Imagine being perpetually trapped indoors – no thanks! We love the outdoors and, as it turns out, so do our cats. They enjoy rolling in the grass, basking in the sun, and feeling the wind in their whiskers. We love our furry friends and want the best for them but, as all-round animal lovers, we cringed when our carnivorous companions  brought home “gifts” from unsanctioned neighbourhood jaunts. 

Besides, the great outdoors also hosts its fair share of dangers and we do not want our cats to be on the wrong side of an encounter with a dog, car, or coyote. 

So, caught between our cats’ wellbeing and the safety of local wildlife, we embarked on a mission: to build the ultimate cat-safe, wildlife outdoor paradise. Welcome to Catcatraz!

Adopt a Cat, Receive a Whole Family

Our previous cat fence worked well with our two older, less adventurous cats. However, right before the pandemic, we found a young female cat alone in La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve, with no owner in sight. Affectionately named Trinity for her fierce independence – mirroring the character from the Matrix trilogy – she adjusted to her new home. We soon discovered she was pregnant, adding more excitement to our lives. 

Mama Bear Cat

Our original plan was to keep Trinity but find homes for her kittens. But after finding a home for just one, we realized we couldn’t part with the others – it was too hard. Our family suddenly expanded to include Trinity and her three remaining kittens. Embracing our new status as “crazy cat people,” we faced a new challenge. Trinity, a seasoned survivor, passed on her escapologist skills to her offspring. Our existing “catproof” fence proved ineffective against their determination and ingenuity. They slipped through every small gap they found, showing us that our previous solution was no match for a family honed by the wild.  Recognizing this, we tore down our old system and started anew.

A New System, a New Failure

After exploring numerous options, we finally settled for a fence with roller bars, designed to spin and thwart any cat’s attempt at escape. We built a DIY version using PVC pipes and angle brackets. Initially, it seemed promising – for about 30 seconds. It wasn’t long before Trinity and her young accomplices quickly mastered a technique of reaching over the bars to the top of the fence without touching them, bypassing our new system in mere minutes.  

We spent the next several months fortifying this new setup with aluminum flashing, beefed up rollers, corrugated plastic sheeting, and even motion-controlled sprinklers. (It turned into a post-apocalyptic junkyard fortress.) Unfortunately, after each tweak, our cats would quickly figure out a way to overcome the new obstacle using a mix of resourcefulness and athleticism. The cold weather seemed to slow them down but come spring, it was clear – we needed a better system.

If At First You Don’t Succeed

Dismantling the makeshift “fortress” that our fence had become – much to our neighbours’ silent relief – we searched for the next solution. We discovered catnetting.com, which offered a robust design using tall, angled poles and sturdy UV-resistant netting. Skeptical yet hopeful, we ordered the system despite the cost and customs fees.

Installation proved to be a little time-consuming, involving several nights and weekends fitting poles and steel wires, threading ropes through nets, and attaching components. All the while, our four cats melodramatically protested behind glass doors. Their antics, which ranged from pawing at the glass to emitting pitiful mews, were their ways of hurrying us along; they were clearly missing their outdoor time.

The Fence Is Done; the Cats Begin

Finally, the fence was ready, and we released “the zoo crew” into the yard. (They quite literally leapt over each other to get out the door.) All four cats eagerly explored our new handiwork and paced the yard, testing the new boundaries we had set. Initial probes were thwarted, and we cautiously hoped for success. However, our optimism was short-lived; within three minutes, our first escape artist scaled the netting and was free, leading us on a frantic chase, much to the amusement of our neighbours who had become quite accustomed to this ritual. 

This new system was based on the premise that cats don’t want to crawl upside down on a flexible surface. Clearly, the designers hadn’t met our cats. Despite the frustration over the time and money spent, there was some pride in our cats’ tenacity. Embracing this perspective, we believed we’d eventually outsmart them and our persistence would eventually prevail … right? 

Rome Was Not Built In a Day and Neither Was Catcatraz

We briefly considered building a catio but quickly dismissed it; the cats were already used to the full yard. Failure was not an option.

We added another piece of netting from the top of the cat fence, hanging it down from the apex, making it theoretically impossible for the cats to climb over. This seemed effective until they cunningly gathered the hanging netting together so they could put their paw over the top. 

We countered this technique by installing a rope along the bottom edge of the hanging netting with poles to keep the netting stiff enough that it couldn’t be gathered. For the next week and a half, we let the cats out and monitored their escape attempts closely so that we could reinforce any weak spots immediately. It was a daily game of “cat and mouse,” tweaking our design after each attempted jailbreak.

After several more breakouts and subsequent refinements, we have finally got to the point where we can trust everyone out in the yard without supervision. Even Sterling, who is strong enough to hang for minutes from the fence with one forelimb while he works on a solution. Even Trinity, who can climb up a brick wall. Even Sophia, who lets the automatic sprinkler bounce off her back. Even India, who can crawl underneath the smallest gap. Our backyard was finally transformed into a true Catcatraz, resilient against the most fearsome feline escape artists.

Now, we enjoy birds singing without fearing for their beautiful little lives with the peace of mind that our cats are safely enjoying the great outdoors. Our cats love their outside time, and they love their yard. And we love that they’re staying in it.

Looking for more information on how to catproof your yard? Please contact the authors at [email protected]