Thread: New garden for the lads!

Just spent the last week putting up cat-proof fencing and netting around our whole garden. We're on a corner plot in a leafy suburb, and the last owners planted conifers around the edge of the garden for privacy. In order to get access to erect the fencing, we had to chop off most of the lower branches, so for the first time in years the neighbours can actually see our house! The conifers are great for climbing (had a few nail-biting incidents recently, had to get the ladders out a couple of times!) and we want the lads to be able to climb safely, so we have put in a canopy of netting at around 6-8 feet up so they can't go any further. The garden looks really bare now but the netting is very discreet and we have cleared away lots of overgrown shrubs as well, so we have sort of a 'blank canvas' now. Next year we can put in some climbers and so on, and get a bit of privacy back.

So the lads tested the new garden yesterday afternoon, and didn't they just love it out there! They were up all the trees and testing out the new restrictions - and they all held! For the first time they worked out how to get down a tree (previously we've dragged them down, and once Larry fell down). There are a few natural perches created by the tree branches, and Larry stayed up there taking in the new views up and down the street, for a good half-hour! We are going to make a few more perches or platforms for them, so that they can jump from tree to tree and generally lark about. If they are not going to be allowed outside the garden, then we should make the garden as interesting as possible for them. They are tearing around so boisterously now, I think I'd prefer it if they could do it outside!

Also, when we open the door and they scoot out, we don't have to worry about grabbing them quick before they get over the wall. Exciting stuff! I'll get you some pictures!

Sounds wonderful for them. Would love to see some pictures.

Sounds great.... love to see some pictures!

Sounds fantastic!! I'm really curious to see some pictures!

Congrats on your garden! I’d love you to post pictures so I can see how you solved the catproofing thing. And to see the guys larking about of course.

We are in a very similar situation… we also have a corner plot in a leafy suburb. And some huge conifers as well… aren’t they a nuisance?

We moved in here at the end of last year. The garden hadn’t been very well kept up by the previous owner; it was quite overgrown. In August we hired a gardener to get rid of a conifer and tons of ivy, renovate the shed which was ‘eaten’ by the ivy, and put up an extra fence. Today we ordered material for making mesh panels that will go on top of the fence in a 45 degree angle.
I so hope it will be finished soon, so our coonies can have as much fun as your boys! Really looking forward to see pics of them enjoying their new haunt!

Thanks! We got the job finished just before our spell of hot weather in the UK came to an end and it started raining! (perfect timing eh?).

Ours is very much a DIY job so there are no guarantees that it's 100% cat proof. But it's quite a small L-shaped garden and we would still keep an eye on the lads when they are outside, just in case. We could not have afforded the professional cat-proof fencing installed by a proper company, and I don't know how they would have coped with driving fence posts into the ground when we have no lawn, a large patio and lots of shallow conifer roots where you just can't dig. So we attached long green garden rods to the exisiting wall, and attached netting to them, and then more netting at an angle, using the tree branches, to create a canopy.

I don't think they'll try to climb the netting, as it's too flimsy to take their weight, and there are lots of trees to climb anyway.

But how knackered are we after doing this job! Like any job, you discover complications along the way. For example, we noticed that the wall was unstable in several places, so we had to mix up some cement and re-set a few bricks, and re-point! Heavy, heavy work, but luckily the OH is a dab hand, and I am the willing assistant!