[abp]

Hi all

Love the Cat World site. After reading Cat Forums for ages, I finally decided to join in. I have three cats and we have just moved house. I'd like to fence in my entire back yard so that we can all enjoy the outdoors together and I've been investigating a number of approaches and products.

I'm currently trying to find out if anyone has tried or knows anything about a fence capping product called Oscillot. I first saw it as an entry on new inventors (it wasn't called Oscillot - it was something like "prowl proofer") and more recently I found a website while googling for cat proof fencing. It's like a roller on top of the fence which is supposed to stop cats coming in or out. The website shows video which looks OK but I can find any reviews or stories about first hand experiences anywhere.

Cheers
ABP

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[sealhope]

I don't know if anyone here has tried that particular system, but I know lots of people have done the netting atop the fence thing which has worked well for them - good luck with whatever you decide to try. welcome to cw.

[Cuddleton]

We have a supplier in WA and they have shown interest in the national show so I will see if I can find some info for you.
Pamela

[Doreen]

Hello and welcome to CW. I have successfully capped my fences with wire mesh that is angled inwards, but have never tried that roller system. If you do fence your backyard, make sure to make it as high as possible, my DSH can jump over 8 feet without any problems at all! Have a search around other threads about cat-proofing back yards for some other ideas.

[Cuddleton]

Metalcorp in WA have it but if you are not in WA try a Bluescope Steel supplier in your state.

[rocanrole]

I have seen the product at Metalcorp in Perth and it is a ridiculously simple idea. It is better than the wire mesh angled in because it also keep other cats OUT of your garden whereas the mesh allows them but then they can't get back out. As far as I am aware you need to have the colourbond fencing system but someone will no doubt produce a coverter to allow the rods to be clipped onto Super Six fencing. I am giving brochures to my kitten buyers.

[abp]

Thanks CatWorlders!

I look forward to receiving any info you might be able to get.

In general, I've done lots of investigating and it may be that I end up with a wire top arrangement (Victorian Government offers a good brochure about how to do it and I noticed a pic from someone in England on this site that looks similar.

My big challenge is that I have lots of established trees in the garden and some are near the fence line. I don't want to get rid of them (not sure the council would allow it anyway) so I'm looking at lots of ideas for "climb stoppers" as well.

I think it's going to be a fairly big (and probably expensive) enterprise but the cats and I deserve it. Will post my progress.

Cheers again!

[sealhope]

It is fairly easy to put a 'cat cap' above head height on the trees with a large square of mesh - Heather Sharada posted pics to a site with it a few days ago but the name of the thread has escaped me now ...

[Doreen]

My daughter used mesh in her courtyard, and to stop her monkeys climbing up the trees they used mesh wrapped around the trunks, like this:-

[abp]

That looks great Doreen!

I found a post with some pictures of your garden and your jasmine covered trellis. It's truly lovely. If it's OK I might use you as a consultant via the Forums

cheers
Athena

[vengeancethecat]

I have seen the capping but haven't used it personally. It probably works wonders but I still think Vengeance James will risk life and limb to get over it. I am still in the process of finishing enclosing my yard. I am putting lattice and then connecting either mesh or shadecloth from the netting to the roof of our patio. So what if sunlight doesn't come into the yard anymore?

[Stripey_Fru]

Just going to bump this thread because I'm going to try and see this Ocillot fencing system today at the Melbourne flower show.

I've got a big enough garden and am looking at putting cat-proofing across the back (23.5 metres) and up both sides (43 metres each side) and then across the wings to the house (another 10 metres). I have a colorbond fence that's 1.8m high, but it won't be a problem to at least one, most probably three, and if I'm honest depressingly all five of my cats, to run up said fence and off into the surrounding areas.

When I started keeping cats, I allowed them daytime unfettered outdoor access, but the vets bills were prohibitive through mishaps and just sheer unluckiness. So now they're inside only, but I've moved house to a property where I have fences three months ago, and I'm trying to find a fencing solution that won't be a drama to attach to a colorbond fence and will provide a barrier to my cats roaming outside the garden.

I like the Ocillot system because it's unobtrusive and based on their website videos it works even with persistent cats. When I rang the number on their website, I got to speak to the inventor which was kinda cool. He told me about how to fix it to the fence, and pointed out that if I were to sell up and move house, I could dismantle it and take it with me, which is a big plus. However, for a garden my size it's really expensive - I'm talking between $3,000-4,000 - so before I start saving, I want to go to the show and see everything for myself, from the paddles to the fixing brackets and persuade them to show me how the system attaches to a colorbond fence.

(Yeah, and at $4K, the fact that we can take it with us if we move is a MAJOR persuading factor when I'm trying to convince hubby that this is a good investment for us!! )

I was going to go the route of a cat run, but cats, gardening and cooking are my three loves, so it would be brilliant for me not to have to cordon off a part of the garden as a cat run. Just the thought of putting a catflap in the bottom of the family room window so they can come and go as they please in a safe environment delights me! (Will let you know if it delights me quite to the tune of four grand.)

Will update this thread with more info when I have it, hope I can find the stand at the show!

[abp]

Thanks Stripey-Fru!

I'll be so interested to know if it works. I'm settling in to my new place which has a number of trees on the perimeters of the yard so I'm not sure if the roller top would be a solution for me.

Look forward to an update!

cheers
Athena

[aboutTaya]

Would be good to hear what you think after seeing it in person. Do they have a website too?

Oh and let me know how the garden show was too please. I was a little disappointed last year so didn't plan on going this year. So tempting though!

[Stripey_Fru]

Well, met the folks in question at the Melbourne Flower & Garden show.

The upshot is that I really like the look of the product. I got to handle everything and see a fitting actually being attached to a fence, which was good. The components are all good quality materials and none of it feels cheap, shabby or of dubious construction!

The only reservation I have is that the product has only been in production for six months. While I trust that it's been rigorously tested, I pushed the chaps at the show for a guarantee of some sort but they haven't ironed out those kinks yet. See I want simple guarantees - like if I banjax a set of component fittings while installing the fence, they'll send me a second set free of charge. (For example, I bought roman blinds when I moved into this house, and while putting one up I had a problem with the hanging bolt - on my second attempt it broke all of the threads in the fixing bracket so now both bracket and bolt were useless. I was able to ring the blinds company and they put a replacement fixing bracket and bolt in express post, free of charge - that's the sort of initial guarantee I'm talking about).

I also want more intensive guarantees - what do I do if one of my cats proves Houdini, but I've done everything by the book? At only six months on the market (though the inventor has tested it with a variety of cats for four years and claims 100% effectiveness), can I afford to install it only to see Eric (the brains of our operation here) manage to 'smarts' his way around it?? (That would kill me.)

If that happens, is it up to me to find a buyer for a second-hand Oscillot 99.9% cat proof (as long as it's not Eric) fence?

The final question is whether or not it's priced out of my target range. Because I have 120 metres of fencing to do, the price is approaching $4,000. I love the product, but do I love it that much? There's a good chance this product really isn't aimed at people with larger spaces, but more designed to be pound-for-pound more efficient than a covered cat run for people with smaller suburban gardens, maybe 10 metres x 15 metres sort of thing. If I was a resident of a suburb with all of the incumbent risks - other roaming cats, cars, dogs and so on - I'd definitely be scratching up the dollars from somewhere and pushing the distributors for something of a guarantee and then going for it.

(I'm wondering if I can persuade the manufacturer to send me a door-width paddle to try out with my cats inside - the way they did with their cats on the video, so I can be certain my mogs can't crack the system before I commit to such a big spend.)

As it stands, we haven't vetoed the idea of a four grand cat proof fence attachment outright, but the price has put it further down our priorities list for now.

I'd love to hear feedback from anyone who has installed the system!