Best way to restrict a cat from leaving your yard....

[Tobra]

Mark, that is sort of like asking how to keep the tide from coming in.

[Heel n Toe]

How has this thread gotten this far and nobody has mentioned Invisible Fence yet? In addition to dogs, it works for cats.

Does the Invisible Fence® Brand system work for cats?
Yes! Cats can be successfully trained to use the Invisible Fence® Brand system, both outdoors and indoors. Our featherweight MicroLite® Computer Collar® Receiver is the smallest and most advanced collar available. Weighing in at just one ounce, it’s easily worn by cats.

Frequently Asked Questions - The Invisible Fence® Brand

[MarkRobinson]

Not a bad solution John, though I've decided to go with the $204 PetSafe Elec smart door: it comes with one collar and can be reverse-programmed so that the collar wearer is not permitted through the door: looks like it's tested enough to try

Thanks everyone, will chime back.

Mark

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by MarkRobinson

Yes I saw those fence kits: This is my inclination though for my length I'll make myself...HomeDepot has most all of what I'd need.

Thanks Amail.

I still can't find the correct locking dog door, even after chatting with people from PetDoors.com about it. :/

I like the fence kit...

Yesterday I drew up plans for a 'catio', basically a 8'x8'x12' enclosure that our cats will access through a open window. (plus is we can put the cat box outside)
Material cost ~ $250

[ckelly78z]

Originally Posted by Heel n Toe

How has this thread gotten this far and nobody has mentioned Invisible Fence yet? In addition to dogs, it works for cats.

Does the Invisible Fence® Brand system work for cats?
Yes! Cats can be successfully trained to use the Invisible Fence® Brand system, both outdoors and indoors. Our featherweight MicroLite® Computer Collar® Receiver is the smallest and most advanced collar available. Weighing in at just one ounce, it’s easily worn by cats.

Frequently Asked Questions - The Invisible Fence® Brand

Make sure to crank it up for a 100 lb cat, then there won't be any more problems.

[MarkRobinson]

Great dog-safe catbox and cat food (box).

Take a medium size storage container with a lid, and cut a hole high up on one longer end big enough for a cat's head to poke through, then fill with litter and put the lid back on. Cats can squeeze through but the dogs cant.

For cat food, do the same with another box, but glue down cat food dish on the other end (spill proof of course as the dog will try to get to it but will be restricted by the hole size.

I did this years ago to keep my bassets from eating the kitty kernels and it worked...a few teeth marks around the hole but that adds character

[scottmandue]

I would question how well the invisible fence would work on cats, for one thing any collar (cat or dog) should be loose enough that the animal can wiggle out of it for safety reason (should the animal get hung up on a fence or other object) and our cats will arbitrarily shed their collars because... well... they are cats.

The invisible fence also doesn't address the problem of predators (coyotes, etc.)

[dad911]

End it now...... Didn't you see War of the Roses?

What's the moral?
Other than dog people should marry dog people and cat people should marry cat people. - Danny Devito

[Cajundaddy]

Originally Posted by Tobra

Mark, that is sort of like asking how to keep the tide from coming in.

^^ This!

[aigel]

Controversial

I actually do love cats. I never had one that would have done well inside. Now with hunting dogs, they love cats even more - so will have to wait until the dogs are geriatric before adding a kitty. Only if the dogs come in as a pup with an established cat in the household already is it possible to make sure the cat is fine.

G

[Nostril Cheese]

You're trying to control a cat..

Good luck. Thank God I'm deathly allergic to them..

[Nostril Cheese]

One of the worst days of my life was when my neighbor's cat ran into my garage and jumped straight into a 5 gallon bucket full of used motor oil. Of course, my neighbor was not home and I wasnt going to let the thing lick itself clean...

Had to hold the cat while washing off oil in the sink.. That sucked

[recycled sixtie]

How to contain a cat in the yard? Really quite simple. Overfeed like it crazy. Mickey D's or anything the cats wants to eat. Just like a human glutton. Once cat is grossly overweight it will not be able to climb the fence. Of course now the kitty is compromised it becomes the victim and not the predator.....

[jyl]

I'm thinking sheet metal flashing on top of the fence, slanted over. Kitty can jump high enough to reach it but slides off. Sort of like how you keep squirrels from climbing trees. For other ideas, visit the zoo and check out the big cat enclosures.

[Amail]

We've got an invisible fence, and it works great for the dogs. I'm leery of trying it with the cats though. They're more nimble, and I think would just as likely jump over the fence when shocked. Now they're fenced out!

I'd like to try the fence topper thingy, but we've got trees near the fence and an outdoor fireplace with a chimney that goes up beside the lanai. Too many places the cats could get around the topper, so that's a no-go for us.

An outdoor caged area like scottmandue describes is probably our best compromise.