My Cat Waited by the Door Every Afternoon. I Finally Found a Safer Way to Say Yes.
All fall, Lucy sat at the patio door watching leaves and squirrels, and every day I said no. I'd chased her through the shrubs in my slippers once. I wasn't going to do it again.
Every afternoon, Lucy sat by the patio door and watched the leaves blow across the yard. She'd look back at me as if to say, "Are we going out today?"
I always felt a little guilty saying no. But after the afternoon I chased her through the shrubs in my slippers, I wasn't willing to take that chance again.
The Cat at the Glass
I'm sixty-eight, retired and widowed for five years. Lucy is a four-year-old gray tabby I adopted from the shelter the spring after my husband died, and I don't mind saying she's most of my company.
She's an indoor cat. She always has been. But every October, something changes. The light gets low and golden, the squirrels start racing around burying things, the birds crowd the feeder, and the leaves skitter across the patio. And Lucy takes up her post at the glass door every single afternoon.
She doesn't meow. She just sits there, tail wrapped around her feet, watching a world she can see but can't reach. Then, every so often, she turns and looks at me.
It breaks my heart a little, every time.
The Afternoon in the Shrubs
Two summers ago, I tried letting her out on the patio while I sat right there. I thought she'd sniff the potted geraniums and come back.
She was off the patio and into the shrubs along the fence before I'd put my iced tea down. I went after her in my house slippers, calling her name, crouching under branches, my heart pounding. It took twenty minutes to coax her out from behind the neighbor's woodpile.
I'm not as fast as I used to be, and I don't bend the way I used to, either. I sat on the back step afterward, shaking, and decided that was the last time.
The Harness That Didn't Work
My daughter suggested a cat harness and leash. I bought one.
Lucy saw it and disappeared under the bed for two hours. The one time I managed to get her into it, she flopped over on her side like she'd been shot and refused to move. And honestly, kneeling on the floor wrestling tiny buckles onto a squirming cat is getting harder for me every year.
So the harness went in the closet, and Lucy went back to the glass door. And the days kept getting shorter. By November, there's only a few good hours of afternoon sun, and I hated the idea of her spending the whole fall and winter looking at the yard through a window.
What My Daughter Brought Over
When my daughter visited in October, she came in carrying a flat, round package and said, "I think this is the answer to your cat problem."
It was a pop-up cat playpen: the Graddi Patio Peace Cat Playpen. It's a round, soft-sided enclosure with black mesh walls on a springy frame that pops open into a dome. There's a zippered door to let the cat in and out, and a handle on top so you can carry it. Inside, there's room for a cat to sit, turn around and stretch out.
She set it up on the lawn just off the patio in less than a minute. It popped open on its own.
The First Afternoon
The first time wasn't a big adventure, and that was the point.
I carried Lucy out, set her inside, zipped the door closed and sat down in my patio chair right beside it with a cup of coffee.
For a minute she didn't move. Then she sniffed the grass. Then she sniffed every inch of the mesh. Then she flopped down on her side in a patch of sun, rolled onto her back and watched a leaf come down from the maple overhead.
I sat there for an hour. I didn't jump up every time she moved. I didn't watch the gate. I didn't worry about the shrubs. I just drank my coffee next to my cat in the October sun.
When we went back in, she didn't go to the glass door. She went straight to her bed and slept until dinner.
Now It's Our Afternoon
We do it most sunny afternoons now. I set it up on the lawn after lunch, Lucy waits at the zipper door like she knows exactly what it is, and we sit out together for an hour or so. I read, she watches the squirrels. When the sun moves, I lift the whole thing by the top handle and move it into the next sunny patch.
She still goes to the glass door sometimes. But now, a lot of the time, the answer is yes.
How It Works
Breathable mesh walls. Air and sunlight come through, and your cat can see, smell and hear the outdoors from inside.
Open views all around. The round mesh dome gives a clear view in every direction, so your cat can watch the yard, and you can watch your cat.
A clear boundary. The enclosed space gives your cat a defined area to explore, so you're not chasing them into the shrubs.
Made for supervised time. It's designed for comfortable play and rest while you sit close by. The zippered door makes it easy to put your cat in and take them out.
Pops up and goes anywhere. It springs open in seconds, carries by the top handle, and folds flat again for storage.
32 in / 81 cm32 in / 81 cm
Room to sit
Room to turn
Room to stretchWhy This Instead of a Harness or Saying No
A harness works for some cats. Many cats hate it, and fastening small buckles on a wriggling cat gets harder as our hands and knees get older. Keeping the door closed is the safest choice, but it means your cat spends the whole beautiful season behind the glass.
A pop-up playpen sits in between. Your cat gets real grass, sun and fresh air. You get to sit nearby instead of chasing, worrying and watching the gate. It isn't about total freedom. It's about being able to say yes, safely, and enjoy it together.
Who It's For
It suits indoor cat owners who feel guilty keeping the door closed, especially older owners who can't chase a cat across a yard anymore. It works on a lawn, a patio, a deck or a balcony, and indoors too. And it makes a thoughtful gift for a parent or grandparent whose cat is their constant companion.
Your Questions
Can I leave my cat in it alone? No. It's designed for supervised play. Stay close by, and bring your cat in when you go inside.
Is it safe in hot weather? Use it in mild weather, give your cat shade and water, and avoid the hottest part of the day, as you would with any time outdoors.
Will my cat like it? Most cats are curious. Let yours sniff it indoors first, then try a short session outside while you sit right beside it.
How big is it? It's roomy enough for a cat to sit, turn around and stretch out. Check the exact size on the product page.
What Customers Are Saying
"My cat used to cry at the back door all fall. Now we sit out together every sunny afternoon. It pops open in seconds."
"I can't chase my cat anymore, and he hated the harness. This was the answer. He just rolls around in the grass while I read."
"Bought it for my mom and her cat. She sends me a photo of the two of them in the backyard almost every day."
Before the Afternoons Get Too Short
There are only so many golden afternoons left this fall, and fewer each week. If your cat has been waiting at the door, this is the season to finally say yes.
Lucy doesn't just watch fall through the glass anymore. And I don't have to watch her wish she were out there. I get to sit right beside her.
The Graddi Patio Peace Cat Playpen is $39.99 right now (50% OFF, regularly $79.98), with a 30-day money-back guarantee.