Invisable fence? Neighbor problem!!!

I'm a little upset this morning.

You see we have had a history with Milo and his needing/wanting to roam outside. When we lived in Madison we would not let him out because of traffic. As you know we were at wits end with his constant howling wanting to go outside. We even put him on Prozac which had diminishing result as a last resort.

We had not had a full nights sleep for over 2 years - Honestly!!

So in the new house in the "sort of" country, after we discovered he figured out how to open up a sliding screen door without using his claws. We let him out to see what would happen.

He became a WONDERFUL cat. Very peaceful, very content, very loving and totally happy being an indoor/outdoor cat. He does not wonder far, normally sitting on the deck , laying on the porch or just wondering the yard . . . . and neighbors yard.

This morning I was taking Blake (Cardigan Corgi) for a walk and our neighbor was taking out the garbage and walked up to me asking if we let out CAT roam.

I said he goes out at times and she says she would like us to keep our cat indoors because he irritates their dog and sits under their bird house. Then there were $1000 threats of fines (there is no fine) and other thinly veiled words like how their dog could chase the cat and they can not control him. If we let Milo out we should put him on a leash. If the cat is kept indoors we will then have happy neighbors.

This was at 6:00 in the morning and I am barely awake and just nodding my head as she blah blah blahs.

This puts us in a tricky situation. Keeping Milo indoors is basically telling us we should put Milo down because he was on his last life with his howling, LITERALLY! And now he is a wonderful VERY smart cat (screen door was just one of his brilliant ideas). If you have read my blog you know of our problems.

My question is - do invisible fences for for cats? Milo can take most collars off (he probably left one at the neighbors house).

No, but I strongly suggest you keep him on your own property. How??? Easy, provide him with an outdoor enclosure (its sorta like a tent type enclosure). It will keep him safe, out of the neighbor's yard, and let him still have some outside time.

OR you can leash/harness train him and take him out a few times a day.

Whichever you choose, you will be a responsible neighbor instead of one with a dead cat!

I don't let my cats out and would not want someone else's cat OR dog be hanging around on my property.

i dont know bout the fence for cats, but what about a nice outdoor enclosure?

There is a fence for cats can't remember what it is called. Purrfect Fence maybe. An outdoor enclosure is another good idea as is harness training. I have an enclosure works great! And was inexpensive to build.

Do you mean like a big dog kennel? They let their dog run loose and we have to kennel our cat?

Keep Milo cat all night in a kennel outside?

Milo could be put down if he can not go outside. He will not shut up inside the house. I don't think you know the gravity of the situation. He is an outdoor cat being forced to live indoors. We are being cruel by making him stay indoors.

As for harness - so far he has escaped every harness he have tried but it's an idea we're still working on.

My enclosure is built off an inside window. The cats have access to it at all times unless we close the window during the winter. So no it is not like a kennel. And the neighbor dog should not be allowed to roam either.

We can not put up a physical fence in the yard so we were thinking of invisible fences anyway (so not Purfect fence)- just wondering if they work for cats.

The PROBLEM is that milo can get any collar/harness off so far - even tight ones.

It's tough having a large cat that is in shape (no fat) that can still touch his toes LOL

Invisable fences don't work for cats. YOU need to keep him in a safe enclosure and not be running loose. The neighbor's dog shouldn't be running loose either.

So if you can't resolve the problem you can find him a home in the far country on a farm or take him to the shelter.

If you continue to allow him outside unsupervised all the time, he will wind up dead (by a neighbor who is upset) or be killed by stray dogs, cruel kids or automobiles.

Like I said in my first post - I would not want a neighbor's cat or dog on my property - my animals stay on my property and the cats are inside at all times - I expect other neighbors to do the same with their pets.

How long was Milo on the Prozac? I know I sound like a broken record, but it takes *at least* a month for that stuff to level out in their system. There are ups and downs during the initial couple of months, still. Given time, it does work.

I hope you're able to get the issues worked out.

Some of those cat enclosures are pretty nice. If he's just looking for some fresh air, he might enjoy it anyway. You can put them on the grass, too, I think so he can be comfy - it's a LOT better than a dog run. Some even have toys and activities inside...

I can appreciate your concern for your cat wanting to go outside. When we adopted Neely it was evident that she was an outdoor cat also. However, we have contained her mischief endeavors to inside only. All our cats have been indoors but I know she would "love" to go outside. Fortunately we have a dog who keeps her company and exercises her daily. I agree with other members that an invisible fence will not work for a cat. Plus the fact that you have no control who or what comes on your property with that type of fence. If the kitty enclosure that others have mentioned is easy and inexpensive to install it would be worth a shot. If that doesn't work you can explore other alternatives. Good luck!

I also think an enclosure would be worth a try. You could make it so he can go out whenever he wants to (with a cat flap). I've heard of cats that would yell constantly to go out but were satisfied with access to an enclosure.

Just curious, how did he develop a liking of the outdoors? Did you used to take him out or something?

"So if you can't resolve the problem you can find him a home in the far country on a farm or take him to the shelter."

We ARE in the country and sheltering is as good as killing him as they are all too full.

Milo was an outdoor cat until he was rescued, We THINK he was born outdoor and was left off at a shelter because of his wanting to be outside. He is a big, strong fully clawed cat that most people say "WOW - what a striking cat"

We had him on prozac for a month and the vet would not refill our order.

I have yet to understand what the kitty encloser is - anybody have photos, just a large kennel type thing????

Invisible fences don't work for cats.??? Hmmmm - why do they advertise FOR CATS?? Not arguing but . . . . .

http://www.catsofaustralia.com/cat-enclosures.htm

http://www.safekitty.com/customenclosures.htm


these should give you an idea, or you could build your own!

Originally Posted by Grinder_7

We had him on prozac for a month and the vet would not refill our order.

Click to expand...

Directed to your vet (not you ), that is lame. "Trying" Prozac for a month is pointless. Given time, it works. I would talk to a different vet.

Do not forget, they will market anything the way "they" see fit. For example, Hartz flea products are marketing as working, but they don't. False advertisements are everywhere.

There has to be an alternative. If you do not mind me asking, why can you not put up a fence?

Would Milo stick near you if you both went outside together & then came back in together?

"why can you not put up a fence?"

We live on a golf course and its a new area - the "rules" say no fences to keep an open look. It does look nice so I can not complain about that.

The neighbor is a VERY controlling woman and ticked us off many times when we were building the house but that is a different story. She even "mentions" when our yard is a few days overdue for mowing and tells us where we can plant trees our yard.

BTW - our building a house blog where I do not say nasty things, plus there are shots of our .. "backyard".
http://housebuy.blogspot.com/

This looks nice for kitty enclosure. If you look at the blog we could have 1/2 under the deck for shade and another part in the sun. hmmmmm

http://www.just4cats.com/

How many hours WILL the cat stay inside? You might be in the "country" but you are not on a farm. If you can't find a solution for everyone then try to rehome him with a farmer.

Whether or not the neighbor is a controlling one, the point is your cat should NOT be roaming around the neighborhood unsupervised!

Ohhh...if you could hide it half under the deck that would be great! I just think that an enclosure would be great.

According to the golf course rules, could you put up a 6x6 dog kennel? An enclosure would not necessarily have to be very big, either.....

Also, as far as the indoor spraying issue goes...there's a spray called "No Mark" that is fantastic. It's like Feliway but it doesn't cost nearly as much. It works! They sell it at Petsmart...$9.99 for a big bottle.