Cat proofing - does it work and is a garden enough?

[astridforty]

Not brave enough for AIBU but really need some opinions on Astrid Cats 1 and 2.

17 year old lady cat, rescued as a kitten and 8 year old big chunky hunting fighting pedigree. Both have been free ranging with cat flap, come and go as they please, although older one tends to stay at home now.

We moved in early December and they’ve been inside since. It’s a new build estate and other than our little street of 4 houses, it’s under very active construction. Diggers, mud, fencing up and down during day, properties open then locked overnight. It feels too risky for them to go out until it’s all complete - maybe 12 months.

At the back, there’s a big but flat boring garden but - and I didn’t fully appreciate this until we saw the finished house, our rear fence is 6 ft but has an additional 6ft wall on the other side. I’m worried that if they did climb, they would be injured/ trapped if they went over.

Has anyone successfully cat proofed a garden and if so, is it enough for previously free roaming beasties? I’ve been quoted £1,200 for supply and fit of cat fencing .

Which system are you looking at?.

Catproofing definitely works and is brilliant to ensure your cats are safe - and gives you peace of mind too!

Which company have you spoken to? We used Sanctuary SOS. They also offer a DIY option so you can just buy the materials and put it up yourself (or get a local handyman to do it).

Protectapet, they’ve been fab on phone and quoting etc. It’s just a pretty hefty investment.

I think a mumsnetter on here used that system and her cat got over it straightaway.

There’s a roller system you can buy.

I’m not dismissing £1.2k as a big investment but I lost mine on the road and if someone said for £1.2k you can have him back I’d pay.

Which is why they’re just on indefinite lockdown at the moment, I can’t let them out knowing there’s an obvious risk - although equally they’ve always roamed so appreciate there’s always been a level of risk. They’re part of the family.

I’ve messaged Sanctuary - thanks for the recommendation, will see what they say.

There’s oscillot or katzecure too. Are they an active or agile breed?.

I have had Katzecure for 5 years now in a garden that is about 17ft wide by 13m long. I have 9 cats and live on a very busy road. I had it fitted but they do supply only so you can install yourself to keep the cost down.

Best investment I made. Such relief to know cats are safe.

Where in UK are you OP, more than happy to let you see my system?

@Fluffycloudland77

I think a mumsnetter on here used that system and her cat got over it straightaway.

There’s a roller system you can buy.

I’m not dismissing £1.2k as a big investment but I lost mine on the road and if someone said for £1.2k you can have him back I’d pay.

This was my reasoning for getting Katzecure. Vets following RTA was roughly what I spent on the fencing, so now I need not worry. And I pay the monthly maintenance fee so I get a yearly visit that covers all maintenance needed

Do your cats still try to jump over the rollers?. I need another Bengal and they are persistent little demons.

Pedigree is a maine coon, he’s 8kg, daft and not hugely agile but is strong and very persistent. I’ll have a look at Katzecure - thank you.

I’m in the North West.

Maintenance is a good point, neither of us are particularly handy.

@astridforty

Pedigree is a maine coon, he’s 8kg, daft and not hugely agile but is strong and very persistent. I’ll have a look at Katzecure - thank you.

I’m in the North West.

Oh, I'm south London but maybe a FaceTime to show you around ?

Ahh Katzecure - I looked at them first as preferred the look of the rollers rather than the mesh and, without checking, wrote them off as they’re in the South West. Actually clear on their FB that they would do my area.

Catpolesystems are an independent installer also of Katzecure. Darren who runs it installed mine before he left Katzecure to become his own installer. Highly recommend him or Katzecure installation

We used the Protectapet fencing system but we only have a small yard so obviously the amount of materials was far less: we paid £250 and my husband installed it himself. We live in a terraced house in a very busy built up area. Next door neighbour has had two cats hit by cars :( so when we got our kitten we were very reluctant to let him roam around. With the barriers he gets to go outside, but not outside our yard. I think we bought 5m of netting and six brackets, which cover the 3 sides of our yard. Dependent on the size of your garden, you may need much more netting and obviously extra brackets too.

I have Katzecure and swear by it. I have it in my current house, and where I lived previously too. It is a fair whack of money but I wouldn't be without it. I have three cats and also foster.
You can make the garden a bit more interesting for them with cat friendly plants, some toys, maybe a little outdoor chalet.

Interesting thread. I wonder if anyone has catproofed their garden using stegastrips or similar? The area would be 45 metres. CAt is a ragdoll, so unlikely to leap as high as the 6ft fence (just under 6 ft). Would this work?

I think they’ll just cut their paws on those. If it was that cheap we’d all do it.

Sanctuary SOS have come in a fair bit cheaper even with the install so think that’s the one. Thank you for the recommendation.

They can install in Jan and I’ll get a flap fitted to the patio door - think that’s a replace the glass panel job.

Can I be a nosy bint and ask how much?.

Would anyone be prepared to tell me how much katsecure cost? It looks so much nicer!

I paid £3500 for Katzecure for around 50 meters of fencing (I think it is more fence actually).
This was including installation plus fitting in a wooden gate. The installation accounts for about half so if you are handy, you can save money on that. It is a lot of money and I remember thinking “I’m not going to do this” when I got the quotation but then it sank in and I’m so happy I did it. No regrets.

I did our own, largish garden. Didn’t look pretty but worked and they never escaped it despite trying.

Used flat metal bars and wire netting. Cost under £250

So glad we did... one of our cats (who was previously out the garden every 5 mins) died and we thankfully found him in the garden. If not, I strongly suspect he’d have passed away outside the garden and we’d never know what happened to him

I’m glad you found him, not knowing and hoping they would come back would be awful.

Thought I’d come back and update - just in case it helped anyone. Sanctuary SOS fitted fencing today and it’s brilliant. It was roughly 5 hours work for one fitter who has addressed all the awkward bits of the garden, shed, gate etc. and it all seems very very secure. I’ve not let the cats out just yet as it was late in the day for a test run but feeling very confident that we’ll be good to go tomorrow in daylight. Very pleased with the end result - I just wish I’d got on with it a bit sooner.

I was really worried about it looking offensive, neighbours complaining or damage to fence or shed. It’s actually hardly noticeable when looking out into the garden from the house, neighbours can’t see it at all because of the angles. It all looks very smart and functional.

Next job is to make the garden itself a bit more entertaining and then hopefully Astrid cats will be happy.