# How safe is the road for my cats?



## ButtonnSlither (Nov 11, 2011)

I'm moving house soon, unfortunately someone else bought the house I had my eye on, which was completely safe for my cats (surrounded by countryside and on a dirt track). There are no other houses for sale like this and I'm going to have to choose a suburban type house. I wanted to know other owners' experiences of living near busy roads? Do Burmese cats eventually grow wise to the dangers around them and avoid any roads? Can they be trained? Is it safe for me to move somewhere where there are roads?


----------



## 1290423 (Aug 11, 2011)

No animal is safe near any road! There is always a risk! And there are drivers , sadly, that will, put their foot down rather then brake when seeing a cat!


----------



## Misi (Jul 13, 2009)

Cats and roads don't mix... ever! I lost my darling boy last year to a car on a relatively quiet road. Simba doesn't go out alone and I would never again let a cat out on their own. The pain of losing Bruno at less than 2 years old was just too much.


----------



## buffie (May 31, 2010)

Full agreement with above.Quiet roads,busy roads all roads are a danger to cats.Some cats will be "considered" to be more road wise than others,but there is always the potential for harm with any cat on any road.My cats have all been indoor cats .I live beside a busy road but even if i didnt they would still be indoor cats.


----------



## thedebonair (Sep 2, 2011)

DT said:


> And there are drivers , sadly, that will, put their foot down rather then brake when seeing a cat!


Ok my naivety has surfaced again...................do people actually do this???!!!  A few years years ago a cat ran out straight in front of me and there was absolutely nothing I could do. I was only doing about 20mph. I think I was as mortified as the poor cats owners. I was a mess for days if not weeks afterwards. How the hell could someone do that on purpose!

I would never ever let any of my cats outside, no matter where I lived. I do feel a bit guilty about it sometimes when I see them looking out of the window, but then I remind myself that I would be putting them at unnecessary risk and I'd feel even more guilty if anything happened to one of them if I did let them out.


----------



## Lumboo (Mar 31, 2011)

I live on a relatively quiet road (for London) - except for times when van drivers take a short cut using our road. They have no concern for humans and I am sure some would see cats as target practice. 

For this reason I do not let my cats roam, as a usually quiet road means they have no idea this could change within 20 seconds. Our neighbours have lost cats on our road due to this, but also because the road is so quiet the cats fell asleep under cars and then got run over when unsuspecting drivers started their cars/vans.

Our garden is secured and in our new place it will be cat proofed. Until then the cats are allowed out supervised only. I may be selfish, but I just can't face the risk of losing them.


----------



## Pheebs (Jun 8, 2011)

I also live on a fairly quiet road (for London) and a lot of people have cats and let them roam. I still haven't let my eight month old out alone and I still haven't decided whether I will. It's a toughie.


----------



## Lumboo (Mar 31, 2011)

Pheebs said:


> I also live on a fairly quiet road (for London) and a lot of people have cats and let them roam. I still haven't let my eight month old out alone and I still haven't decided whether I will. It's a toughie.


It is really tough isn't it? On one hand you want them to experience freedom, but on the other you want to keep them safe.

One neighbour lets her cat roam - a big MC type cat, and the other cat is an indoor cat only.

I have to say though, both cats look very happy.


----------



## jo-pop (May 27, 2011)

When you do move in to a new hosue you could look at cat proofing the garden so puss can go in there but not get out of the garden. I'm looking at doing this next year.


----------



## Cats cats cats (Feb 4, 2011)

I used to let my cats out but when i moved to a main road , decided it was time to cat proof ! now , i wouldn't have it any other way , not even if i moved to a quiet road


----------



## jill3 (Feb 18, 2009)

Sadly we lost one of our 16 year old cats last year to an RTA and that was in our cul de sac.
We have now cat proofed the garden and all future kitties that come along will now be safe.
When you are choosing your house take a look round the garden and see if cat proofing can be done. If there are already 6 foot fencing up then it can be done quite easily.

Also it's not just the roads these days that you have to be aware off.
Humans and Antifreeze poisoning are a problen as well


----------



## rose (Apr 29, 2009)

I have lived in the same house in a cul de sac for over 30 years and owned 9 cats. 6 have lived to 15 ish, I still have an old boy of almost 18. BUT!!!!!
I lost a beautiful tabby boy 2 years ago (9 months) on the road and very recently my lovely Freddie (18 months) they were both neutered chipped etc.
The sad reality is there is so much traffic nowadays that cats on the loose are an accident waiting to happen:scared:


----------



## carolmanycats (May 18, 2009)

Sadly I have to agree with everyone else, no road seems to be safe any more. We took the decision quite a few years ago now to keep ours in, despite having had outdoor cats for many years. We are lucky, we have been able to turn the back garden into one big cat run with cat flap access so they are free to be in or out safely when they want, though we still lock them in at night. That way they get fresh air and places to run, climb etc but we also have peace of mind.

When we had outdoor cats we had one who would often stay out all night and I can honestly say that I do not miss those sleepless nights one bit LOL.


----------



## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

I have lived in this same house for over 17 years and can honestly say that I have never heard of a cat being killed on the road despite a bustling population of cats many of whom seem to enjoy sun bathing in the middle of the road.
However, I have had many occasions where I suffered the agony of one of my cats go missing for a day, or a week or up to 6 weeks. Thankfully all came home eventually but life was a living hell while that went on.
My limited experience of an indoor cat was not positive at all....probably the only cat I ever met that I could say I disliked!....but in retrospect I realise that she was not neutered and was therefore constantly in call, poor thing.
Until I joined forums like this 2 years ago I honestly never thought that there was any mid way ground in the form of a cat proofed garden which is the option I have gone for myself.
Yes....if you are used to the idea of a cat roaming freely it IS a compromise, but I do think it is one worth making. My present generation of younger cats are no way near as street wise as my old moggies, they are very friendly to strangers and also I like to think rather prettier than the standard mog so more likely to attract attention from potential cat nappers.
My cat proofing ( around 35 linear metres ) cost me less than £500 which I think is a manageable sum for most people.


----------



## Philski (May 28, 2010)

This is not at all meant as advice for anyone, just my personal experience with my cats and roads.

My two Maus spent about the first three years of their lives in my flat that fronted onto Clapham Common; although there is quite a busy road in front of the flat, it's about thirty metres away with a wide strip of grass, trees, and a private-ish driveway in front of the flat. From about six months old I took them for walks out the front of the flat, so from an early age, when they were still quite timid, they learned to keep well away from big noisy things, and especially the road itself. Later on, they would happily wander on their own out there, and were far more interested in the grassy area and travelling around to the large gardens behind and adjacent block of flats. 

I am now in a much quieter residential area with only the occasional passing car, but their early experiences mean that even if a car turns into the road from a few hundred metres away, or they hear one about to come around a nearby corner, they scarper from the road and observe from a distance. I know I probably sound a bit blase about this, but I spend a lot of time walking outside with the boys so I have had plenty of time to observe their behaviour. I'm aware that unusual circumstances happen; one might be scared suddenly and bolt into the road at the wrong time, but my observation is that the noise of a car always puts them on high alert, no matter what.

One final thought: I think that a cat who lives near a quiet road that only has the occasional but fast vehicle travelling down it is at greater danger than one who's used to a constantly busy road. The constant noise prevents them from approaching too closely, like an invisible barrier; but if it's used to a road being clear, it can be unprepared to move quickly enough to avoid a fast car.


----------



## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

My small quiet side road comes off a big busy main road....and I would have sworn that none of my cats would ever venture in that direction or attempt to cross that road....but yesterday I had to stop the traffic to let one of my neighbour's cats cross the road _back_ to our side and safety.


----------

