I need to fence in my yard so I can let my cat go outside, and I’d like to know if anyone has a Purrfect Fence http://www.purrfectfence.com (or knows anyone who does…or has any other suggestions for a cat proof fence that they know works). My cat is used to going outside during the day and he usually doesn’t leave my yard (and I check on him often), but occasionally he wanders over to the neighbor’s front yard to hunt for rodents, or to roll in the dirt. All my neighbors know my cat, and I ask them periodically if he is making a nuisance of himself. None of my neighbors have said my cat was bothering them, in fact they all have said they rarely even see him.

This one particular neighbor never complained about my cat until I complained about her allowing her dog to bark incessantly (it’s really bad, day & night), and I ended up having to call the police and animal control because the dog was allowed to bark for hours sometimes, would barked continually if we are outside, and the barking can be heard inside our house in every room. It is a very loud, shrill bark, and the barking was so severe it was disrupting my whole life at home (calling the law, by the way, did no good). Talking with them about the barking did no good (we even offered to pay for dog training but they can’t be bothered…). Now she blames my cat for all the barking (even when the cats is inside…) and has threatened to trap my cat and send him to the shelter (they are high kill sheler and use a gas chamber and many animals are killed the same day they are brought in). If any of my neighbors had said previously that the cat was being a nuisance I would have fenced the yard long ago.

Before you say anything about keeping the cat inside because it’s safer, I don’t like my cat being outside (I have 4 other indoor only cats) because I’m aware of all the dangers cats face. This cat had been an indoor/outdoor cat for 3 years before I got him, and then I forced him to be an indoor only cat (for a year) and he began peeing all over the house and developed reoccurring urinary tract infections/problems. We had to make numerous trips to the vet that year, and I tried everything everyone always suggests, including Prozac, but nothing helped. He was miserable and so was I and my other cats. My cats have plenty of indoor stimulation (perches, condos, scratching posts, toys, etc.) and my other cats are well adjusted but this cat was miserable. Finally, in desperation, I let him start going back outside again for short periods during the day and he stopped peeing in the house and his urinary tract problems disappeared. My cat is always inside well before dark and always when I’m away from home. I’ve been taking him out for supervised “walks” in my yard, but this is not satisfying his desire to be outside and he is spending most of his time walking nervously around the house meowing (I mean, it’s pitiful) and not using the litterbox (and I already caught him peeing in the cats’ toy basket). I’ve had to put him in our cat room (a bedroom with windows) to force him to calm down and quit walking around meowing, but I can’t keep him locked up for the rest of his life and I’m afraid he will start to have urinary tract difficulties again.

I need a fence in which my cat can’t get out. I’d prefer something that isn’t so expensive so I can fence the whole yard in, but I’ll settle for a smaller area just so the cat can go outside and be safe. The dog has been barking since 6:28 a.m. and my cat is wandering around the house meowing. This is insane.
Yes, I’ve considered this also, and figured I’d probaby have to cat proof the outside of the fence as well, or at least the sides where stray cats can get to the fence. It’s going to be a very costly project as the fenced area will be about 2/3 of an acre. Sigh.