Experiences of cat proof fencing

[Iwouldratherbemuckingout]

My 3 little rescues are all indoor cats at the moment, but as soon as I move to my new home I am going to cat proof the garden with a cat flap back into the house as I dont want them wandering anywhere near a road.

There are lots of options, some more suitable than others with regards to the house I'm buying given the layout of the garden and boundary ownership.

One question is around the radio fencing thats used, with collars which buzz a warning but then emit an electric shock if they go too near the boundary. My reaction was no, no way, this is just cruel, other options will have to be made to work.

It has been pointed out that I quite happily fence my horses in with electric fencing, which will give them quite a zap if they touch it and without exception, they are all very wary of the electric fencing and its highly effective.

So whats the difference between electric fencing for horses, and the equivalent for cats? What do you think? Using it would mean I could make a very higgledy piggeldy fencing arrangement work but I'm feeling very uneasy about even considering it, but happily fence my horses this way!

Sorry for the ramble. I'm worrying about this rather too much!!!

Maybe the rules are different for pets v agricultural animals? Although most horses are pets. Agricultural animals are worth a lot more to a farmer certainly.

Maybe we're softer on cats than horse and sheep.

Personally, I wouldn't put an electric shock collar on a cat or dog.

It's not something I'd be comfortable using on a cat, even though I do use electric fencing for my horse. I suppose because they behave differently - cats stalk prey and hunt and can get caught up in the moment when hunting, horses tend to be content to graze and the fence is a visible deterrent rather than invisible.

I came across a cat behaviourist's opinion who states:- " Invisible electric fences are not the safest or most humane solution for keeping cats inside yards. In calm circumstances, the fences normally keep cats within the designated boundaries. They can fail if a cat is highly agitated, excited or intent on hunting.

Some cats are easily startled or frightened; others have high prey drives. A cat who is intensely chasing an animal is likely to chase the animal through the electrified zone, despite the shock. The potential reward of a meal on the wing, coupled with the thrill of the chase is the consuming directive, far outweighing the threat of an electric shock. An electric shock also takes the back seat to the survival instinct of escaping a potential predator. I know of one cat who was frightened by the bark of a dog and bolted through the fence. The cat kept on running as far away as possible from both the barking dog and the shock from the invisible electric fence.

Once the cat has bolted through the electrified zone, he will not be able to get back into the safety of his yard since he will not want to endure another painful shock. Avoiding pain is stronger motivation then going back to familiar turf. "

I'm sure there are people who use them successfully, but I'd prefer to fence the garden with cat proof fencing.

Thank you, you've explained my qualms very well, and given my misgivigs a very good description - fencing it is :)