Conference misery::feline

     What a crew! I have two indoor cats and we've put up a wire fence
    for them that comes out from one corner of the house about 15 feet then
    goes across and back in to the other corner. This is in the backyard.
    They have a cat porch with an outside door that they can use to access
    the yard but we only let them out when we're with them. Their yard area
    is big enough for our patio set, lawn chairs, grill, etc. There's also
    a shed. They LOVE to sit on the roof of it. The fence is only about 4
    feet tall and I know Hamilton could jump it in a minute. That's why we
    stay with them outside. They're also leash trained and love to go for
    walks in the woods. 
      I guess this doesn't help you much, but it's almost the same idea.
    I'm just to nervous to let them out alone. But it would be great to
    have a yard where cats could do that. They certainly love the outdoors.
    
            Bunni, Hamilton & Abby
    

    Welcome Welcome Welcome...I'm sure you will find alot of info in
    this file very useful!!!
    
    The Pat Brody Shelter has built a complete enclosed area for the
    shelter kitties.   I was going to offer to bring you there to see
    how it was built...and then I noticed you are in Alabama...so I guess 
    that is out of the question.
    
    The shelter outdoor area is completely enclosed including a wire
    roof supported by wood beams so NOBODY can get out or in!!! If your
    going to do it...I would suggest completely enclosing it so you never
    have to worry about somebody hoping the fence.   With my cats...I
    could have a 10 foot wire fence...and someone would learn how to
    get over it..and probably teach the others. 
    
    Another suggestion I heard of was to put up a wire fence and at the
    top of the fence you can buy sheet metal that bends inward making
    it impossible for a kitty to grasp it and hop over.   I've never
    seen this...but we did look into it for the shelter but decided to
    enclose the entire area to ensure we have nobody escaping.
    
    If your ever in Massachusetts.....I'd be happy to bring you over to look
    at the shelter!!!! Good luck...
    
    Sandy
    
                          
                          
    
    
    

      Some of the pet-supply companies used to carry some enclosures that
    could be attached to a window that would allow some outside freedom
    without too much danger. I'll see if I can do some research on the
    availability. 
    
      If you are handy with a set of carpenter's tools, you could always
    make an enclosure out of wire mesh...or if you have a few extra bucks
    to spare, a contractor could be brought in...
    
       We are undergoing a big rabies scare here in Mass, and it's not a
    real good idea under the present circumstances to allow any outside
    unsupervised wandering. In fact, in the town next to mine, a kid was
    bitten by a stray cat that they tried to rescue, and it's pretty
    certain that the cat was rabid. The poor cat will be destroyed and the
    kid will have to go through the series of shots. A Golden Retriever in
    another close town was infected by a rabid racoon, and the dog was not
    immunized so it had to be destroyed as well....and the dogs owner's
    entire family will be administered the shots. 
    
      John Mc

    .I am the last person who should reply to this note.  I have spent
    almost all of the past holiday trying, unsuccessfully, to keep Christopher 
    Robin off the roof.  We have a familyroom-over-garage, attached to the 
    house (hip-roof) and he can jump from the handrail, outside the backdoor, 
    to the roof and from there to the main roof.  I was afraid that in the ice 
    and snow he would fall and break either his neck or my bank balance.
    
    I tied old, open umbrellas tied to the railing--my back door looked like
    the set for some avant-garde European film--on top of that it was a waste 
    of time as it didn't work.  He used the umbrellas to get a better lift
    to his jump.  We put up a sheet of lattice-work wood to block the way 
    to the familyroom roof--he thought that was even more fun and sailed over 
    the top with no problem.  The only thing that has worked is that I stand 
    outside the back door by the railing and stop him, which in -4 degrees 
    with a savage wind blowing makes me look even more ridiculous than the 
    umbrellas.  What we do for our furfaces!
    
    Best of luck with your venture, hope you have better results than I did.

    
    The remarks about how industrious some cats can be about getting around
    incomplete enclosures reminds me of a feat so extraordinary I wouldn't
    have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself, not once, but several
    times.  The acrobat in question was a *big* brown tabby tom named Sam;
    he had those beautiful classic American tabby markings, blotches and
    swirls - I always wished I had met Sam before he and my own Wabbit had
    been neutered, their offspring would have been something to behold - but
    I digress.
    
    Sam used to like to get up on the roof of the house he lived in, and I
    can't imagine how he figured out he could do it this way other than by
    the most outrageous bravado.  A picture is necessary...
    
                  /                   I.e., Sam would leap from the porch
                */                    railing, rebound off the house wall,
               */|                    and somehow manage to snake around
               * |    * Sam's path    the eaves to get a pawhold in the 
                *|                    gutter. He had enough momentum that
               * |                    he was easily on the roof from there. 
              *  |
    porch -------|                    The rebound spot was well marked from
     rail |      |                    repeated use.
          |      |
          |porch |                    He would do it like it was nothing -
          --------                    jump up onto the railing, walk to the
                                      correct spot, consider for a moment
                                      his target, and then in one smoothe
                                      motion he was on the roof, bouncing
                                      off the wall on the way.
    
    Never underestimate the foolish ingenuity of a cat that wants badly
    enough to do something.
    
    len.
    

    Len..I do agree.  My sister has a cat who climbs the porch
    support bean to get to the second floor.  It's amazing to watch
    because he makes it up there in no time!!!!
    
    Sandy

    That's a funny story Len!
    My situation is a little different, but yet it show what a cat can do.
    
    Luckily for me this wasn't the worst situation, and had been
    considered!
    
    My "Duke" is a siamese that lives in a "kitty kondo II", it looks
    like a jail cell because of the bars.  ANyway he has plenty of room
    and is very happy in general and allowed to come out and be held, 
    brushed or whatever.  You must also understand that he is a stud for
    my "some" of my kitties.
    
    Well the other nite Duke managed to stand up and force the door down
    so that there was about 3" of space at the top.  He squeezed 
    through this and managed to breed one of my females.  He has never
    tried to do this EVER.  But, I have a new "man" in the house, and
    he knows it.  I suppose he figured he better do the deed before 
    the new guy got a chance to.  I thought I fixed that by adding more
    clips and REALLY securing the door.
    
    Next morning he was out and about doing a little war dance in
    front of the new guy's cage.  I think I have taken care of this too.
    It takes me 10 minutes to get the clips off of his doors so
    I can feed him or take him out!  I wouldn't have believed it
    if I hadn't seen him do it later in the day.
    
    He should have been called Houdini!! 8'}
    Karen

    I have considered some sort of outdoor enclosure, too. My cats are
    declawed, though. I figured that without claws, they'd have a hard time
    climbing a wooden fence. But, from some of your reposnes, it seems claws
    aren't necessary since they seem to get over wire, too. What do you think?
                                                                       f
    Jessica

    
    I repeat:
    
        Never underestimate the foolish ingenuity of a cat that wants badly
        enough to do something.
    
    len.
    

      Re:.3. I bought a cat enclosure -- advertised as a "cat porch". It
    fits in the window like an air conditioner. Cost was $80. The top and
    bottom are solid wood, three sides are a metal mesh rather than a
    screen, and the fourth side that faces in the house is made from two
    pieces of plexiglass with a cat door in between them. I got it from 
    a catalog called Animail, but they've gone out of business. Then Bob
    made a window porch for the cats. It's kind of like a small rabbit
    hutch. The end that's in the window is like the one I bought -- a cat
    door in the middle but two pieces of wood instead of plexiglass. The
    end that protrudes out over the yard is hinged so we can unlock it,
    open it and let the cats jump down into their yard. They LOVE both
    porches. They even go out there in the freezing cold and snow! The
    homemade porch wasn't really hard to make. All you need is some screen,
    wood, hardware (hinges and a lock), a cat door and some paint or
    weatherproofing stuff. It's another alternative for indoor cats who
    aren't lucky enough to have a full sized, screened-in porch on the
    house they live in.  
      But I really can't picture SEVEN cats in one of these porches! That
    could be really funny! 
    
       Bunni, Hamilton & Abby
        
     

    Mark
    
    Wow man ..... the answer is like soooooo simple ..........
    Just get ya some "real good" patio speakers ...... ones with
    good sound stage and very little coloring ..... make sure the
    amp has pleanty of headroom ..... kittys hate distortion ......
    mix up some cat nit ...... provide some kitty cushions (properly
    placed for best listening ambiance) ..... some good tunes .... 
    and hell they'll never leave the back yard.
    
    Later Dude

    RE 690.11
    
    Skip
    
    Good info ....but not so simple. Questions arise....dynamic,
    planar-dynamic, ribbon, hybrid, subwoofing (perhaps not, woofs
    might make their fur stand up)? And how does one protect those
    expensive driver elements from hapless kitty claws? I've already
    been through that scenario. Do cats prefer tubes or solid-state?
    What kind of EQ curves would cats prefer. Also, could you imagine
    all of the unwanted visitors....the loud music at all hours....
    the howling.... the beer cans....the police visits in the middle 
    of the night....? Scary stuff indeed!
    
    By the way....what are doing in this conference anyway? Shooo!!!!
    
    BAD DOG!!!!
    
    
    
    

>     Currently I'm the father of seven cats; aged 1.5-4 years old. Their 
>    names are; Diablo Blanco, Mama, Sylvie Esther, Velcro, Wiggle Fish,
>    Nightmare, and Biscuit Head. They are all great kitties and I enjoy
>    their companionship.

	Firstly, I suggest changing their names.

	Even if none ever escape, and you just go out to an enclosed area to 
	call them in........................your neighbours will think you're
	nuts.


	"C'mon  Wiggle Fish,  in you come Busciut head, where are you Diablo
	blanco, now stop trying to escape Mama, be a good girl and come in to
	be fed. Now, Nightmare, Nightmare, where HAVE you got too, ahhhh, there
	you are Velcro, now just help me find Sylvie Esther and we'll be fine.


	Are you SURE you want to do this????????????????????


	However I would think a trip to a local shelter would help.

	have you tried looking at local Boarding catteries, often they have 
	outside enclosed runs.

	I would also have thought that cat magazines would have adverts for
	this type of stuff.

	Good luck,
	Heather

    	There are electronic solutions for containment, but I don't know
    	if there is a feline version.
    
    	There is more than one company utilizing ultrasonic frequencies
    	for canine containment. Placing detectors strategically around the
    	yard, if the canine comes close to breaching them, the frequency
    	is generated. This trains the animal to stay away from the assigned
    	perimeter. But canines have acute hearing, allowing this solution
    	to succeed. So I don't know if this has been developed for feline
    	applications...
    
    	Of course, the subject has to wear a collar, which broadcasts a
    	signal that is monitored by the perimeter detectors. And of course
    	this does not prevent intruders from entering the designated area.
    
    	Just thought I'd mention it, probably doesn't help you out any...

    I have a friend that has an invisible fence for her dogs. The way it
    works, is when the dog gets too close to the perimeter, it gets a small
    electric shock. It didn't take long for them to stay away from the
    edge.
    
    My question with that though, is, what would prevent other animals from
    entering your yard and harrassing your animals etc, if they didn't have
    one of the collars on? I'm, also not sure if there is a feline version,
    but it may be worth looking into.
    
    Yonee
                       

re last two:

These invisible fences only work when the electronics, including 
batteries, work. We recently had a stray dog in our yard whose owner we 
were able to find through the rabies tag from the vet. The battery in 
the dog's collar had run down and off it went for a long, long walk.