Catio's

RE: Catio's

Aine Seavers — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 11:32:59 GMT

Quite common here-Claws and Paws, Cat Condos, cat enclosures are examples-usually off a laundry window so cats still can get back inside the house but the feral moggy with magnetic disc can't open cat door and get in as well (though microchip responsive doors and feeders resolve that issue.)Works where there are Council curfews on cats, works for fIV/Blind/vulnerable cats so still get to be outside and climb trees and use grass but protected. In areas of unique vulnerability for native wildlife that evolved without a predator until Captain Cook introduced cats/rats/foxes-this has helped protect unique wildlife and still allow people to responsibly own cats. Been around for years here in Australia

RE: Catio's

Julie Innes — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 10:24:09 GMT

[quote user="Harriet Nicholson"]I do think some secure outside space would be good for some cats though e.g. FIV cats so they dont infect the neighbourhood, 3 limbed cats (like my own no street sense rescue cat), elderly cats who get beaten up in their own garden but dont want to go far?[/quote]

Exactly- it works really well for my nurse's blind kitten.

RE: Catio's

Harriet Nicholson — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 12:27:05 GMT

I do think some secure outside space would be good for some cats though e.g. FIV cats so they dont infect the neighbourhood, 3 limbed cats (like my own no street sense rescue cat), elderly cats who get beaten up in their own garden but dont want to go far?

RE: Catio's

Clive Ansell — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 14:18:46 GMT

Couldn't agree more; I think cats should be cats, and go outdoors to do what cats do and behave as they like. Yes, they be involved in a rta, but that is a risk one has to accept.

As Martin points out, it would be a bit like building a paved road or track in the garden for cycling because of the risk of being hit on the road.

RE: Catio's

Martin Atkinson — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 13:57:28 GMT

[quote user="Wren"]I think it's a bit crazy (as, I would imagine, does my cat,[/quote]I agree. I really can't see the point, the reason cats want to go outdoors is to explore and hunt. Its a bit like me not being allowed on the road my bike, only on a turbo trainer in the shed, in case I get knocked off again and break something else! Its a taste of honey likely to make them even more frustrated - they're still trapped unable to follow their instincts. My family (myself included if I'm honest) are frantic if the cats are not home by dark thinking each time something awful has happened but its a chance you need to take if that's the life they want.

RE: Catio's

Wren — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 09:35:31 GMT

I think it's a bit crazy (as, I would imagine, does my cat, who is outdoors for about 23hrs a day at the moment), but am happy to live and let live, especially given that not everyone can live in circumstances which allow safe 24hr outdoor access for cats. I used to go (probably 15+ years ago) to a client who had a Perspex tunnel at head height, with a 'cat ladder' up to it connecting the house to a large aviary-like enclosure in the garden, which again I thought was a bit bonkers, but the cats seemed to like.

What I don't want is for us to go down the US route, where 99% of cats are totally indoors, and people who let their cats go out are judged and made to feel as if they're perpetrating some great cruelty.

RE: Catio's

Liz Barton — Mon, 11 Jun 2018 22:26:00 GMT

[quote user="Tim Browning"]six slow worms[/quote]

Aren't they on the endangered list? Poor things. We rehomed a cat from the shelter I work as she has ongoing medical issues. She's devastating the wildlife in our lovely garden, although every other thing she catches is a rat so not all bad!

RE: Catio's

Tim Browning — Mon, 11 Jun 2018 15:46:52 GMT

Our new neighbour with six cats could do with one as so far this week six slow worms have been mutilated or killed, and the fledgling count is astronomical. Makes it a bit of a waste of time having a wildlife garden..

RE: Catio's

Lucy Fleming — Mon, 11 Jun 2018 12:59:25 GMT

I was chatting to someone recently who is looking at getting an Abyssinian kitten and the breeder would only rehome if they had something like this put in. In the breeder's defence, she had had one cat hit by a car and one killed by a dog, so she was a little cautious, but I did mention what I thought of breeders that try to dictate how you look after your pet once you bought it.

Having said that, we have recently cat proofed our back garden so our cat can go out without a) getting run over and b) beating up every cat in the neighbourhood which he has demonstrated a marked penchant for.

RE: Catio's

David Mills — Fri, 08 Jun 2018 00:04:33 GMT

One of our nurses during recent house renovation had a tunnel built in their lounge for the cats to access the outdoors without needing to interact with humans.

Can't see the harm really, not for me but then so what?

RE: Catio's

Julie Innes — Thu, 07 Jun 2018 22:10:40 GMT

One of my nurses just had one of these built as her blind kitten was desperate to go out and managed to escape in all the snow and was missing for almost a week! Now he can go out, but she doesn't have to worry. I think it's a nice thing! Personally, I'm looking into a "tortoise-io" !

RE: Catio's

Liz Barton — Thu, 07 Jun 2018 21:50:24 GMT

I've heard of aviary type setups that can be fitted across gardens to allow outdoor access to cats. I know of owners fitting these to their houses so their fiv positive cats could go outdoors!