Found dream home - but right by a road.

[CtrlAltDelicious]

Hello,
I'm looking to move house very soon and will be taking my 3 cats with me. I've found what I think is my perfect house and need to make a quick decision. However, it's right beside a B road and from what I've seen, people do drive quite fast on it. To the back of the house there are fields, farm buildings - it's extremely rural - but this road does worry me. What should I do?
Currently, only one of the cats goes out. I'd have to let him continue in new place or he'd be miserable. But the other two have always been content as house cats, so this is a possibility.
So torn, and just read that very sad thread about the lady's cat who got knocked down. Any advice would be great.

[thecatneuterer]

If you're prepared to spend around a thousand pounds cat-proofing the back garden (more if it isn't already securely fenced). And if you haven't got children who might accidentally leave the front door open, then go for it. Otherwise I really wouldn't.

There is nothing more dangerous than a rural B road. They are probably more dangerous than a main A road in a city - because there isn't a constant stream of cars to frighten the cats away and because they go very fast.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

TCN is absolutely right the vast majority of cat RTAs I see are from B roads where a car occasionally comes along vast. Where as I live on a major A road , my cats only ever go out the back of the house.

[cozietoesie]

My Mum lived close to a rural B road - extensive back gardens and fields but no way to prevent cats going out front. The road was generally quiet and dark - except when the local lads would speed cars down it like bats out of hell (because it was generally quiet and dark, I guess.) She lost about 5 or 6 cats in quick succession and then acquired Seniorboy who, as a direct result, she decided to have as an indoor cat.

One thing though - she didn't deliberately keep her cats in at night so doing so may well help a little.

[PinkSparklyPussyCat]

I wouldn't. We didn't have a cat when we moved the top of my list was not living on a busy road. I still panic when I see H crossing the road but at least it's a quiet road.

[CtrlAltDelicious]

Thank you all - I really appreciate the honesty. While the house is perfect, I couldn't cope with losing little Scabbers knowing I could have avoided it. I guess, since I live in the quietest of areas currently and still managed to get a cat knocked down, I didn't realise the particular dangers of B roads.
Back to the house hunt!