Cat proofing a garden to keep cat in?

Jenny_Wren_3

Has anyone done this the DIY way (brackets and netting) and if so did it work?
We moved a year ago to a busy road and inevitably a few weeks ago my cat was hit and killed by a car.:(
I'd love to get another but obviously don't want to get a cat just to lose it on the road. Our garden is large and I can't afford the roller bars that can be brought. I've seen old threads on here about people securing their garden themselves but they're closed/ locked and don't say how successful they were long term.
Thanks.

woodworm001

Our neighbour has done this, she used something like this (though could be different brand) ...

http://protectapuss.co.uk/

I think it was quite expensive, but her 2 cats never get out. (apart from when she left the gate open!).

chez22

Loads of info and ideas here http://www.petforums.co.uk/cat-chat/211361-cat-runs-cat-proofed-gardens.html

paddypaws101

I am sorry to hear that you lost your cat.
I have contained my garden with nets and brackets and it works very well.
The thread linked to on petforums has loads of examples of similar set ups and I seem to recall that someone had recently come up with a good DIY version of the rollers which was very cheap.

margaretclare

I wish to goodness neighbours would secure their gardens and keep their cats in!

I have a wildlife garden and I'm tired of neighbours' cats appearing immediately I put out food for hedgehogs and foxes. I know these cats are not hungry - the same can't be said for the wildlife, especially the hedgehogs who need to put on weight so that they can hibernate safely in autumn.

My 'camera trap' overnight reveals that these cats are out and about at all hours, hoping to filch a quick snack from hungry wildlife.

Artytarty

Neither helpful or appropriate Margaretclare, and not like you!
I've had several cats killed on the road but I couldn't imagine my life without one so we used a system called ping string,it seemed to work, we stopped turning it on after a while, they never knew. My garden is fenced in but has trees near the border so we had to isolate those with old buster collars to stop them scrambling up and over the fence.

SeduLOUs

Slighty off topic, but a genuine curiosity question. What happens with these systems when someone else's cat enters your premises and can't get out again?

Artytarty

It only happened about twice, I simply lifted her little feller over the fence and onto the hedge behind by hand.fence is six feet. Hedge a bit lower. Shrubs on neighbours sue to aid descent.
we didn't want to remove the hedge for the sake of the wildlife so we put our fence inside the boundary by a few feet.looks nicer as well since we are on a corner site.

SeduLOUs

Artytarty wrote: »

It only happened about twice, I simply lifted her little feller over the fence and onto the hedge behind by hand.fence is six feet. Hedge a bit lower. Shrubs on neighbours sue to aid descent.
we didn't want to remove the hedge for the sake of the wildlife so we put our fence inside the boundary by a few feet.looks nicer as well since we are on a corner site.

I just wonder what might happen if a wandering cat found it's way into your garden whilst you are away for a period of time of holiday. Seems logical but obviously more expensive to have a system that prevents entering as well as leaving...

Artytarty

I take your point. I only in my case if we were away another family member would be calling in several times a day and would do the necessary.
I think a scared visitor would actually have been able to escape, it's just that my own two cats had been brought up to believe it was not possible or desirable and they stopped trying.

margaretclare

Why 'not like me'? I would agree with anyone who wants to keep their cat in their garden. I don't wish harm to any living creature, but I prefer to help the wildlife which have had young and are hungry, and facing the winter.

We are actually being asked to 'share space' with the wild creatures which travel long distances nightly in search of food. There's a suggestion that neighbours should make a hole under their fence just big enough for hedgehogs to travel through - see 'Hedgehog Street', an award-winning garden design at the recent garden show. This wouldn't be big enough to allow cats to escape.

We have friends in the US who don't allow their cats out of doors at all.