Cat & busy road?

Skint_Catt

Hi all,

We have a 10 week old kitten and currently in the process of buying a house. Unfortunately it's the closest house to the main road & although it's a 'lane' the traffic is very fast.

If we're successful in getting the house what can I do to keep her safe, if anything? I'm reluctant to keep her as a 'house' cat as I know my previous two used to love to roam, but I can't bear the thought of this gorgeous thing being hit & killed

Thanks

C xx

Fire_Fox

Congratulations on your pregnancy. Sorry to be rude but why did you get a single kitten when you were about to move and to have a baby? You would have been better adopting an older cat or one with a health problem (deaf, partially sighted, three legged) which would have to stay indoors or a pair for playmates. I'm not anti cats being indoors as I am on my second indoor cat - city centre flat - but I am anti stopping a healthy cat going outside.

You might build a secure cat-run in the garden or better still cat-proof the entire garden, depending on the layout and practicalities. You will also need to cat-proof any front or upper window you open for air flow. Over the long term you might get together with the neighbours and lobby the council for speed cameras or speed bumps or the like, but there is no guarantee you will be successful. According to folks on Purrsinourhearts forum, a cat is most likely to be run over at night or at specific busy times (rush hour/ school run), so many keep their cats indoors at these times (set catflap to in only). Kitten-cats have less road sense than adults.

Having said that not all cats are big on roaming, the earlier you snip boys the less likely they are to become wanderers: some vets will neuter earlier than others so shop around. The more interesting you make the home environment the more likely your cat will be to be happy indoors but, if you both work or want indoor only, any reputable resuce would advise you to take on a pair. I have spent a small fortune on intelligence, solo play and interactive toys (see Purrs shop, all profits to cat rescue) and planning a large cat gym.

HTH.

Skint_Catt

Thanks Fire Fox - she wasn't really planned (neither was the house move tbh - luckily the baby was!) - she was abandoned in my Mom's garden with her two brothers (who have been adopted by a friend) but I couldn't bear to part with her now it would break my already very stressed heart! We were planning to get a rescue cat when we'd settled in - maybe a year or two's time after baby & all but it never happens like that does it? She sleeps on her back in my arms so it's good practice for me...

I knew there wouldn't be an easy answer I suppose as I'm struggling with the concept of keeping a cat in (even now before she's had her second set of jabs as I know she's itching to play with the birds even though they're bigger than she is!)

I think we'll just have to play it by ear if/once we move in but I didn't think of the 'in' only cat flap idea.

Many thanks for your reply.

C xx

PerfectParadox

My parents invested in one of those cat threshold silent barriers. designed to keep animals (different silent frquency depending on the beast) out of gardens so the dont become pests, m parents used it across the drive way so the mogs never went that direction. they always went into the back garden to explore away from the nasty busy road.

but while still a youngster indoors is best, or controlled outside enviroments.

rising_from_the_ashes

IMHO she's still WAY too little to be left outside on her own - although I guess by the time you move (if you get the house) she'll be a bit bigger.

I'd be tempted to have a secure area for her anyway and not just let her roam around if you're next to a busy road.

Skint_Catt

Thanks - yes she is too little at the mo, but we're aiming to move in September so after a settling in period she'll be 6 months old or so.

I haven't heard of those silent barriers but I will look into them more, thanks. By a 'secure area' do you mean like a rabbit run (but larger?) - not sure I can get my head round that concept either. It's the only downside of this house we're buying which is so frustrating but I guess wherever we live it could end in the same result even if it's a cul de sac.

C xx

Fire_Fox

Skint_Catt wrote: »

Thanks Fire Fox - she wasn't really planned (neither was the house move tbh - luckily the baby was!) - she was abandoned in my Mom's garden with her two brothers (who have been adopted by a friend) but I couldn't bear to part with her now it would break my already very stressed heart! We were planning to get a rescue cat when we'd settled in - maybe a year or two's time after baby & all but it never happens like that does it? She sleeps on her back in my arms so it's good practice for me...

I knew there wouldn't be an easy answer I suppose as I'm struggling with the concept of keeping a cat in (even now before she's had her second set of jabs as I know she's itching to play with the birds even though they're bigger than she is!)

I think we'll just have to play it by ear if/once we move in but I didn't think of the 'in' only cat flap idea. Many thanks for your reply.

C xx

None of what I have suggested is difficult as such, but I am not going to pretend it is not potentially costly! I don't doubt that you love her to bits or you would not have posted, but IMO playing it by ear will likely end up with you just letting her out. You will soon have your hands full with the move/ baby and there will be nothing left in the budget. I genuinely empathise because my current kitten-cat came to me by accident too, I am currently evaluating whether I can provide a stimulating indoor environment or whether she might be best in an outdoor home (she too loves birds, on the flip side she was lucky to survive an RTA with 'only' a broken pelvis).

Do check out Purrs shop as Da Bird is an awesome toy - 'flaps' just like a real bird and drives cats bananas. :cool: There are various attachments for the pole - my last cat was crazy about the sparkler, this one is in love with the mouse. The cat cubes are cheap, very entertaining and fold down when not in use. Turbo Track is great for men, children AND cats.

You might want to think about reducing the bond between yourself and the kitten so you don't end up with a jealousy problem, also how you are going to introduce your kitten to the noise and smells. On Purrs recently there was a lady looking to rehome her two cats because they frequently pee'd on the baby's stuff in addition to other stressed behaviours, she tried everything short of time travel. Last thought is do you have pet insurance? If not you might want to before you move, with that road and also the possibility of needing a behaviourist's advice (some insurance plans will cover this, but no pre-existing issues so best to get in early).

Just as I am typing this my cat has disappeared with my sewing tape measure trailing behind her, a favourite toy that she randomly moves from room to room. :rotfl: And now she is bringing it back. :rotfl:

Skint_Catt

:rotfl: Your cat sounds great - mine often wonders around with a ball in her mouth - I'm wondering if she's half puppy!

I don't have insurance at the moment, but it's on my list to look into next week.

Oh, and we've just bought the house

I think worst case scenario is that she continues to live with my parents (where I'm at the mo as between houses). Mom didn't want another cat but she'd rather keep hold of her than risk anything happening to her.

Thanks for all the advice! I will check out that shop when I get a minute

C xx

newgirly

Hi, I have a siamese and a moggie and we live on a busy main road and my two both go out, but only ever go round the back of the house, the other side of the road at the front has a large grass area and then beyond that houses. I think that the temptation to cross is higher when there is a house right the other side of the road.

Obviously it's still a risk, but trying to keep them in when you have children can be very difficult, plus my siamese howls until she gets what she wants!

One thing I would be very wary of is having the cat with the baby, when my DD was born we had to re-home our then cat ( at mum's house) as he kept getting in her cot and going to sleep right by her, we were very careful but it only takes a moment. Sorry don't mean to sound so negative as I am a big cat lover.:)

murphydog999

We live on a corner of a busy road and our drive/garden entrance is open and on the side road. My cat hates the noise of the traffic and will go nowhere near the main road, I've only caught her once on the other side of the side road and after I picked her up and gave her a stiff talking to I've never seen her venture out of the drive. Of course I don't know what she gets up to in the middle of the night, but I know for sure she won't be near the main road.

Mine fully understands NO - and actually does as she is told - so it might be worth staying with yours when she first ventures out and making sure she knows the boundaries.

Mayflower10cat

Our last house was on a busy B road in a very rural spot. You are right to be concerned about your youngster. We had two kittens dumped on our land and as no-one claimed them we adopted them. Very tragically, only a few months later the little boy cat was killed on the road (early in the morning & still dark) having escaped through the magnetic flap presumably hot on the heels of our oldest, very street savvy ex-town cat. After that, we spent a huge amount of money on a tall fence all around the frontage and down the sides of our land with inward-angled wooden stakes at the top supporting chicken wire, so no cats could actually get up, on, or over the fence. From then on we've kept them all in at night, from dusk to daylight. They're very used to it now.

From various cat books, I've learned that males (even neutered boys) are more likely than females to wander further than you'd like. Females naturally have a much smaller territory. The issue of crossing roads is to do with the cat seeing, (almost binocular style) that 'the grass is greener and very interesting on the other side' and focussing on where he wants to go rather than the road he has to cross. If there is nothing of any real interest on the other side, they far less likely to want to venture over for a look. Our ex-townie cat was used to roads and did the 'green cross code' before crossing - he'd had a narrow escape when younger and had learned to be careful. He was very interested in the smallholding over the road with all it's chickens and barns, rats, horses and comfy stables.

We now live in a very quiet little lane, cul de sac, with the occasional resident driving along. We were still worried about the cats crossing the lane and (please don't think we're mad!!) I booked several sessions with an animal communicator in the US so she could 'speak' to the cats to warn them of the dangers. If you'd like her details, please PM me.

There are various clever ways of keeping your cat within a safe area. One involves a cable that you lay around the safe perimeter of your property. Your cat wears a collar and basically, if the cat gets too close to the wire it triggers a vibration/buzzer in the collar, the nearer they get the more it buzzes - and the cat retreats, hopefully. I think the idea is they learn the safe, non-buzzy area and then the device becomes almost redundant. I can't recall what it's called, sorry. You can also get a tracking device which we've been considering, as we could share it with our neighbours!!!

Good luck with the move, and the new baby.