Authored by Mia McKenzie Dr. Michael MoyerOctober, 2013 The subject of cat confinement within the No Kill paradigm, like mandatory desexing, is greatly misunderstood. We define cat confinement as confining your pet cat to the boundaries of your property or within an outdoor cat run. The word 'confinement' does convey a negative connotation, but there are varied points that need to be explored. No Kill does not support cat confinement laws. Pet laws, like mandatory desexing, punish pet owners by fining them for not complying with the legislation. If the pet owner refuses to pay or cannot do so, the pet is seized and taken to a shelter. Pet laws increase a shelters intake unnecessarily, and given that Australia is dominated by shelters who do not implement life saving strategies, a higher intake equates to a higher kill rate. Pet laws provide no benefits to pets and they exacerbate the already contentious relationship between councils and pet owners. The P A W Project supports cat confinement where the pet cat has indoor and outdoor access. The outdoor access can be achieved by a fencing system, like the system provided by the Australian company, 'Oscillot' ( see imagebelow). A cat confinement solution that can be installed onto existing Colourbond, Good Neighbour, Post and Rail, Timber and Masonary fencing, and disables the ability of the cat to scale a fence. Outdoor access can also be achieved with closed circuit cat runs and enclosures. They allow the pet cat to have perpetual access to the outdoors and fresh air. Catnip tunnel In Australia, a company called 'Catnip' provide awesome modules, tunnels and accessories for your pet cat to access the outdoors. Catnip Wall Module & London Bridge Mia was fortunate to visit Michael Linke's home, CEO of RSPCA ACT in 2012 , that consisted of an intricate cat run to entertain and enrich his seven cats. The cat run began at the back door and wrapped around half the house. It consisted of tunnels, an enclosure and the design enabled the cats to peep through the windows. The cat run provided fresh air, enrichment, safety, exercise and a solitary place to chill out from the dog, Dahlia. It is essential for a pet cats health, both physical and mental, that they have access to both indoor and outdoor environments. Cat Confinement
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