Should we not get a cat if we live near a busy road?

[rasmusklump]

We've just moved into a new house and have a large front garden surrounded by tall hedges. On the other side is a 50mph road which turns to a 30mph about 100 yards further on. It's quite rural but cars seem to pass every few minutes. We've been thinking about getting a cat but I'm really concerned about the road. Should we reconsider and look into a different type of pet?

Get an indoor cat. My two are really not bothered about going out. I have an enclosed garden, but they aren't bothered if they go in it or not. Certain breeds like Persians and rag dolls are quite happy indoors. Or cat's with FIV etc

My mate adopted a cat with FIV which can't go out. Problem solved.

The other option would be to build a run for the cat in the garden.

Not really keen on an indoor cat, in the past we've had a cat who had been indoor until he was 3/4 and used a litter tray. Just couldn't stomach it and hate the smells. He started going out and not having the litter tray was brilliant.

I've lived by roads most of my life in the uk. Never had a cat run over. Most of them are pretty smart and road savvy.

Get decent cat little and there is literally no smell. My house is tiny and the litter tray is in the kitchen. It's really not a problem at all.

I have been wondering the same. We would live to have acat but have a road in front and at the back, one at the back slightly worse.
But a few neighbors have cats and seem to have had them for years....
I was thinking if there is any way of cat proofing the back fence (without looking like a prison)??

I don't think I've ever lived that close to a 50 road but have lived on v busy 30 roads, you know the type that are always busy.
My cat is 18 now. He learnt pretty quick not to go near a road.

We have a main road close by, the cat rescue we used strongly advised us to keep our cats in after dark as that's when they are most likely to get run over, but doing that means they definitely need litter trays. They needn't be smelly.

We had 2 beautiful cats when we moved to our current house. They'd grown up in London so I thought they were pretty savvy. We have a fairly busy 30mph road out the front and miles and miles of farmland out the back (plus a big hedged garden). Both got run over within 18 months, it was heartbreaking. I wouldn't rush to get another cat now, I couldn't go through it again, or even just the stress if they're late back and you spend the evening worrying.

Sorry - I know it's not the answer you wanted but it's so hard to lose a pet. If we got another I'd go for an indoor cat or something old and arthritic which just wanted to doze on the lawn from time to time. Cats will roam otherwise.

Drove past a run over cat just yesterday. It was so sad 😔 I turned around to go back and look at the collar to phone but it wasn't safe to stop.
No, I wouldn't next to a fast road.

How to you get an indoor cat? How do you know they won't be desperate to go out i mean?
My parents have an indoor cat but she's always trying to go out and have to extra careful about leaving doors/windows open. I know that with DC it just wouldn't work

I've lost 6 cats over the 30+ years I have had cats to roads. Totally heartbreaking when it happens. I would agree with an indoor cat. We learnt the hard way. We now live in the country and the cats are as safe as they could be ( no where is 100% safe from cars) and the cats spend their day in the fields opposite.

My cat is indoor, only goes out in the garden on a harness, which she's quite happy with. If you buy good quality clumping letter, it really doesn't smell. We use catsan and scoop the tray at least twice a day.

Thanks everyone, I think we will probably not get a cat because I know I'd feel awful if it did get killed on the road.

Don't get a cat if you are on a busy road.

I would only have an indoor cat if the cat couldn't go outdoors due to a health reason. I don't think it's fair to curb it's natural independence and behaviours to fit my current lifestyle.

Speak to a rescue centre who could do a home check and that'll confirm/reject whether your home would be the right environment for a cat.

I live near a busy road and can testify to the fact that the number of cat casualties demonstrate that you absolutely cannot guarantee that cats are road savvy. I would have loved to have a cat but ultimately decided it wouldn't be fair on the cat.

I live in London on a hugely busy road literally on it. The rescue also in a very busy road right inLonson told me it wasn't a problem. She goes out round the back has never ventured round the front. She has curfews. Next doors cats roam as much as they want. One is 3 the other is 14. They've never lost a cat to the road. We have strays in the area and have never seen them on the road. I think a road that is constant moving traffic must be a deterrent compared to country lanes?

The fact that the road near us is really busy unfortunately doesn't seem to be guaranteed to be a deterrent at all, judging by the moderately steady progression of squashed animals to be found there. Clearly some cats do learn and survive, but the problem is that there is no way of guaranteeing that yours will be one of them.

But isn't that the case with all cats that are let out doors? I see more on my way to work down the country roads then I have ever seen on the road I live on. Fingers crossed there's been none in ten years. I do think it's because the traffic doesn't stop for one second. Mine don't even follow me to the front door they run away at the sound of it.

It's true that litter has come on a long way and if you go on the rescue sites there are hundreds of little cats that need to be indoor. If that's what they are used to.

My family home is on the South Circular in London. My mum always has lots of cats and we've never (knocks wood) had one run over.

She is very strict with them. They are not allowed out the front door towards the road and are shooed out of the front garden if they are ever spotted there. She has a large garden too and we back on to everyone else's garden, which they have all day access too. They have a strict curfew too. I realise this makes her sound a little crazy but she takes her responsibility very seriously.

Oh yes me too the baby won't be going out til she's nearly one and the other one gets called in after an hour I haven't got a catflap either

Our house backs onto a 60mph road so our cats stay indoors unless we put them on a leash to go in the garden with us.

There are lots of outdoor cats around here but the amount of roadkill I see on the roads puts me off letting ours out too.

Ours are perfectly happy inside and the litter trays don't smell so long as you scoop poo as soon as you see it and change the litter regularly.

Well the way I see it if you decide to adopt a cat it's one less cat living in a cage threatened to be put down. It might not be the perfect setting, but it is still sensible. As suggested why not a cat with FIV, with handicap that makes indoor life safer or a cat used to being indoors? I'm sure that a local rescue can help out finding a cat best suited for your situation. My cat freaks out being outside, I doubt she is the only one that prefers the safety of a house.

p.s. her tray never reached the stinking point thanks to high meat content food and good quality litter.

I have an indoor cat, what's FIV?