Has anyone done this and care to share pictures of their designs? I would like to build or buy a outdoor cat pen. I need to make it like a Fort Knox- we have foxes, racoons - no coyotes as far as I know. Doesn’t mean they aren’t there, I just haven’t seen them. My cats aren’t very big. 9 lbs full grown.
Would it be better to bury the fencing to a certain depth to prevent predators? Or should I not worry too much? I’m assuming if I give climbing materials, the cats can get away from predators?
I was thinking about doing this with a screened in porch. Instead of screen material I thought of making removable screens out of wire hardware cloth.
I get making it like Fort Knox, not only predators, my cats are smart and wiry and can get through small spaces.
We did a 6 ft chain link fence with wire mesh on the top that faces inward (to keep cats from climbing out). We later had to put 1/4" mesh (metal) on the bottom half of the fence as baby skunks kept going thru the chain link and making friends with the cats. We extended the 1/4" mesh out about 10" on the ground also and put spikes (plastic ones) in to hold it down as the skunks were digging their way in. We have foxes and coyotes but they haven’t been an issue with the fence as it is.
I’m planning to build one at my next house (fingers crossed), and my current plant is similar to what js mentioned. Chain link fence for strength against large predators. I plan to put either flagstone or concrete as a barrier at the bottom of the perimeter to prevent digging. Then I was planning to put small diameter metal (not plastic) mesh fencing to reinforce that to keep birds and other small creatures out. My plan was too do this everywhere, not just lower down. I’m avoiding cheaper plastic mesh because it is often just big enough for small snakes to push into and then get stuck midway through, and I don’t want to have to cut snakes out of the mesh. For the top - something strong enough and visible enough to keep predators from scaling it and getting in and to discourage birds of prey from doing something foolish, once more reinforced by the small metal mesh to keep smaller things out. This spot is for cats only! 
I’ve seen enough chickens killed by raccoons reaching through large diameter fencing to want to prevent anything from being able to reach through and I want the cats to experience the great outdoors, not to have the smaller creatures of the great outdoors end up trapped inside with them and brought into the house half dead.
We used 1/4" metal mesh (or wire what ever it is called), 1/4" should be small enough that even small snakes shouldn’t be able to get thru. They do have bird predator nets to put up for hawks etc. We bought some but haven’t used it yet.
we got a ready made chicken coop and added a level for the cats, it shown here on theflat bed trail my son had for his go cart… yellow furry hing is the cat
I believe you are referring to hardware cloth
I would love a catio. I would definitely use hardware cloth having had some chicken deaths with larger gauge wire.
I added netting to my fence and to the house, so my younger cat can go out. Catdoor to go in and out.
But a stand alone structure, you can buy one of those fancy chicken coops and just place it down on strips of fencing to stop digging in by predators.
Note that raccoons will stick hands in and literally rip body parts off, so be careful of holes more than 1/2×1".
That’s what I’m planning to use.
Once had an owner leave 4 week old puppies outside in a pen and one apparently stuck it’s nose through the 1" openings in the wire to greet something which promptly tried to bite its nose off. We had to remove part of the puppy’s crushed maxilla. I want nothing reaching in, nothing reaching out!
What is a good way to prevent weeds from growing in the pen? Landscape fabric? I don’t want to put down concrete and paving stones would probably be expensive. I could probably use mulch but wouldn’t that attract bugs?
Raccoons can climb like nobody’s business. I’d bury fencing. I’d also have a good predator safe roof and sides with holes small enough to keep racoon hands out. I lost a few chickens in one night when raccoons snatched them through 2"x4" fencing. Cats are smarter than chickens so you might be ok. I’m not sure I’d chance it, though.
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