I am planning to do that in the autumn, so it is preserved fine for the winter.
Not sure what to do with the cats though, seems to be their favorite spot for a nap at certain hours of the day when no direct sunlight. I think they are cooling down on it. Still, it gets messy (sometime quite dirty) because of them and perhaps I should think of some textile cover but then the beauty of the bench is gone.
Or I will just procrastinate this too and leave it to the cat family to do whatever they want. :D