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Black cat laying on sofa wearing cat fence collar

Cat Fence – how a cat fence saved my cat!

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Cat Fence Saved my Cats Life!

I wanted to take a moment to tell you all about how a Cat Fence saved our cat’s (Figaro’s) life. You may have heard them called containment fences or even electric cat fences.

Without our Cat Fence I really fear that Figaro would not be with us anymore and I would not be able to tell you all his tail.

Figaro came to us when he was 6 years old we rescued him from a local cat shelter. The whole family fell in love the second we met him. He was so handsome; his glossy black fur and bright shiny eyes. I couldn’t believe my whiskers when the lady at the cat shelter told us Figaro had been tricky to re home due to the colour of his fur. Would you believe that black cats aren’t as popular because they don’t look as good in ‘selfies’? At this point in time we all felt that our garden was safe and had not even considered a containment fence or cat fencing.

Figaro settled into his new home nicely. We kept him inside for a week or so but he was so inquisitive about the outside world. I couldn’t keep him indoors any longer. Figaro had missed his freedom being in the cat shelter and I couldn’t wait to let him explore the garden.

black cat wearing cat fence collar sat on tool box

Figaro helping with the DIY!

At first he stayed within the garden and loved lazing in the bushes and hunting mice. Over the next few weeks Figaro began to explore further afield. At first it was the neighbour’s garden, then a visit to the tabby cat down the road. His adventures grew longer and longer but he always bought himself home in time for dinner. We never knew quite how far he went but he always returned.

That dreaded moment when the cat did not come home!

Then it came that awful night he didn’t come home for his dinner. It was getting late and he still wasn’t home. I went into the garden and called him…nothing. I tried to tempt him with his favourite – Tuna! But still nothing. I decided to leave his cat flap open and went to bed, he would be home in the morning, I was sure.

Morning came and he wasn’t home. I searched everywhere for him. As the days went on I started to fear the worst. We lived a reasonable distance from a few busy roads and knew two families that had lost their fur babies in road traffic accidents. Trying to remain positive I decided to visit as many neighbouring houses as I could to ask if they had seen him.

There had been no sightings. One of my neighbours (who had previously lost several cats to the road) told me about this amazing device called a

A small lightweight collar that the cat wears and a wire installed around the garden. The cat is trained to know how the collar works and receives a warning beep followed by a small static impulse to stop them from straying outside of the garden. She let me feel the collar as I had visions of my cat leaping out it’s skin for it’s life. I have to admit that I was skeptical as to how it would work because when I felt the sensation it was very small and not at all how I imagined.

My neighbour told me it’s the only way she’s been able to have a cat again after the devastating losses of her other cats. It enables her cat to explore its natural environment but keeps them safe at the same time and gives you piece of mind – How amazing!

I walked home furious with myself that I hadn’t discovered Cat Fence before. If I had just known about it, Figaro would still be at home safe in his garden. I brushed a tear away as I reached my front door. How could I have let this happen? I was probably never going to see my beautiful boy again.

Several days went passed and I resigned myself that he was gone. It was the not knowing that hurt the most, had been injured, killed or had he just found a new family. I hope it was the latter.

The day I decided to research Containment Fences.

One wonderful day after turning the key in front door and letting myself in I heard his little meow.  He came straight over brushing against my leg and purring. Actually he looked fine, a little thinner and obviously relieved to be home. We had had a lucky escape and I vowed not to let it happen again. I went straight around to my neighbour and got the details for the cat fence Company. Within an hour I had booked for our new Cat Fence to be installed.

The installer was excellent and explained all about the cat fence to me. He did some indoor training with myself and Figaro which allows Figaro to learn about the “no go zone” before using it in the garden. After 20 minutes Figaro knew what the beep meant and he was no longer entering the “no go Zone”. We had to keep indoors for a few days to ensure that he really knew how the cat fence worked.

The gentleman explained that cats are very intelligent and pick things up quickly and that I would need to use Flags in my garden for the first few weeks to mark out the “no go zone” but could take them out once he fully understood.

cat fence training for containment fence is carried out inside using indoor unit.

Cat in training.

It’s been 4 years now since our Cat Fence has been installed and I am able to relax Knowing that Figaro will always be home for dinner. As I type this I can see him out of the window, happily hunting the mice in the sun and enjoying his freedom whilst being safely contained in his haven.

Thank You Cat Fence!

cat laying in the road not contained by dog fence

How to keep your cat safe outdoors

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A new solution to keep  your cat safe outdoors

Cat are naturally active and love to do their own thing.  I’s a continual concern for owners as to how to keep their cats safe outdoors, particularly when they have unlimited access to the big wide world.  Unfortunately their tendency to wander leads to around 300,000 cat deaths on UK roads every year, a staggering number considering how much we take care of them when they are at home.

On top of the danger posed by roads, an outdoor cat also faces potential run-ins with other animals on neighbouring properties, dogs walking off the lead nearby, or bigger cats protecting their territory.

A cat’s natural prey drive will also drive them to explore further afield into tempting wildlife rich areas, such as woods or local parks.  Not only does this pose a problem to preserving local wildlife, but can also cause your kitty to take unnecessary risks dashing across busy roads to catch prey, or getting stuck in buildings or trees as they hunt.

cat safe outdoors

Enjoying the garden.

 

As a concerned cat owner, there are a couple of ways that you can keep your cat safe and sound. One solution is to set up a wire fencing system around your garden that is angled to stop your cat being able to escape.  However these are generally costly, can ruin the look of your garden and be an eye-sore to your neighbours.  Cats are also notorious escape artists and have been known to climb these fences to reach overhanging branches to make their getaway.

The other option is to try a CatFence, an invisible barrier system that trains your cat not to stray over a safe boundary you create.  Providing a stress free and safe environment for your kitty. A CatFence is revolutionary system to keep cats safe outdoors. The fence was trialed by Feline Friends a charity in Derbyshire.

This unobtrusive barrier is a hidden fence consisting of a central control box that transmits a coded FM radio signal through a boundary wire that has been laid around the property. To train your cat not to stray over this set boundary, they wear a computer collar that houses a tiny FM receiver.  As your cat moves towards the signal the collar emits an audible signal to indicate they should stop and turn back. If the cat continues towards the wire the collar gives a small “corrective shock” set to you cat’s individual requirements.

After completing the training cats quickly learn to understand the warning beep, and will immediately turn back into the allowed zone, thus avoiding correction.

Advantages of a CatFence system

A safe and simple training programme to keep your cat safe outdoors

As any cat owner will know, your cat is the king of its domain and will not do anything that it does not want to.   This is why the CatFence system uses a form of training specifically designed for the needs of your cat.

Our  training  accounts for each cat’s natural personality, curiosity, and movement and starts in the home, where the cat is most comfortable.   When your cat is ready, we take training outside to allow your feline friend to learn where it can and cannot go.

You set the safe boundary

You are in control of where you set the CatFence boundary to allow your cat to wander through your garden without a care, whilst keeping them clear of any potential dangers such as poisonous plants, neighbouring properties and busy roads.  When setting the boundary you can also protect areas of your property from your pet such as a fish filled pond.

Tackle in house worries

There is the possibility that you live on a street without feline dangers, but you have a home sized scratching post. Cats need to scratch to get rid of dead cells on their claws, as well as to help them stretch out their bodies and paws. Unfortunately for you, your cat may not always use the expensive scratching post that you bought, choosing instead your furniture, carpets or curtains. If this is the case then your cat’s collar works with the special indoor system that allows you to cordon off parts of your home keeping rooms and furniture out of bounds.  It can be set on almost any surface and can stuck to door frame if you want to section off a whole room from a feline fiend.

Let your cat know there is always safety at home. The CatFence containment system is the perfect way to ensure that your cat stays happy and healthy whilst still enjoying a life outdoors. If you have any concerns about how to keep your cat safe outdoors, due to busy roads or other potential threat, please call us for a quote on 01628 476475.

Links: http://www.feline-friends.org.uk/