Sadly, many cats are killed outside nowadays. With many things to contend with, from dangerous dogs to busier roads, to poisoning and getting lost it can be safer to keep your cat indoors. However, if you want to ensure that your cat has access to the great outdoors but is still safe and sound, another thing that you can do is to cat proof your garden.
That way, you can relax in the knowledge that your cat is safe but can still explore and enjoy the outdoors when it wants to.
Creating a cat proof garden can be a challenge – cats are naturally curious and also adept at climbing, so you need to make sure that every possible escape route is covered before you let your cat out there. There are lots of companies that can cat proof your garden for you, however this can be quite expensive especially for a larger garden, and with a bit of planning it could be something that you can successfully do yourself.
First of all, there are fences to think about. Make the fences as high as possible (ensuring that you are aware of the fence height regulations in your area of course) as this makes them more challenging to climb. To get the materials that you need, go to somewhere like this Portsmouth timber merchants timbco.co.uk/ that will have a wide range of sizes and types of wood to choose from. Adding mesh or rollers to the fence will help to stop the cat from climbing over it.
As well as the fencing in the garden, you also need to make sure that there are no other escape routes. Holes in fences tall trees that allow access over the fence and bushes are all easy ways for a cat to get out, so make sure to check all of these too and ensure that your cat is not able to use them to get out.
When it comes to the garden itself, you should be careful about the plants that you have growing there. There are certain types of plants that are deadly to cats so make sure that you check this to make sure that your garden is truly safe. You could also grow catnip and cat grass to give them something to enjoy whilst they are out there.