cat shock collars for protection

[lilianmh]

I live in rural Ireland and have lost three cats due to a predator. We don't know what it is but it is holed up in a bank on the edge of our property. Our Jack Russell barks hysterically there every night...sometimes for hours.

The sort of predators we have here are pine-martins, badgers, foxes and mink. We had thought of setting up a CCTV surveillance, but that would not really get us any further in solving the problem because here in Ireland it is illegal to move wildlife.

If we asked the local farmers for help they would shoot it, and we don't want that. I asked various wildlife bodies for advice and the best they can come up with is to keep future cats in the house; build a cage; or use a cat collar.  We don't want to confine a cat to the house; due to the configuration of the back door with its cat-flap, the cage idea will not work; so the only option is a shock-collar.

What do you think?

 

[lilianmh]

Oops! I should have explained how the cat collar would protect the cat. The idea being the same as for a dog so that it would restrict the cat to a designated area outside the back door so that it had access to grass and a place to poo.

 

[Norachan]

I think a shock collar might be a bit cruel and it wouldn't stop what ever has taken your other cats from chasing your cat into the safe area. Don't you think it would be easier to make a cat proof fence around your garden, so the cat can go out but won't stray to far and the predator won't get him?

There are some great cat enclosures out there, easy enough to make one yourself. Just Google cat enclosures and you'll see what can be done.

Our cat enclosure is just deer netting and wooden posts.

 [thread="276982"]Moving House Taking The Colony With Me​[/thread]  

I'd recommend getting a trail camera so you know exactly what is out there. Foxes can dig down under an enclosure, so if it's a fox you'll need to make the enclosure like a chicken pen, with wire going under ground. Mink and pine martin can climb, so it that's what's living out there you need to make sure the holes in the mesh are small enough to prevent them squeezing through and you'll need a roof on the enclosure too.

 

[the3rdname]

The way I see it, you have three options: 1) keep the cat indoors, 2) kill the predator (temporary solution because another will move in eventually), 3) create an enclosure similar to what Norachan has mentioned.  Shock collars are NOT suitable for cats (negative reinforcement of any kind isn't recommended for training cats).  Shock collars are only considered safe for dogs on the lowest setting, and, even then, it depends on the dog.  I've only seen trainers use them on larger breeds.

Besides, what's going to stop the predator from getting a cat with a collar?  Without physical barriers, a hungry predator will walk right up to your back door if it spies dinner.

I don't understand why there's an objection to keeping a cat indoors when the alternative is certain death.  That seems inhumane, IMO, to practically dangle the cat out there like bait.  I'm certain the cat would prefer a long, healthy life indoors to getting eaten by a predator.  Most of us in the states manage it without issue.  It's not cruel to keep a cat inside, in fact, it keeps them healthier and extends their lifespan.  

 

[evamilly]

I think a sock collar is very cruel and could cause psychological damage as well as physical harm to the poor little cat.

Sounds like an enclosure is the best option

Good luck

 

[lilianmh]

Thank you for the comments. Daytime is not a dangerous time because this predator is nocturnal. We will have to consider the cage because keeping the cat indoors is not an option as there is such constant traffic in and out the backdoor. We could keep the cat indoors at night though.

 

[lykakitty]

I agree that a shock collar would be cruel and cause both mental and physical harm to your cat. Even dogs should never be subjected to shock collars, no matter how large a breed or stubborn or badly behaved the dog is. No reputable dog trainer who keeps up with current ethical standards or behavior research would use a shock collar.

As far as the issue of your cats and this predator go, I think just keeping the cat inside is your best bet. You could take the time to buy or build an enclosure but as some others mentioned you would need to find out what exactly is living out there to make it safe and even then some cats are little escape artists that will find their way out no matter what you do. Keeping your cat inside is the best way to keep them safe, and I've only ever met one cat who seemed to feel confined when living inside. The vast majority of cats are perfectly happy with it and live longer, healthier lives than outdoor cats.

 

[kmeccat]

At the very least, you should just take your cats in at night.  They may not like it at first, because they also like to hunt at night. 

But they'll adapt.

Bring them in before dark...let them out well after dawn, to make sure the nocturnal predators have "gone to bed".

Good luck!

 

[lilianmh]

The latest news is that a local farmer told me it was highly likely they may have been poisoned as farmers put out poisoned bait for foxes!

In the meantime a friend, who takes in abandoned cats, suggested I give a home to an old cat or two because they would be unlikely to want to wander, and would be easier to keep indoors. She also suggested homing a cat with feline aids which I am not to keen on as both my husband and I have compromised immune systems due to cancer therapy. I know we can't get feline aids but the cats themselves will be prone to infection. As I write I was surfing for old cats. Seems this is a good idea because they are usually not wanted by people looking for a pet cat.

 

[momto3cats]

An older cat is a good idea. You can ask about their personality before bringing one home, and choose a cat that likes to stay indoors or close to home.

 

[lilianmh]

Yes a good idea.

 

[jcat]

Older cats have so much trouble finding homes that you'd be an angel to take a couple in.

 

[schrody]

A shock collar won't stop a cat from going there. Heck, it rarely even works for dogs. If anything it will make them run off further.

Have you considered simply fixing the fencing back there? 

 

[lilianmh]

As for fencing first  we have a garden of an acre and a half which is bordered by traditional hedges. Fencing would be very expensive and besides I doubt it would keep out the predators. Second the animal is holed up on our property. We have a border of Leylandii trees behind which is an ancient track-way which has sunk down between two banks. On the far side the woodland begins, then there is a lake, and after that a plantation ie forest. Our Jack Russell goes down into the trackway and barks at something in the far bank. A friend has gone down there but could not find the hole due to thick undergrowth, but he says there is a small path as if made by an animal...which could of course be our dog. or it could be the predator?

I have just heard from the chap at the Wildlife Trust who thinks the predator is most likely to be mink.  They are really vicious and not native to Ireland. Some years ago some animal rights activists released a whole lot of mink from a breeding farm, and as a result there has been wide spread devastation of ground-laying birds in particular. Some rare ducks have almost completely disappeared. There is a lake (called a lough here) 100 yards away from us and ducks are never seen there. We do see the occasional swan. The same applies to the dozen or so other lakes in this area.  

While I am on this topic another example of well-intentioned interference with nature is the release of pinemartins by the authorities in the forest around here  in order to control the rabbit population which eat the young shoots of the trees. Well, unfortunately the squirrels are also affected.

I appreciate all the negative comments about shock collars. We have decided to look for an old cat with the right personality (as MomTo3Cats suggests). My husband who is not well is so depressed at losing the latest little boy who was like a teenage thug so we called him Thug. We both miss the little warm body on our beds or our laps, and being ambushed around corners, or having to play with him when he complained he was bored.  Also we  have not ceased mourning for our previous cat Max who was an exceptionally loving cat.

The countryside looks so beautiful and peaceful but really it is a killing field out there.

 

[Norachan]

Have you thought about training a cat to walk on a harness? My parents take their cat for a walk around the field at the back of their house every day. They even take her camping with them.They know she's happy in the caravan if they go off for a longer walk, but they take her for a stroll around the camp site on her harness and lead and she really enjoys it.

They love all the attention they get and the cat loves being able to explore outdoors with them.

 

[handsome kitty]

If the farmers are putting out poisoned bait for the foxes, your cat could just as easily eat that and be poisoned.

I like the idea of an older cat as well.  You could get two, then you wouldn't have to share.

 

[lilianmh]

I had to laugh at the idea of me training a cat on a lead because of the memories it conjures up of the times I have tried this and have ended up dragging a cat who just lies down!

If someone taught me how to do this I would give it a try.

We are thinking of that in case we come across two cats who have always lived together.

Since there are quite a few people who think the predator is a mink, or minks, we thought the idea of a CCTV camera could confirm this. Mink are considered a pest so it would not be illegal to remove them. There are some groups who will come and do this. However there will probably be others in the area and so cats will still be at risk.

 

[Norachan]

I think some cats take to leash training better than others. Here are some articles that might give you some ideas.

 [article="22430"]Harness And Leash Training For Cats​[/article]  

 [article="22521"]Cats On A Leash​[/article]  

 

[lilianmh]

Thank you. I will have a look at these.

For a really intelligent cat this is my favourite  You may have already seen it?

 

[jennyr]

Most of my cats will walk on harnesses - I even have one who managed to kill a mouse in a field while walking beside me on her lead! But not all take to it - some lie down as mentioned, though this is usually temporary, and some do the 'leash creep' walking low to the ground. I tried to train my Milo to harness when he first came to me at one year old, but within a minute of being outside he executed a kind of twisted leap into the air and came down outside the harness. I always wish I could see a slow motion video to know how he did it. This happened twice so I gave up with him. But it worth trying and they do enjoy it if they take to it. But try it several times indoors first without the lead, so they get used to wearing the harness.