Why should I consider a cat fence?

Why should I consider a cat fence?

Most owners have never heard of a cat fence. We all know cats love to roam; research has shown that many cats will have a regular route that they take each day.  Although these areas may not actually be that large they often involve crossing busy roads. Traditionally owners have left their cats to be free and have not considered containing their cat. One simple solution is install a cat fence or containment system.

How Far do cats wander?

Research has showed that most cats only wander approx. 100m from home so why do we see so many accidents involving cats each year. Pet Plan statics show “230,000 cat deaths on the road”. With the UK’s roads becoming busier each year visiting these territories can be quite akin to playing Russian Roulette! The other side to this sad statistic is that this figure does not include cats that are injured through RTA’s. With RTA’s increasing it is time to look at a cat fence?

What are the effects of RTA’s with cats?

In 2004 Irene Rochlitz from the University of Cambridge conducted a survey “the effects of road traffic accidents on domestic cats and their owners”. The study involved 6 Veterinary practices.  Each practice logged Information regarding the accidents. The study looked into the number of cats that arrived at the practices that were either dead or injured. To make it easy to assess the injuries the study used a points based system.  The score ranged from 1 – 5 with 5 being the most severe.  The same scoring system was used to assess the owner’s emotions.  The average injury score for the cats was 3. When it came to the owners emotional scores most gave a score of 5,6 or 7.

Owners of two thirds of the surviving cats reported that their cat’s behaviour had changed. The changes ranged from either becoming more nervous, going outdoors less or showing fear of cars and roads. Similarly, 50% of the owners reported a change in their behaviour with their cat. Owners kept their cats in more by not letting them out at night and a few kept their cats indoors completely. Research has showed that housing cat indoors can lead to poor health. Owners who have installed a cat fence after an accident report back that they wish they had installed this earlier.

Naturally the involvement in an RTA led to poor welfare for these cats causing severe injuries and even death.  Also the length of recovery times was much longer than previously thought.  Recover times post discharge had not been previously been studied. The average time for a cat to recover was actually 23 days with some taking up to 5 months or longer.  During this time both the owners and cat’s behaviour’s changed. One of the interesting points raised was that cats with an amputated limb did not adapt as well as dogs with the same injury. The reason for this appears to be that cats need to balance and jump.

What solutions are there to keep cats safe?

When considering the above owners might not be aware of a simple and cost effective solution. A lifesaving system that can not only keep their cat safe but also allow them freedom to roam. These cat fence give freedem within the garden without coming into contact with the busy roads. Electronic cat fences evolved from the once bulky dog fence systems. Modern technology has dramatically improved these systems from the original dog fences that were developed over 40 years ago. The new technology and research has resulted in a safe, effective and flexible method of cat containment.

Are cat fences safe?

Research through Lincoln University in 2016 proved that there were no welfare issues with using an electronic cat fences.   Professor Daniel Mills ,Professor of Veterinary Behavioural Medicine in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Lincoln, explained:

“While some will argue that electronic containment systems can never be justified for pets, others highlight that, in the UK alone, hundreds of thousands of cats are killed and injured on roads each year and these devices can prevent these often fatal injuries and the emotional cost to the cats and their owners. In contrast, housing cats solely indoors to remove such risks is associated with increased prevalence of a range of health problems including obesity, Feline Urologic Syndrome and dental disease. Long-term exposure to common flame retardants widely used in homes may also have toxic side effects for cats.”

Electronic cat fences can cover all shapes and sizes of gardens. These fences give cats the ability to display natural behaviour and enjoy the great outdoors. Cat fence offer solutions for owners of all types of terrain from a small town garden right up to a 350-acre country estate.

To learn more call our team on (01628) 476475 or visit our web site: https://www.catfence.co.uk/