Article
Courtesy of Kim Hubbard
Math,

Crazy for Catios

Pet owners build outdoor enclosures to spice up the lives of their feline friends

By Mara Grunbaum
From the March/April 2023 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will find areas of irregular shapes that represent catio sections. 

Lexile: 1030L; 620L
Focus Area: Measurement and Data,
Standards
  • CCSS: 3.MD.C.7.D TEKS: 3.6D

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Lexile® measure

  • 1030L
  • 620L
area

The amount of space that the surface of a shape takes up, measured in square units. For rectangles, you can calculate the area using the formula A = L x W, where A is the area, L is the length, and W is the width.

Example: A rectangle has a length of 3 units and a width of 2 units. Using the formula, the area is: A = 3 units x 2 units = 6 square units.
patio

An outdoor space attached to a house and used for eating or hanging out
partition

To divide into more than one part

Photographer Kimberly Hubbard lives in a small house in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Until last year, her four cats—Levi, Jasper, Beau, and Rocky—spent all their time indoors. Hubbard wanted to give the cats more space to explore and enjoy some fresh air. But she also didn’t want the cats to harm the birds and other wild animals that visit her backyard.

Then Hubbard found the perfect solution. Her brother Jamey helped her design and build a “catio.” This is an enclosed, outdoor patio made just for cats! These cat-friendly spaces are becoming popular among cat owners.

Photographer Kimberly Hubbard lives in a small house in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She has four cats. Their names are Levi, Jasper, Beau, and Rocky. Until last year, Hubbard’s cats spent all their time indoors. Hubbard wanted to give the cats more space to explore and enjoy some fresh air. But she didn’t want the cats to harm the birds and other wild animals that visit her backyard.

Then Hubbard found the perfect solution. Her brother Jamey helped her design and build a “catio.” A catio is an enclosed, outdoor patio made just for cats! These cat-friendly spaces are becoming popular among cat owners.

Courtesy of Kim Hubbard

Kimberly Hubbard built this catio for her four cats.

Shutterstock.com

CAT + PATIO = CATIO

“Catios are a great compromise between letting our cats roam freely and keeping them exclusively indoors,” says Mikel Delgado, a cat behavior specialist.Spending time outside can help cats stay active and keep them from getting bored. But outdoor cats are more likely to get hit by cars, fight with other animals, or even be hurt by predators like coyotes.

Because of their natural hunting instincts, free-roaming cats also kill millions of wild birds and small mammals every year. Even a small catio can keep kitties out of trouble while bringing them a lot of joy, says Delgado.

Catios are a great compromise between letting our cats roam freely and keeping them indoors,” says Mikel Delgado. She’s a cat behavior specialist. Spending time outside can help cats stay active. It can also keep them from getting bored. But outdoor cats are more likely to get hit by cars and fight with other animals. They can even be hurt by predators like coyotes.

Plus, it’s natural for cats to hunt. Cats that roam free outdoors kill millions of wild birds and small mammals every year. Even a small catio can keep kitties out of trouble while bringing them a lot of joy, says Delgado.

Hubbard’s two-story catio, which she calls the “Catty Shack,” is connected to a window of the house by a long tunnel. Inside the catio are climbing ramps, a scratching post, cat beds, and a roof to keep the cats dry.

Hubbard also placed bird feeders next to the catio so the cats can watch birds without hurting them. “They love it so much,” she says. “They’re out there on the catio every chance they can be.”

Hubbard has a two-story catio. She calls it the “Catty Shack.” A long tunnel connects the catio to a window of the house. The catio has ramps for the cats to climb. It also features a scratching post and cat beds. When it rains, the catio’s roof keeps the cats dry.

Hubbard placed bird feeders next to the catio. That way, the cats can watch birds without hurting them. “They love it so much,” she says. “They’re out there on the catio every chance they can be.”

Math Talk

If you were building a catio, why might you need to know the area of different parts?

Math Talk

If you were building a catio, why might you need to know the area of different parts?

Area of Irregular Shapes

What to Do

The area of a square or rectangle can be found by multiplying its length by its width. To find an irregular shape’s area, you can partition it, or divide it into more than one part. Then combine the areas of the different parts to find the total.

Example

Find the area of the shape below.

  • First, partition the shape into two rectangles. There is often more than one way to do this.
  • Next, find the area of each rectangle. You can use the formula A = l × w or count the unit squares.
  • Finally, combine the two areas to find the total area of the shape.

20 square units + 6 square units
= 26 square units

So the total area of the shape is 26 square units.

Area of Irregular Shapes

What to Do

The area of a square or rectangle can be found by multiplying its length by its width. To find an irregular shape’s area, you can partition it, or divide it into more than one part. Then combine the areas of the different parts to find the total.

Example

Find the area of the shape below.

  • First, partition the shape into two rectangles. There is often more than one way to do this.
  • Next, find the area of each rectangle. You can use the formula A = l × w or count the unit squares.
  • Finally, combine the two areas to find the total area of the shape.

20 square units + 6 square units
= 26 square units

So the total area of the shape is 26 square units.

Now You Try It

Use your area skills to answer the questions below about the Catty Shack, the catio Kimberly Hubbard built.

Use your area skills to answer the questions below about the Catty Shack, the catio Kimberly Hubbard built.

1A. The bottom floor of the Catty Shack is partly covered in artificial grass. The shape below represents this area. Partition the shape into 2 rectangles.

1B. Find the area of each rectangle.

1C. What is the total area of the grass floor?

1A. The bottom floor of the Catty Shack is partly covered in artificial grass. The shape below represents this area. Partition the shape into 2 rectangles.

1B. Find the area of each rectangle.

1C. What is the total area of the grass floor?

The Catty Shack has a second story that is open in the middle, like the shape below.

What is the area of the floor on this level?

The Catty Shack has a second story that is open in the middle, like the shape below.

What is the area of the floor on this level?

This shape shows the catio’s side wall where a tunnel connects to it. 

What is the area of the wall?

This shape shows the catio’s side wall where a tunnel connects to it. 

What is the area of the wall?

The entire catio, including the tunnel and the section that connects to the house, has an area of 28 square feet. Find the missing wall measurements below.

The entire catio, including the tunnel and the section that connects to the house, has an area of 28 square feet. Find the missing wall measurements below.

Continue Your Learning

  • Play the game “Clear the Area” (above) to practice finding the area of shapes.
  • Rewatch the video “A History of Pets” (above). Then write a short story from the perspective of a cat. Imagine that you are a cat, and your owners have created a catio for you. What do you think of the new space? How do you use it? Include at least 2 number facts in your short story.
  • Design your own catio! Draw a map or blueprint that includes at least 2 rooms for a furry friend to roam around. Label each wall with a measurement in feet. Then find the total area of the catio you designed.

Continue Your Learning

  • Play the game “Clear the Area” (above) to practice finding the area of shapes.
  • Rewatch the video “A History of Pets” (above). Then write a short story from the perspective of a cat. Imagine that you are a cat, and your owners have created a catio for you. What do you think of the new space? How do you use it? Include at least 2 number facts in your short story.
  • Design your own catio! Draw a map or blueprint that includes at least 2 rooms for a furry friend to roam around. Label each wall with a measurement in feet. Then find the total area of the catio you designed.
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video (2)
Activities (6)
Question & Answer Sheets
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
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1.  SPARK ENGAGEMENT.

Play the video “A History of Pets.” Then, before or after reading the article, spark a discussion based on the following questions.

  • What type of pet do you own or wish you could own?
  • What are some ways you can take care of a pet?
  • Describe a situation in which it would be important to know the size of a room

2. INTRODUCE THE MATH CONCEPT AND VOCABULARY

  •  Draw or display a 2 × 4 rectangle with unit squares. How do you find the area of this rectangle? (Answers will vary. Possible answers: Count the total number of unit squares; multiply length by width: 2 units × 4 units = 8 square units) 
  • Draw or display a 3 × 3 square with unit squares. What is the area of this square? (9 square units) 
  • If I were to combine these two shapes so that they touched but did not overlap, what would the new shapeʼs area be? (It would be 17 square units: 8 + 9 = 17.) 
  • Together, the rectangle and square make a composite shape. It is also irregular because when combined, not all of the shapeʼs sides are of equal length. 
  • Play the math video “Area and Perimeter.”

3. WORK THROUGH THE “WHAT TO DO” BOX.

  • What does the dashed line represent in the model? (where the shapes were partitioned, or separated) 
  • How was the area of the irregular shape calculated? (The area of each shape was found, and then the two areas were added together.) 
  • Could you partition this shape in another way to find the area? (Yes, a vertical dashed line could have been drawn to create a 4 × 2 rectangle and a 3 × 6 rectangle.) 
  • Would the total area change? Explain. (No. You can partition the shape in different ways, but the total area does not change because the area of the original shape remains the same; 8 + 18 = 26 square units.)

4. REINFORCE WITH MATH PRACTICE.

Have students complete questions 1 through 4.

EDITOR’S TIP:

You can also use subtraction to find the area of an irregular shape. Show students how they can enclose the shape to create a full rectangle or square, then subtract the missing area. —Victoria J. Dixon, San Antonio, TX

EDITOR’S TIP:

You can also use subtraction to find the area of an irregular shape. Show students how they can enclose the shape to create a full rectangle or square, then subtract the missing area. —Victoria J. Dixon, San Antonio, TX

Journal Reflection

Catios are a great compromise between keeping a cat indoors and letting a cat go outside. Ask students to think about a time when they have had to make a compromise with a parent or a friend. Then have them write a journal reflection describing the compromise and how it helped or didn’t help both sides get what they needed. Was it a good compromise?

Journal Reflection

Catios are a great compromise between keeping a cat indoors and letting a cat go outside. Ask students to think about a time when they have had to make a compromise with a parent or a friend. Then have them write a journal reflection describing the compromise and how it helped or didn’t help both sides get what they needed. Was it a good compromise?

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