I can't do that where I live - HOA rules and too many trees. We have been very happy with the Petsafe electric fence. I was also hesitant at first, but my husband urged me to try it and it is the best thing we ever did for our cats.

I guarantee you my Raiden would not let an electric fence stop him from roaming the neighborhood! I've never met a cat as stubborn as he is! I'd much rather have an electric fence that kept other critters and cats OUT of my yard, but I don't think they make those unless they are electrified at all times. We have an HOA where we are and we put the cat enclosure ON our deck. It can easily be disassembled and put back as a deck if someone wanted to do that, but I'm hoping when it comes time to sell the house, there will be a major cat lover with several cats who would love to have the outdoor access for their kitties.

yes, will depend on the kitties. Our 2 bengals and one moggie have not escaped the yard since we installed the electric fence. We let them have free roam of the yard during daylight hours (with a cat door to come and go from the house) and bring them in at night. We wanted them to be able to acess the whole yard because we have a backyard pond that they thoroughly enjoy.

Maybe you'll be like me, Jill. I'd personally rather NOT move because that means catifying a new home. Raiden has a few more years in him -- yours have quite a few more. The only thing I could leave is the 3-room cat house in the enclosure. It won't fit through the door! And I hope to move somewhere warm where it wouldn't be needed either.

We use electric fencing all the time in farming. Having accidentally shocked myself loads of times, it doesn't really hurt, it's just...well, a shock :) The animals learn quickly not to touch it, I don't consider it cruel at all.

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~ Kyenta

Yep - I really consider it a very good, reasonable, effective tool to keep my beloved cats safe and happy. Their collars also emit a low warning beep when they get close to the fence.

In the winter time, static is a huge problem and I can't stand to get shocked when I touch something metal. It's a horrible feeling and I keep wondering if my heart will suddenly stop. When I worked, I had to get into metal filing cabinets all day long .... I hated it. I can only imagine a poor animal getting shocked! But then, I'm a big baby anyway. LOL

Petsafe is not a huge voltage. Goodness. All I can tell you is we are very happy with our decision and believe it is in the best interest of our cats. They each "survived" their 2 shocks and now know the yard boundaries and don't get shocked anymore.

I had a scare this morning when I took Raiden out for his walk. He walks 10 feet in front of me and he spotted the black and white cat as I was coming down the steps of the deck. Raiden bolted and the leash came right out of my hand. He disappeared around the corner of the house and I was terrified he was running down the street chasing this other cat. I screamed out his name at the top of my lungs and turned the corner. There he was laying in the grass. I told him to "stay, stay, stay" as I walked calmly up to him and he just stayed there so I could grab the leash! I would much prefer to have my backyard totally enclosed even at the top so I could just put him out there and not worry about him. His enclosure is large, but still limits his area to roam around. The whole walking thing with another cat 6" from us is terrifying me and Raiden hates the other cat. Still not going to do an electric fence, but I'm going to have to figure something else out. I'm working on getting rid of the other cat, but that will just bring in more cats.