Frequently Asked Questions

Should I become a cat owner?

Cats are wonderful pets offering great company to individuals or families.

Owning a cat brings responsibilities. Contained cats may live to 18 years or older and require proper care over this lengthy period.

If living in a cat containment suburb consider providing your cat with a secure outdoor space.

Quality and responsible cat care includes:

• My cat will be de-sexed
• Microchipped and have a identification tag attached to collar (with name of cat and my contact details).
• My cat will be given loving attention, free from harm or violence and
• Provided with nourishing food and water on a daily basis.
• I will provide my cat with shelter and a place to sleep, preferably with soft, warm, clean bedding.
• My cat will have access to a litter tray or an outdoor area with natural soil for its toilet needs which is cleaned regularly.
• I will regularly play with cat and
• Take it to a vet annually for a flu injection and check up.
• I will arrange for someone to feed and care for the cat when I’m away on holiday or out of town for work (alternatively, I can arrange kenneling).
• My cat will be kept on my property at all times if I live in a designated cat containment suburb.

Consider all these factors and commit to addressing them.

How many cats should I own?

Be realistic about the number of cats you can responsibly care for. One to three cats is a sensible number for any household.

Four or more will increase your costs and responsibilities (eg larger food and vet bills, require a larger space, more of your time).

Cats require their own personal space, feeding station and litter trays without having to be in competition with each other, as by nature they are territorial, often favouring independence and solitariness.

In Canberra if you wish to own four or more cats you must make an application under Section 84B of the Domestic Animals Act 2000.

The application form can be found at the ACT Government city services website.

What are my options for building a cat run or enclosure?

There are a number options to choose from:

• Let your cat roam free.
• Build your own enclosure.
• Buy and install a freestanding kit enclosure.
• Engage someone to build a custom designed enclosure for you.

The following information may help you decide which of these options is best.

Let your cat roam free in the neighbourhood

Free roaming cats, do just that, they roam over wide areas, particularly at night, running the risk of death or injury, preying on wild life or annoying neighbours, none of which equate to responsible pet care or ownership.

Given Canberra is a green, rural city with many natural spaces there is a growing trend towards city-wide cat containment.

The Upside

• Cats by nature are curious and intelligent animals favouring independence on their own terms

The Downside

Free roaming cats:

• have shorter lifespans than contained cats.
• are much more likely to be run over, be involved in fights, pick up injuries, diseases or bitten by snakes causing death or injury that require expensive visits to a vet.
• are more likely to annoy neighbours, who in turn may harm the cat.
• are highly likely to prey on wild animals reducing their number.
• can be poisoned or stolen (not everyone likes cats!).
• you will be breaking the law and risk a fine if you let your cat roam freely in a designated cat containment suburb.

Build your own enclosure

If you are a handy person or tradie you could build your own cat enclosure by purchasing the required materials and using your own tools.

The Upside

• Building your own cat enclosure can save you money.
• Be a rewarding household project.
• You can determine the design, choice of materials and timeframes to complete.

The Downside

• Building a cat run requires manual and practical skills.
• A broad range of tools (including power tools) are needed.
• It can take several days to build.
• When gates, tunnels, towers or ramps are needed more time and added skillsets are required.

Buy a freestanding kit enclosure and self assemble

Several companies, both nationally and internationally, offer freestanding kit enclosures that can be ordered online and self assembled.

Factors to consider when determining the cost and value of freestanding kit enclosures are:

• How many square metres of enclosure are you getting for the price?
• How much time will it take you or someone else to assemble?
• Are freight or delivery costs included or are they extra?
• Does the enclosure need to be modified to fit your space?
• How will the cat get in and out of the enclosure?
• How will I get into the enclosure?

These are some Australian businesses offering freestanding cat enclosure kits:

• www.catnets.com.au
• www.catnip.com.au
• www.backyardcatenclosures.com.au
• www.royalfeline.com.au
• www.bettapetsystems.com.au

Mr Petman can purchase and install freestanding enclosures for clients when that is the agreed best solution. Most often these are Catnets brand freestanding enclosures in cubes of 1.8m x 1.8m x 1.8m that can be doubled or tripled in length to 3.6m or 5.4m. Examples of the latter installations can be seen in the Gallery images.

The Upside

• Freestanding kits offer a range of sizes, materials and features.
• Can be bought in a store or ordered online and delivered to your door.
• Self assembled.
• Generally portable and recyclable, ideal for renters or those living in apartments.
• Can be disassembled and transported along with other possessions if you leave your property.

The Downside

• Kits often take longer to assemble than first estimated.
• Often require more than one person to assemble.
• Do not always fit in the designated space.
• Instruction manuals can be difficult to follow, resulting in longer assembly time.
• Kits rarely include a cat door to link the house or apartment to the enclosure.
• Often do not have sufficient space inside for you and your cat to share the space together.
• Vary in quality impacting long term durability and safety.
• Often require additions, for example, tunnels or towers to link the enclosure to a pet door or to the cat run itself.

Custom Made Cat Enclosures

If you cannot build your own cat run or find a freestanding kit that satisfies your requirements you can engage a professional, like Mr Petman, to design and build a purpose built enclosure for you.

The Upside

• Custom made enclosures allow you to have an enclosure built to a size and configuration that suits your property, personal or family needs.

• Enclosures can be built to incorporate, or work around, existing features rather than trying to fit a rigid freestanding kit into a space.

• Cat doors, in windows or doors, can be included in the design to provide instant cat access between your home and the enclosure.

• Gates or zippers can be included in the design to provide ease of human access between your home and the enclosure.

• Custom built enclosures can be dismantled quickly, if required, with little impact on the building fabric.

• Hybrids can be incorporated into a design eg use a freestanding kit with a custom made tunnel or tower linking it to a cat door in the house or apartment.

The Downside

• Costs increase with larger size, complexity and additional features.

• Not all areas have professional cat enclosure designers or builders.

• Quality of materials and installation may vary between installers, therefore ask for a detailed written quote and ideally get a second quote from another provider.

• Sometimes builders may be working through a backlog of orders and not immediately available to assist you.

Are there other alternatives for securing my cat on my property?

Spindle or Rolling Bar Attachments

Some companies provide spindle or rolling bar attachments to fit on the top of fences as a method of keeping cats contained.

The Upside

• Spindle or rolling bars can work well in certain situations.
• Long lasting they require little maintenance.
• Can be removed and recycled.

The Downside

• Require specific circumstances to be 100% effective.
• Fitted by specialised installers only.

Angled Brackets covered with netting fitted to fence posts

Inwardly angled metal brackets, with netting attached, fitted to fence posts may be suitable in certain situations. They work on the principle cats cannot support their own body weight climbing upside down at an angle to climb over the netting.

The Upside

• Effective in limited situations.
• Can be removed and recycled.

The Downside

• Require specific circumstances to be 100% effective.
• Can be visually unsightly, your home could resemble a juvenile justice centre or prison, uncomfortable to live with and displeasing to neighbours.

Electrical Fences

Any system using an electronic shock as a deterrent to keep a cat within a property is not recommended.

Mr Petman has built custom enclosures for clients who used one of these alternative systems that didn’t keep their cat on their property.

Mr Petman designs and builds custom cat enclosures and may assist in installing freestanding kit enclosures. He does not fit roller bar attachments, angled fence brackets or electrical fences.

What does it cost to build a custom designed cat enclosure?

Total costs vary depending on the following:

• Size, the larger the enclosure the bigger the cost.
• Whether a cat door is required in either a glass window or door, or in a wooden door, to provide cat access to the enclosure.
• Costs increase when the glass required is double glazed.
• Extras increase costs eg if connecting tunnels, climbing ramps, gates or zippers are required.
• Working around obstacles eg curved surfaces, water tanks, trees, hedges or bushes etc can increase the time to build and the cost.
• Whether pet dogs are present and the enclosure needs to be strengthened to protect against dogs.

These and other factors impact on the total cost. If you are interested in a custom made enclosure Mr Petman can visit you to assess your needs and provide a written quotation.

How will my cat get into their enclosed space?

Generally a cat door is fitted to a door or window adjacent to the cat enclosure to allow independent cat access 24/7.

Cat doors can be fitted to a wooden laundry door, to a glass panel alongside a glass sliding door, or in a bedroom or sitting room window.

There are many examples of pet doors available depending on the cat size. Mr Petman uses Transcat, PetTek or Petway pet doors.

Mr Petman can arrange for a professional glazier to fit a cat door in a glass pane for you, including double-glazed panes. The latter are more expensive.

Where a cat door in a door or window is not adjacent to the cat enclosure Mr Petman can build a connecting tunnel to link the two.

A second option for cat access between a residence and enclosure are pet door inserts.

Pet door inserts are narrow (approx 300mm wide) frames, adjustable in height, with glass panels above and cat flap at bottom, that are fitted into the aluminum frame of a sliding glass door.

Removable and recyclable there are several brands on the market varying in price and quality.

See: www.patiolink.com.au or www.temporarypetdoor.com.au

Note it is not practical or a sustainable solution to carry your cat in and out of the enclosure in the absence of a cat door or pet insert. Cats like their independence and their well being is improved when they can access their cat run any time of day or night.

How will I get in/out of the enclosure?

Cat enclosures are not cages, they are secure, safe spaces for the owner and their cats to share together should they want to be in each other’s company.

Mr Petman builds custom enclosures with gates or zippers for human access.

Gates are steel framed, covered with welded wire mesh, with gate posts, top lintel and latches inside and out.

Strong gates are particularly important if you are elderly or have large pet dogs in addition to a cat.

F-shaped zippers are sewn into the netting to provide alternative human access. They are not recommended where there is high usage for example:

• you regularly need to get to the washing line or the wheelie bins, or
• when dogs are on the property, or
• if clients are elderly and have difficulty bending down.

Note many freestanding kit enclosures are very small and have hatches rather than doors, and are not designed, nor offer sufficient space, for you to sit comfortably inside.

What size should my enclosure be?

There are no regulated guidelines recommending cat enclosure sizes.

It really is a personal choice with the following factors playing a part in your decision:

• budget
• preferred type of enclosure
• how many cats you own
• size and configuration of property
• materials to be used
• will other pets (eg dog) share the enclosure with the cat

12sqm, 16sqm or 20sqm are typical average size enclosures for one to two cats. Some owners choose to have larger enclosures built.

More important than size is the ability for the cat to be able to get outdoors, safely, securely, and independently via a cat door.

What materials are used to build cat runs and enclosures?

Mr Petman uses 19mm x 19mm black nylon netting or a premium netting of the same size that contains a 1mm stainless steel thread for extra strength. Both options are supplied by Catnets in Sydney.

Black netting is preferred as it blends into the background to become almost invisible from a distance and therefore unnoticeable. It is far less cage-like than chicken or welded wire mesh.

The netting also comes in stone colour but this is not recommended where low visibility is required.

The netting is strengthened on the edge with nylon rope, threaded by hand through each square of the netting. Some installers do not strengthen the edge to reduce installation time. Failing to strengthen the edges can compromise the strength and safety of the enclosure causing fraying or weak spots to occur with potential gaps for cats to escape.

The netting is attached to a stainless steel wire frame on each side using metal C-rings.

At ground level, where concrete slabs or pavers are not present, treated pine sleepers are dug into the ground providing a raised, level, even surface for the wire frame and netting to be securely attached.

The wire frame is attached to walls, facia boards below gutter line, top of fences, pergola beams or posts using dynabolts or U-brackets.

Where needed steel posts, concreted into the ground, provide connecting posts for attaching the wire frame.

Installing the wire frame is time consuming, which is why some clients prefer freestanding kits, believing they are easier and quicker to install (not always the case!).

Where tunnels and towers are required rigid, 2.5mm thick, galvanised welded wire mesh is used offering strength and durability (not chicken or aviary wire).

A professional glazier is engaged for all pets doors required for glass. Mr Petman fits cat doors in wooden doors.

Gates are custom made from galvanised steel with welded wire mesh to cover the gate frame.

Zippers are sewn into the nylon netting and supplied by Catnets.

Is there a preferred orientation for my enclosure?

North facing aspects are preferred where possible, as they provide the cat with sun and warmth throughout the year.

South facing enclosures are less ideal (although better than nothing) as they receive little sun in winter and can be cold and damp.

Cats do like climbing elevated platforms, especially on balconies. Mr Petman installs ramps and climbing platforms where required.

I live in an apartment, how do I enclosure my balcony?

Balconies can be enclosed by fitting a wire frame and attaching the netting as described in 9 above. Usually this is a single panel of netting but could be multiple panels if the balcony has more than one side.

Enclosing balconies is typical in apartment block situations.

If you are renting a useful alternative is to fit a freestanding kit enclosure with a connecting tunnel to cat door in a glass pane or a pet door insert. These solutions can be removed and recycled when you leave the property.

Note: Mr Petman may decline fitting netting in apartments higher than 3 storeys due to work safety considerations.

Body Corporate or Strata approval (and the owner’s approval if you are a renter) is required prior to building a balcony enclosure.

What type of breed of cat should I get?

This is a personal decision.

Mr Petman believes cats need to get out doors, safely and securely on a daily basis, for their general wellbeing.

Keeping a cat indoors at all times is likely to frustrate the cat, given they are intelligent, naturally curious, and exploratory.

Cats do not understand why you can go outside and they can’t!

This is especially true if they previously roamed free and are now contained (if you move into a cat containment suburb).

Some breeds noted for their high energy eg Abyssinian, Bengal or Burmese are more likely to have a greater need for accessing the outdoors than others, like Birman, British Shorthair or Ragdolls, noting the energy levels of individual cats does vary based on their sex and personality.

It is important to consider the temperament of your cat breed when choosing a cat, particularly if you are going to live in an apartment with no access to the outdoors or you are not in a position to take your cat for a walk on a lead or harness (if your cat is comfortable with this and cat walking is allowed in your suburb).

If kept indoors all the time cat behaviour can change with possible spraying or scratching of furniture, curtains or even a member of the family. Excessive meowing or scratching at a door or window is not uncommon. Contained cats may also become stressed or aggressive to other cats or to their owners. This is unsettling to both owner and cat. Cats which do have access to the outside within their own secure space are generally better balanced and show less signs of unsettled behaviour.

What about litter trays?

One of the advantages of having an outdoor enclosure is litter trays, which are messy and often present bad odour, can be moved out of the home and into the enclosure.

Cats can be fussy about the type of litter base they prefer whether pellets, crystals or sand. It is best to experiment with different types to see what your cat prefers.

If outdoors a covered litter box is preferable to keep the litter dry and to provide the cat with privacy. If covered, make sure the covering provides sufficient internal space for the cat to move around.

There are numerous examples of litter boxes and trays varying in price, size, shape, material, colour and features. Google searches will provide you with many options.

I own a dog and cat can I accommodate both in a single enclosure?

Owning dogs and cats, which both need to share the same enclosure space, can be challenging, as dogs generally need a larger space and door to access. Some dogs may chew or bite holes into the netting providing holes for dog and cat to escape.

Small dogs and cats can share the same enclosure through the same access door, although it is advantageous if the dog also has its own space elsewhere in the backyard.

Where there is a dog door, a cat will use it! Therefore the area outside of a dog door needs to be a secure space otherwise the cat will escape.

Separate cat enclosures, with a cat door in a raised window (which dogs cannot jump up to access), are far easier to cater for, than large spaces shared by both cats and dogs.

In some circumstances it is neither practical, nor financially viable, to find a solution that will securely accommodate both dogs and cats within the same space. They need separate spaces with their own access.

What if I want to sell my property in the future, what do I do with the cat enclosure?

Clients who have sold their homes where Mr Petman built them a custom cat enclosure have confirmed having the cat run was a positive selling feature.

Given that Canberra is moving to whole-of-city cat containment in the future having a cat enclosure is likely to remain a positive attribute when selling your property as buyers may have their own pet cats providing them with instant safety and protection.

If the enclosure is no required it can easily be removed with little impact on the building fabric.