‘Cat-proofing’ a garden is easier said than done. We tried many things to keep one of our cats in the garden (not because of neighbours complaining, but because he kept going too near a main road). This was the process -
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We bought some devices that are sensitive to movement and emit a beep when a cat (or fox) pass by within so many metres. Set it up properly at the various points the cats tended to go over the walls. Next morning, there was the cat sitting next to one of them (looking mildly annoyed, but still). It didn’t affect the foxes either.
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Rubber spikes on top of the wall. Cats just walked over them. Useless.
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Read about a method of putting chicken wire fences balanced on top of the wall that are slightly wobbly. Logic being that cats will not climb unstable structures. Spoke to the neighbours but they thought this would be an eyesore. Fair enough. Same for the idea of hanging wire fences on top of the wall leaning inwards (cats will not climb upside down). Neighbours did not want this visible either and also it means that if foxes or other animals happen to jump into your garden, they are trapped and can’t get out. Also, you would have to chop down the trees next to the walls or there’s no point.
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Made enquiries about sodden rollers you can have installed in your side of the wall so that when the cat jumps up, it will roll back. However, this would also trap other cats and foxes who could jump into you garden, but not get out. Also same issue with there’s and we had a tree under a TPO which we couldn’t remove.
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The only thing that worked was a sonic wire. It goes around the garden and if the cat wears a special collar (not very comfortable/looking unfortunately), he gets a beep if he goes within say 30cm of the site and a kind of static shock if he proceeds. It’s not an electric fence - I should make this clear! It’s like a static shock you get off a car door. I’ve tried it myself. However, this wire sill not work if you have hedges - only fences or garden walls.
So containing a cat in a garden is not easy and impossible in gardens with many trees round the borders or hedges.
So, in our house we have 4 cats. One is on the collar system (described above) because he is a rare breed of cat with not much street sense and he was going into the road every time he went out. It was like Russian roulette. I agonised over containing him in the garden, but it’s a good size and it’s better than being run over.
Another cat is a particularly dopey Persian who hardly goes out unless absolutely essential. I’ve not seen him scale the garden wall in years.
Then we have another cat who does go over the walls. He is in a tracker collar so I can see his movements on my phone. But he does not find his way to the road and never has. He tends to stay in the neighbours back gardens, but mainly the edge of a woodland that is to the back of us. Who knows where he poos? Should zip be stalking him through the undergrowth? He brings home the odd grass snake (alive usually - what a gift)!
Then the fifth cat goes on a long walk every day. Pretty much the same walk. He is also on a tracker collar. He walks to an area of the woods and sits there, Then he goes all along the back fences and back home.
We keep them all in at night (after dark). Never had any complaints.