Electric Fence to keep out cats?

[newbury]

Electric fence with enough juice should work, but it might be dangerous for humans.
Perhaps multiple strands?

 

[jmc]

I had a "pet grade" fence charger long ago. Used it in a drafty old basement to keep the mice from eating sprouts under grow lights. (not pot...) It worked well and I never found any dead mice in the vicinity. Rigged it such that they were standing on a tin sheet when they pawed their way up onto a conductive plant container.

 

[jaxs]

It will work as well for cats as it does for other animals. Not saying it isn't possible but I've never heard of an animal or human being killed or injured by electric fence so her cats should be ok if they wander into the wire.
I use electric fence to control cats and varmints preying on free range chickens,quail and other things. I keep newly hatched chicks in a portable pen (tractor) with net wire enclosures up to first 3 weeks. I locate tractor where I think cats and wildlife are most likly to see it. Solar charger is connected to driven rod and 2 wires on insulators on tractor. If I loose a bird I pen the others and set tractor with a bird inside where I see feathers figuring that's where varmint will come back to for another. Cats around here are frightened and run from chickens and quail as if they are pit bulls.

 

[MossRoad]

I have an elderly client who is a little wacky about her cats. Her backyard has a fencing system to keep her cats in, but it doesn't work at keeping a couple of stray tom cats out. She has stage 4 cancer and is driving to MD Anderson in Houston, 4 hours each way, for treatment. Between the cancer, her age, and being obsessive about her cats, she isn't able to function properly until her cats are safe from the visiting stay top cats. Shooting them isn't an option.

Her idea is to add more and more fencing to a degree that I'm not comfortable with. I think it's just a waste of time and money to do it her way. I suggested putting a hot wire around the top of her fence, across her house, and her shed. This way the leaves should still blow off of her roof, and it won't look like a concentration camp. She is open to the idea, but is afraid of hurting the cats. Did I mention that she's a little bit crazy?

I have a 2 Joule charger at my place to keep out coyotes and racoons. It works great, but it's overkill for her needs. Money is always a factor, and I don't want to buy more charger then I need. Does anybody know how much power I should be looking at to keep cats out? I'll run a solid metal wire on insulators, probably put in two ground rods. The yard is about 100 feet by 80 feet, so I'm looking at a total run of less then 400 feet. Just one lap around the top of the fence, house and shed.

Or should I try something different?

As someone else mentioned, a catio to keep her cats in, let them enjoy fresh air, and keep other cats out.

On the electric fence subject, how are you going to make the cat be able to touch the hot wire and a good ground at the same time? That would be the trick. If you can figure that out, it would work just fine.

 

[MossRoad]

Remember how barbed wire over chain link security fences are? There's an angled piece that slips over the uprights to hold three strands of barbed wire out over the top of the chain link fence. I think it's called a chain link barbed wire arm.

If you could put those facing out over the fence, and insulate the hot wires from the arms, and make the fence below grounded, you might be able to accomplish what you want to do. The cat would have to touch the fence fabric and the hot wire at the same time.

Would look like Fort Knox, but would probably work.

Don't know what you'd do about a building roof.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

If her fence is chain link and grounded, electric wire on insulators if it's about 3"-4" above wire fence would work. It's not going to hurt cats. Another choice is a fenced off smaller area for her cats, covered top would work fine.

 

[jaxs]

It isn't manditory having hot wire at top of fence,anything higher than a cat can leap will do everything it would at top except make old Tom land harder when he falls from fence.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

Cats can climb like crazy. Electric fence charger wouldn't hurt it or the fall.

 

[2manyrocks]

Motion activated sprinklers?

 

[MossRoad]

Motion activated sprinklers?

A friend of mine uses those in his garden. Works great for deer, and his unsuspecting mother in-law!

Not sure how it would work for a determined tom cat. They'd probably find their way around it.

Honestly, the best, least costly effective method would be to spay her female cats. No reproductive organs = no cats in heat = no Toms hanging around for a quickie.

Good luck to Eddie!