Roaming cats: a case to answer.

Photo courtesy of http://www.mooseyscountrygarden.com

Being curious creatures, cats will roam wherever they please and at all hours in search of new territories, food and new playmates. But, the roaming of cats is one trait that can certainly cause problems for its owner, the neighbours and certainly for the cat itself.

A roaming cat can fight with other cats, causing horrific injuries. They can be a terrible burden on our environment, devouring native marsupials, birds and reptile species. They can also run into foul play, be injured on the roads or cause a general nuisance to our neighbours.

Cats roam because they can. What’s happening in their neck of the woods is discovered during their reconnaissance missions and they find out what other cats are up to as well. Cats that are not desexed do roam more than their responsibly desexed cousins. The romance-deprived hormones of ‘entire’ male and female cats will make the moody moggies roam for kilometres looking for a ‘like-minded’ suitor.

Nowadays, responsible cat owners are doing all they can to control their cat’s roaming. Desexing cats when they are young is important but, in addition, many cat owners are deciding to confine their cats inside their homes, either at night or continuously, to prevent roaming.

Some are successful in confining their cats to a room or two inside the house while others choose to allow their cats to roam the whole house but do not allow them outside. However, most cats will be happier if their housing includes a Fun Park on an enclosed balcony or veranda, or a purpose built enclosure in the back yard.

What your cat really wants is a semi-outside area where, via a cat door, it can come inside for kisses, cuddles and food and go outside to satisfy its need for exploration and exercise.

New products on the market make the construction of such an enclosure even easier. One product I have seen is a soft, pre-stretched polyethylene netting (The Cat Max System) that is flexible enough to enclose anything from verandas to whole garden areas, including the trees! The netting is such that it is almost invisible when installed and therefore it doesn’t make the house and yard look like a prison.

Don’t let your cats be a risk. Confine your cats for their own safety and for neighbourhood peace and harmony.