gauge is not always a reliable point of reference for size due to varying types of standards for wire sizing, this equates to about 8 gauge on the AWG scale.

The strands are welded together to create square openings that are 2" x 2" so a cat (or coyote) is not able to bend the wires or squeeze through the openings. For added protection against digging, a fully-enclosed 4-Sided Catio with wire mesh floor is recommended. This helps ensure that (1) no gaps exist within the catio structure, and (2) no animal is able to dig under and gain access from underneath. The wire panels are held together with strong three-pronged clips as well, so the panels themselves cannot be easily pulled apart.