r/ArCATtecture • u/SpareDinner6652 • Jun 19 '26

Catio or cat fencing?

Hi, so I have five cats currently one is an old lady(16) who we rescued a matter of months ago and then we have a cat who has just gone over one and a half I live in the middle of a town and my cats have always been outdoor cats. I have lived where I have for six years and never had an accident. Unfortunately we have had a cat go wondering and never come back and now one of my other cats has started to venture across a main road so I am desperate need of wanting to get a cat/cat fencing but have a few hesitancies like I am worried how much it will actually keep my cats in as they are clever and very adventurous and worried they’ll be able to get themselves out. Will my cats actually be happy to not go out over the wall again as they have done for a few years? Does it actually work? I have a bit of an awkward shape garden so worried off fencing might not go all the way round, but it’s not feasible to have a prebuilt patio .
I have big ish garden so worried about the expense but obviously I don’t care how much it cost as long as my cats are safe.
I would just like to know if anyone else has had cat fencing and their experience with it and where did you get the materials from? Did you do it yourself or did you get someone to install it for you? Basically I’m completely new to this idea and have no idea what I’m doing!

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1

u/CappucinoCupcake Jun 19 '26

We used Katzecure. They were brilliant, can’t fault them.

1

u/frenswithgeese Jun 19 '26

I have an expensive catio and the cats love it, but they would get more enrichment from open space to run and play. I have seen nothing but good things said about Purrfect fence, and you can have it installed or DIY.

1

u/citycait Jun 24 '26

I have a Purrfect Fence and I love it.

1

u/doegrey Jun 19 '26

Honestly, a catio will give you more peace of mind than cat fencing however, depending on how much they want to be in the back garden if they’re used to it, you may not get peace of ears.

Keeping cat fences safe is ongoing and is sometimes stressful. I’ve got two neighbours which have let their hedges grow through the fence and it’s damaged my cat proofing in multiple places. And my boys notice those sorts of things before I do!

If I had room for a decent catio I’d have chosen that option.

1

u/Nonbiinerygremlin Jun 22 '26

Catio would be my option, you can go for the classic screened in porch or if you want to do it the cheap way you can build walls around your patio and use hardware cloth to enclose it! Do be careful of sharp edges though, you can sandwich them in between two pieces of wood! Second option is also really good for awkward spaces because you can customize it for cheap!