crossing the main road

My cat keeps crossing the main road,its not directly on my road she has to come out of my street and cross the main road,where buses and lorrys speed along! She has a cat flap and i never allow her to leave my house through the front garden but everytime i see her over the main road,its a real worry.
I cant keep her in as she goes mad to get out and even with a litter tray she will not use it and will poo on the carpet to show me she doesnt want to be kept in.
I worry myself so much about this,does anyone else have any problems like this?My cat is 8 years old and i have had her for 2 years now.

I don't know what answer you want to hear- she could adapt to being kept in if you persevered.
No way would I allow my kitties out like that. If she is ever run over you will feel all kinds of regret and guilt.

Hi there, dont know what to say really, this is real difficult one !! I´m like you have cats that will NOT stay in, and I cant bear the thought of them being locked up when they are used to being out and about ! Can you see anything that might be attracting her over the road ?? do you know of people over there that have cats that might be causing the interest ? Maybe if you put toys, catnip etc in your garden that might distract her. You say she is 8 yrs old, do you know her history, maybe she is street wise and can manage OK. Mine cats were all inherited at a young age and had to learn, luckily and again, like you, with much stress and worry on my part, but they are fine now and know what to do. I hope that at her age she is street wise and she´ll be fine !! I´m afraid its just one of those things, with outdoor cats, that we have to put up with.

My cat will not stay in and to be honest its wicked to force her too,she was used to being outside before i got her as being in a irish rescue is like a farm and animals are not caged up,she is also a semi feral so its impossible to keep her in,to be honest she would be so unhappy and it isnt fair.In england we let our cats out if they want to,id be happy to keep her in but its not her choice she is a free lance creature a free spirit.
Just hope she starts staying away from the main road theres nothink over there of interest.

My parents used to let their cats out, and sadly none of them lived a good age because they were all hit by cars which is why this fellow Brit keeps her girls indoors.

You can always build an outdoor enclosure so she can still go outside but will stay safe.

Originally Posted by rosiemac

You can always build an outdoor enclosure so she can still go outside but will stay safe.

Click to expand...

That's what I was going to suggest - could you put up some cat proof fencing so that she can go outside but can't wander out of your garden? She might not like it to begin with but would probably get used to it. Otherwise you'll just have to let her take her chances with the road. If she's been ok for the past 2 years it sounds like she's got some road sense.

It is the norm to let cats go outside here in England, but like Rosiemac I keep mine indoors It would be hard to confine a semi feral cat used to going out.

Hi,
I have this system to keep my cats in the garden.
http://www.freedom-fence.co.uk/
It is expensive, about the same price as an emergency vet bill, but it keeps them safe.
Anne

anakat that is a good idea will have to take a look at that,thanks
How much are they cant find a price??Had my cat been a kitten then id have trained her and kept her in,but like iv said shes semi feral so its not easy.And she likes her own company spends a lot of time out side.

Hi,
Mine cost £600, but my daughter got hers for half that by buying it online direct from the USA. If you want the details PM me and I'll find the link to the web site she used. Our Daisy was about 7 when we fitted it and she adjusted
to staying in the garden quite happily. I put their collars on after breakfast and take them off when I call them in for tea, I only let them out when it is light. They don't seem to mind the collars, infact they queue up to have them put on in the mornings. In this pic. you can see their collars

Anne

One of my cats (the one who lives with my ex) crosses a main road as well.He has done so for 5 years now with no problems.A neighbour told me he actually uses the pedestrian crossing, lol. He doesn't do it very often and now he is getting older, he doesn't roam very far anymore anyway, but I wouldn't worry too much, if they have managed to cross safely for 2 years.

Not sure if your cats wear a collar, but it might be advisable to let them wear a reflective collar, so they are visible at night. Most cars will break if they see an animal crossing.

The 2 cats I have here are terrified of cars, so I am not worried about them going anywhere near the road, and I live in a quiet residential street now.