More and more cat owners are choosing to provide their pet cats with safe access to the outdoors using some type of containment system. ProtectaPet joined forces with International Cat Care to conduct a survey on cat containment. The report has since been published and here are some of the interesting findings that were discovered thanks to the contribution made by the 369 responses that were received.
Who and Where?
- 46% of the respondents lived in a suburban environment, 31% urban and 22% rural.
- 43% had pedigree breeds that included the Norwegian Forest Cat, Bengal, Burmese, Ragdoll and Maine coon.
- 57% had one or more domestic breeds such as the shorthair, longhair or crossbred pedigrees.
- A whopping 73% kept no other pets!
Cat fencing or a similar wall barrier system was the most popular type of cat containment installation, with 78% of the respondents choosing this type of system for their property.
Impact on the Cat’s Lives
Interestingly, 39% of the respondents said that their pet cats had no outdoor access before they installed the cat containment system, while 36% said they allowed their cats some access to the outdoors. These cats now enjoy outside access, with plenty of fresh air and more room to play and explore. With outdoor access, cats receive more chances to exercise naturally and indulge in natural behaviours, helping to keep cats happy and healthy both physically and mentally.
Why Buy a Cat Containment System?
The respondents were asked if there was a specific incident that resulted in them deciding to choose a cat containment system. 58% said that there was indeed an incident, the type of accidents that were recorded include:
- Cat killed by a car on the road
- Cat being targeted to use as bait for dog fighting
- Fighting with neighbourhood cats
- Cats being harmed in the local area
- Deaf cats
- Missing vats
- Dog attacks
- Cat illness
- Cat poisonings including anti-freeze poisonings in local area
- Neighbour disliking cats
- Concerns about the cat killer
- Moving home and living close to main roads
Benefits of the Cat Containment System
Finally, here are some of the most popular points that the cat owners liked most about their chosen cat containment system.
- Peace of mind
- Giving the cat safe access to the outdoors
- Cats being safe from harm from roads, other cats and animals and people
- Being able to have the windows and doors open that lead on to the contained area
- Not worrying about young children in the home leaving doors open
- Discrete design
- Easy to install
- Happier cats
What are your thoughts on cat containment systems such as cat fencing, catios and cat balconies?
I haven’t tried this, but I really like the idea, especially for young cats, as love to explore their neighborhood. Not all are kind to our cats, so I get this.
Mine will be 15 years old in June and they stay most of all in our garden or inside the house. I don’t like, when they leave the garden and they don’t have same energy as earlier, so not a huge problem any longer here.
I think cat containment is a good idea. I would have it for my boy but I think it would be really expensive. At the top of my hill is a really busy road and two cats from our scheme have already wandered up there and been killed. My boy is 11 and has not once in his 11 years wandered up to the road. Guess because I love and care for him so much he doesn’t go to far.
We recently adopted 2 new cats in November to add to our 13-14 year old. Up to this point, we have allowed our cats to wander the neighborhood at their leisure. But with these most recent adoptions, I have decided to change that practice and have them become purely indoor cats. (The 13-14 year old will still go out, but she doesn’t have the energy or interest she once did, so she rarely leaves the yard.) I have been investigating these types of systems so maybe the other two can go outside and explore to some degree. I’m actually getting kind of excited about the prospect of buying or making something they can use this spring.
This is such a great idea! Outdoor cats should have as much protection from danger as possible!
A few years ago, our Angel Loupi has been killed on the road just in front of our house. We live in a small village, without much traffic, but one car is enough… Our humans were devastated, especially Claire. We have now a fenced garden for all the reasons you wrote above, and it’s just purrfect for everyone. We access it when we want through a cat flap. Purrs
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