Railway lines - your views

[Janeyk]

Had an offer for dexter but mainline track running at the end of the garden, nothing ever straight forward! Decided against

I'd go with your gut feelings, it sounds like the right decision to me 

[Gail Bengal Slave]

It would be a big No from me also -unless the garden was cat proofed - 

[madkittyrescue]

I can totally see why you were hesitant to adopt in such a situation for an indoor / outdoor cat.  Totally your choice and understand why you wouldn't want to.

Regardless of the choice you make you have to feel you have made the right choice for you and the kitty.  Don't second guess yourself whatever choice you make will be the right one for kitty and your peace of mind

I always go with my gut feel and if it says no there is normally a reason for it even if not immediately clear . 

[CarolM (Wendolene)]

Interesting so far    when i used trains for work there were often dead animals or birds along the line, it was a particularly rural route maybe country animals are more dumb than suburban creatures 

I suspect its more as Blackcat said - animals steer clear of regular trains, its when they're infrequent that they get taken by surprise.

[Millys Mum]

Interesting so far    when i used trains for work there were often dead animals or birds along the line, it was a particularly rural route maybe country animals are more dumb than suburban creatures 

[Wibblechick]

WE have a railway running right behind the back gardens here

And Ive never hard of a cat coming  to grief on it  - OH has lived here for over 50 years and neither has he!!  Or foxes for that matter .... we do have an awful lot of wildlife on the embankments nd they all seem to have learned that they are to avoid trains as they come through, but other than that are OK. 

We have had a feral colony at the back for years, too, living on the embankment.  Now - thanks to CP and neutering , there are only 2 left - both of whom we feed   

But the road at the front ....     

Railway here is safer than the road!!   

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

My father worked on the railways for 30 years. We all lived in a railway cottage next to a depot - Streatham Hill for those interested. I doubt you could get a house closer to the rails.  It was there I had my first 3 cats. Never saw or heard of a cat coming to grief on the lines. The noise of an approaching train scares them off and electrocution is not possible as you need to earth yourself to connect the current - that's why you often see birds sitting on the third rail with no ill effects. A cat would have to walk along the rail one foot on the third rail, one on the ground to suffer any ill effects. Not very likely, is it? 

As you say, embankments are a good breeding ground where rodents nest but they actually come down from the embankments into the gardens along the line to find food and it was there my cats used to hunt them. We used to get some mighty dog rats dropped at our feet.

[blackcat]

I have a railway near my place with infrequent trains, so, to my mind, more of a hazard than any English line where the trains are running pretty well all the time. Cats are not silly and neither are they carrion eaters, so they are unlikely to be tempted by the train lines at all. All that engine oil and the thundering trains will soon give the message they are unsafe.

[Kay and Penny]

the vibrations made by oncoming trains are probably picked up by cats well in advance of a train arriving, so I would think the bigger danger posed by railway track is the live rail

the people who maintain the lines would know how often dead cats are found on or by the track - Railtrack is it? -  I wonder if they would be helpful if approached for info?

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Do you know, i have never thought about rail lines and cats!

Hard call I think.

[Den]

We have a mainline railway nearby and I know a lot of cats live at the houses alongside it. There are also dozens and dozens of cats in a very close proximity.

[hOrZa]

they take up too much space

[Millys Mum]

I feel sorry for him being the outsider but at least hes warm, well fed and loved, its just the way he runs around excitely peeing on things tends to put people off 

[JackSpratt]

I think you made the right decision; you'll know the right home for him.

[Millys Mum]

He likes his home comforts now and doesnt cover half the area he did (too lazy and porky! ), does like to hunt tho and embankments seem a good home for rodents

[JackSpratt]

Is Dexter by nature a wanderer? If so, I completely understand you deciding against; I would too.

[Millys Mum]

Had an offer for dexter but mainline track running at the end of the garden, nothing ever straight forward! Decided against but wondering what other peoples and rescues view of railways are, do you consider them a big enough danger to avoid them?