To cat proof or not???

[MrsR]

Whats the site please Gillian/Mrs R?

Mine was within this site

http://www.cat-world.com.au/cat-worldenclosures.htm

[Millys Mum]

Ta

[Gillian Harvey]

Whats the site please Gillian/Mrs R?

This one http://www.catsofaustralia.com/cat-enclosures.htm

[Millys Mum]

Whats the site please Gillian/Mrs R?

[Dawn F]

that's lovely Gillian!

[Gillian Harvey]

Ooh yes, I love looking at that site, they've made a great job with their cat run/safe areas! These are some pics of the run I used to have for the cats where I used to live (they have pretty much free run here now, as I live in a really safe area) Cat runs can look pretty good once you've got plants and stuff in them, and cat proofing, as Moira's pics show is virutally invisible.

[MrsR]

Looking through different sites at cat proofing ideas and found this wonderful photo - personally not too sure about having a pond but I guess if its not too deep it woul dbe safe enough but thought this was beautiful and a wonderful sanctuary for cats and humans.

[MrsR]

Thanks Roz for all your advice 

[Roz]

Hi MrsR,

How long has Poppy been missing?  Please don't give up on her yet.  I have heard about cats that suddenly turn up two or three weeks after going missing and have even heard of some who are reunited with their owners after 4 or 5 years...the longest being 11 years!

Was Poppy microchipped?  This is a bad time of the year for cats becoming locked in sheds.  People go on holiday.  They might pop into their shed to fetch something prior to leaving and a cat runs in without being seen.  The shed is then locked up for the duration of the holiday.  Please ask everyone in your neighbourhood to check their sheds. If anyone has a shed it is a good idea to keep a saucer of water somewhere within it just in case a cat enters without being noticed.  It could save its life.

I must assume that you have checked all the lost cats websites.  There is one where volunteers living in your locality offer to help you search for your missing pet.  I will try to locate it for you.

The member who said that if you cat-proofed your garden Poppy wouldn't be able to find her way back in is actually quite right.  But I think if she was around you would hear her crying and I'm sure she would also try the front garden if she couldn't access the back. There are lots of reasons why cats disappear.  It could be that she has been frightened by a new cat living in the vicinity and is frightened to come home.  Do you have a dog?  Dogs are often very helpful in detecting a cat that shares its home.

If you would like to discuss anything re cat-proofing I'm always happy to help.  I lost my beautiful little Ruby, a bengal, in an RTA eight years ago and I don't think I had a happy day for five years.  It is just the most awful experience. We catproofed immediately to keep our other cats safe and it was only by public demand that we introduced our system to the market.  It makes me feel a little happier knowing that Ruby didn't die in vain and that she may inadvertently have helped to keep many cats safe who might otherwise be dead by now.  It is a fitting tribute to my little star.

I will ask St Anthony and St Francis to help you find your little Poppy.  Try to remain positive if you can.

Best wishes,


Roz

[moiramassey]

I hesitated before bring up the issue of catproofing with my OH, but he was surprisingly positive. Turned out that he was one ahead of me and was worried that I was going to insist on having Mitzi and Flynn as indoor cats. As it was, that would have been hard as Flynn turned out to be one of those rare cats who was determined to be outside. Everyone who has viisited since it was installed has said the same thing, that it is much less noticable than they expected. (It's my slideshow on the other thread, link again below.) Even the OH has stopped calling it Stalag Luft Kitty!

[Millys Mum]

I would cat proof but would give it longer for her to come home, if she returned and couldnt get in it wouldnt be good.
In the meantime i would start keeping them in from dark until morning, its wellknown more things happen at night 

Cats are adaptable creatrues and if you catproof and make the garden more 'catty' with shrubs, grasses shelves for sunbathing etc they would settle.

[Dawn F]

I would say yes do it, in an ideal world yes cats could roam freely and do their thing but in an ideal world there wouldn't be cruelty and traffic accidents and all the other things that cut their lives short - they are like small children who can't make choices for themselves so sometimes we have to make the choices for them

[Gail Bengal Slave]

YES catproof.

I did after loosing Zak to the road -in my so called quiet cul-de-sac. I have Roz's secureacat system. Go for it xxxxxx

[Maddiesmum]

Sorry you are feeling grief Mrs R.  I had my garden cat proofed in May this year as Charlie had started to cross a busy road which idiots use as a race track as it is long and straight.  Seven of our neighbourhood cats plus others not known to us have been killed on this road in the last two or three years.  It is a big decision because Charlie came to me as a stray and was a free roamer who used to visit at least 5 neighbours on a daily basis.  However I couldn't have lived with myself had anything happened to him on that road when I could have prevented it so I contacted Roz at securacat and she and her team of lovely guys (Julian and Steve) finally catproofed for me.  Charlie has found it difficult and ben stressed and frustrated (mainly due to neihgbouring cats sitting behind the fence watching him).  However he is getting used to it.  I have changed my garden to make it more interesting for him, planted ornamental grasses, low shrubs and grass.  My daughter also made and erected an outdoor cat tree so he can sit up there and watch the world go by.  He may not be 100% happy with his lot but he is safe.  I would talk to Roz about it you can email her on securacat@aol.com.  She wont try and sell you anything you don't need and can either supply a kit that you can fit yourself or will send her trusty guys to do it for you which is obviously more expensive.

Please PM if you have any other questions.  I know others on here have cat proofed their gardens too and I haven't heard of a cat escaping or there being any problems (save for Charlie the fiend trying to chew his way out of the netting - unusuccessfully)

[barney]

For peace of mind cat proof the garden, it was the best thing I ever did. My cats can come and go all day long and all night if they so wish. It took them about 48hrs to get use to it, they still catch the odd field mouse, frogs and moths, the bird population has gone up and I no longer worry about where they are when I'm at work....

[Den]

Roz who posts here does cat proofing. Here is a recent thread with a slideshow of a catproofed garden and Roz's email to contact her.
http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,17221.0.html

[lucy]

I think one of the members here, Roz, has a cat proofing business.

[MrsR]

If it were me I'd cat proof. For the safety of your cats and your sanity knowing they are safe.  I'm so sorry you are going through this.

I need too and can just go above what hubby thinks - sorry I don't mean that to put him down but hubby knows what I am likd with uor furbabies - so who do I go bout it - where do I start cat proofing the garden?

[tigerbaby]

It is tricky, because I can imagine what you feel. I personally believe cats should have free outdoors access, they love to wander, hunt and explore, all those things that are natural to them. I do not believe in keeping cats indoors , but I totally understand why people do, and I know that cats can be just as happy being indoors/cat proofed garden cats.

At the end of the day it is such a personal choice, and you just got to do what you feel in your heart is the best for your puddy paw. All our circumstances are different, and so are our cats!

[lucy]

What part of the UK are you hun?   I am nottinghamhsire - close to me at all?

Not really, west London (for 10 days) then South Africa.

[Den]

If it were me I'd cat proof. For the safety of your cats and your sanity knowing they are safe.  I'm so sorry you are going through this.

[MrsR]

What part of the UK are you hun?   I am nottinghamhsire - close to me at all?

[lucy]

Having lost Binky to RTA last year I would consider cat proofing my garden. Xanthe is an indoor cat, but I would like to give her more space (not possible now due to moving overseas - she's coming too). It is something I will try and do when away and definately do when back in UK.

[MrsR]

Well as most of you know our youngest has gone missing  our cats have always had free run 24/7 but I just cannot deal with this again.   My husband doesn't think its right to keep our cats in now and cat proof the garden as they are use to a free run but as I said to him our guys now don't go too far at all but there is always a but!


So, I know I am still going through the heartache of loosing Poppy but should I lock the cat flaps (obviously outwards at the mo incase Poppy returns) and keep them in and should I cat proof the garden?    All change basically?

If I do how do I cat proof the garden - and at the moment on a budget!

Hubby thinks no but my heart ha sbeen broken and I couldn't deal with loosing another!


Sorry if this post is all over the place but head is a bit of a mess!