Nothing to do with the wall along the border between the US and Mexico. Many homes in the Phoenix area have concrete block walls around the property. You definitely see it in all "Master-planned communities," like where we live.
I didn't know what to think about it when I first saw this concept decades ago, but I find it provides private space in an area where there is more population density. And even though we are on "the edge" of that density in our location, Phoenix is the 5th largest city in the country. Houses and multi-family building (apartments, townhomes, and lease-only communities) is happening all around this area.
I have come to appreciate the walls. On the southwest side of our walls are small farm(ettes) - in the morning, we might hear roosters announcing the sunrise, baby goats bleating, and an occasional donkey braying. It feels almost rural. South and southeast of us is another community with million dollar homes being built - yes, we hear that construction noise, too. For now. Directly east of our community, a townhome development is just getting started. This is a rapidly-growing area. Within our walls is our bit of tranquility.
Which brings me to this wall discussion. All the kitties before Murphy had to be on a leash when they were outside, no matter where we lived or traveled. At our home in Texas, the deck that faced the canal had a gate, so Molly, Izzy, and Rufus could be off-leash out there, as long as they had human supervision. When we moved to this home in Arizona, things changed. Sadly, Rufus passed not long after we moved here, but he did walk around the neighborhood on his leash before his passing. Murphy learned to walk on a leash, but we soon discovered that the wall contained him, and we allowed him to be off-leash; but we are always out there with him.
As he has grown and discovered his "cat super-powers," a 6 foot block wall isn't that much of a barrier... he can leap to the top of that with hardly any effort. That is a concern. Also on the other side of our walls: the occasional coyote and fox. The big concern is that he might go "up and over." So far, that has only happened a couple times, and only on the wall that faces the street in front of our house... we can quickly open the gate or go through the house and out the front door to scoop him up and keep him safe.
This past week, he has gone to the southwest corner of the wall: once with Joan and this morning with me. He hasn't gone over that wall to the other side. Realistically, Murphy is not a flight risk. While he thinks of himself as an apex predator, the furry boy has a soft life: 4 meals a day, lots of human loving, plenty of toys, and his own chair by the glass door so he can be looking out. Could he make it "out there" on his own? I doubt it. I think he knows that, too. But, it is up to his human family to make sure he never has to find out. If he were to go over that wall to the southwest, it would take us time to get around to herd him back. And this boy is fast - easily the most athletic and fastest runner of any of our cats. Rufus was a linebacker; Murphy is a running back.
So, what to do with the boy when he gets rambunctious outside? This...
That is Murphy's catio. It is 4 levels, with ramps, padded places to sleep, and 360º views. It is on wheels, and easy to roll in and out of the shed. Murphy seems quite content in there, and it is handy to have him in there if we are outside, but not able to keep an eye on him 100% of the time.
I was sitting right beside the catio when I took those photos this morning. So, we still get our together time, but I don't have to watch him like a hawk.
Murphy can do the whole leash thing, but since it hasn't been "mandatory" while in our courtyard, he is not as keen on that as his predecessors. He does not go to the door and wait to have his harness put on like Rufus and Izzy used to do. On the flip side, Murphy understands "Let's go home," and will head right for the door... about 62% of the time. ;-)
