Purrfect Fence for Sneaky Cats
Photo by Purrfect Fence
House cats should be kept exclusively indoors because of the damage feisty felines can do to the small indigenous wildlife1, some of which may be already endangered. Another fun fact: Two out of three vets, according to the Humane Society of America, recommend keeping cats indoors because of the dangers of cars, predators, disease, and “other hazards”—a euphemism, I’d imagine, for the neighborhood psycho. The estimated average life span of a free-roaming cat is less than three years; an indoors-only cat gets to live an average of 15 to 18 years.
If kitty has to give in to her primal urges and heed the CALL OF THE WILD, the Purrfect Fence seems like a good compromise if you have the cash to spare. At $795 for one complete Houdini-Proof Outdoor Cat Enclosure System, however, it’s definitely not for the cheap seats in the back. (If you’re only concerned about native critters, there’s always the much cheaper $9 CatBib, of course, but OH THE INDIGNITY.)
More info on various cat enclosures (and the hairless bipeds who love them) here.
1The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service estimates that domestic cats kill more than 39 million birds annually—and that’s just in Wisconsin.
Related article:
1. Much Ado About Poo
2. Kitty Goes Organic
Dustywheat said,
February 28, 2007 at 5:02 pm
other hazards can be poisonous plants as well as the neighborhood psycho. Take it from someone who went so far as to take clippings of unidentified plants to a nursery to make sure they were cat and dog safe.
I would love for them to go outside again, just so my dogs wouldn’t have to stay outside all day. But losing a cat to coyotes doesn’t make me happy either. I think they’d be more likely to leave the yard now that it’s smaller and they can’t hide from the dogs as easily.