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Father-and-son, since 2022
The people and story behind CatManDo Catios
Today CatManDo is led by Ben and Oren Gil, a father-and-son team. The person who answers your first message is one of the people who will design your space and build it. No crews, no subcontractors, no stranger showing up at your house with a clipboard.
How CatManDo got started
It was supposed to be a side business
Spring 2022 to now, in four steps.
Spring 2022
A part-time idea
My father, Oren, and I started CatManDo Catios in the spring of 2022. We thought it would be a part-time business, taking on small projects here and there as they came to us.
The first call
David Murphy, The Cat Carpenter
It started with a call to David Murphy, The Cat Carpenter, who had been building catios in Austin for about a decade. David had built several catios for Oren years earlier, so we reached out for advice about starting a very small catio business of our own.
A handoff
He was retiring, and he was generous
As it turned out, David was retiring from catio building. He was generous with his time and knowledge, taught us a great deal about the business, shared recommendations and methods, and linked to CatManDo from his own website so Austin cat owners would still have a local builder to call.
Today
Booked weeks out, still hands-on
What we expected to be a small side business became something else quickly. Within a few months, we were booked weeks in advance. The projects got larger, more detailed and more ambitious, and CatManDo grew with them. Today we are still a small, hands-on team, and Ben and Oren remain directly involved in the design and build work.
How we approach quality
You see the difference later
Hand-picked lumber. Boards get chosen, not delivered by the bundle.
Careful sanding and finishing. The parts you touch are the parts we spend time on.
Durable black screening and better fasteners. The cheap versions fail first.
Projects take the time they need, not the minimum time possible.
A local, owner-built business
We have been Austin catio builders since 2022, with more than 100 catios completed. The work is personal because our names are on it and our cats judge it.
Why we build for cats and people
Both halves of the household, or it does not work
Cats need outdoor access: enrichment, exercise and something to stare at. People need to know the cats are safe. The best projects handle both and stay a room worth sitting in.
Serving Greater Austin
Austin, Greater Austin and Central Texas, generally about an hour’s drive out. Staying regional is how we stay directly involved in the work.
Meet us through our work
The clearest picture of these Austin catio builders is in our finished catio projects. And the cats sleeping in them.