Mary Allen
Garden enclosures offer the cat an adventure playground in the great outdoors and at the same time protection from cars, dogs, and other dangers. Either you fence in the whole garden to make it safe for cats or build an outdoor enclosure.
For a long time, Helena Dbalý was faced with a dilemma familiar to many cat owners: she wanted to let her cat outside, but on the other hand, didn’t want to expose it to too much danger. Two wishes that can hardly be reconciled, at least in densely populated areas. “I lost all of my free-roaming cats very early – they were either run over or they just didn’t come home and I was left in the dark about their fate,” says Dbalý, who lives with her partner, as well as the Abyssinian tomcat Faramir, the Burmese tomcat Plato and the mixed-breed male Lasky lives near Basel.
In fact, outdoor cats live dangerously: Apart from cars, dogs, and cat haters, but also (agricultural) poisons or mowers can be to blame when a cat disappears. Territorial fights among cats sometimes end bloody, and the bites can also transmit germs and infectious diseases. Valuable pedigree cats are also at risk of being stolen.
An Individual Solution is Required
Helena Dbalý, who is also known in the scene as the “inventor of the cat fumbling board”, was fed up. But she didn’t want to keep her cats exclusively in the house either. “I now know a few cat owners who only keep their animals indoors, even though they even have a garden. It’s such a shame because cats just feel so good being outside. They feel the wind and sun, can observe insects and birds, go stalking in the grass, simply show their natural behavior – all this promotes the physical and mental health of the curious hunter. And even a small garden or an outdoor enclosure can be turned into a beautiful natural playground with a bit of imagination.»
Dbalý decided to fence in her small terraced house garden to make it safe for cats. That was around 15 years ago – meanwhile, after extensive research, the 53-year-old got to know the advantages and disadvantages of different systems. Their conclusion: How much and which fence you need depends heavily on the local conditions, but also on the individual cat. While an easygoing Persian cat, who has spent most of its life indoors, often shows little interest in the world on the other side of the garden fence, an experienced outdoor cat, an unneutered tomcat, or a Siamese climber will use every loophole.
Close all Loopholes
The first thing Helena Dbalý tested was an electrifiable “cat fence”, which produces an electric shock that is around 30 times weaker than that of an electric fence. Such a fence is quick to erect and portable. However, it needs to be as free-standing as possible and is rarely a real obstacle for escape artists – they crawl under it, jump over it, and often learn to hear when the power is on and when it isn’t. “The system only worked for us until a new cat moved in – I wouldn’t buy it today because there are safe variants without electricity.”
The so-called “invisible fences” also work with electricity. A wire is laid in the ground around the garden. The cat wears a collar that administers punitive stimuli ranging from unpleasant sounds to electric shocks when it is near the wire. Since this often means enormous stress for the animals, the use of such systems is prohibited in this country.
Depending on the height and the regional regulations, a high, escape-proof fence can often only be erected with the consent of the responsible building authority and the neighbors. For example, stable 1.80 to 2-meter high wire mesh fences and double rod mats with metal posts are suitable, as these are less inviting to climb than wooden fences. Existing fences can often be extended upwards. Smooth, wide Plexiglas strips or inward-facing plastic tubes at the top edge serve as important safeguards, but the fence can also be angled inwards.
For savvy breakaways, it may be necessary to lockout with a power strap. Since some cats like to dig, the fence should be sunk well into the ground. With climbing plants such as vetch, nasturtium, and Virginia creeper, the barrier can be transformed into an attractive green wall relatively quickly – this argument often convinces the neighbors as well. Important: do not use poisonous plants such as ivy or those whose trunks become really thick and then serve as ladders.
“Cats can hardly judge the height of a fence if there are no fixed points to which they can orientate themselves. As a rule, they do not dare to simply jump into the void. Our cat accepted our small garden fence after we moved in 2010 without any problems until the neighbor built a garden shed on the fence. It wasn’t even two hours before Plato was gone,” says Helena Dbalý. Luckily, the Burmese could be caught again without any problems, but then kept looking for hiding spots on the said side of the fence. “As a result, our fence on this side is now 1.80 meters high, while the cats on the other side, which is only 1.23 meters high, have never tried to escape.”