This is a long reply - sorry to be so verbose, but we feel a bit elated at
having success with this!!!

Blaze......... we have two cats, and until recently they have both been
indoor cats, going outside into the backyard only under supervision.  We
have spent a lot of time and effort making the back garden "cat-proof", and,
at long last, we think we have succeeded!!!

One of our cats, Rosie, is a bit of an escape artist, and we have a pergola
at the back of the house with an old grape vine growing up it.  This was a
favourite method of escape, as Rosie would climb up the trunk of the
grapevine and then up some trellis work and through the shade slats of the
pergola, jump onto the fence and into the neighbour's yard.  (He has several
large bird aviaries, and I can understand that he doesn't appreciate cats
coming into his yard and frightening his breeding parrots!).

We fixed some of that green plastic wire between the trunk of the grapevine
and the fence to prevent Rosie climbing up it (kind of like a rat-guard on
big ships), but she still managed to get past it and up and over.  So.....
we fixed some of this wire (which is just about invisible amongst the
greenery) onto the top of the pergola, but she would climb and hang there
like a circus acrobat and haul herself up and over.  So..... we added some
more wire coming backwards and over...... and we made the backwards angle so
severe that it was now impossible for her to haul herself up....at last we
think we have her foiled!

Other parts of the garden have climbing roses growing along the fence, and
we have encouraged the longer thorny branches to run along the top of the
fence, to discourage any attempts to climb over.  In parts of the garden
where the fence does not have anything planted, we have bought some
decorative trellis to fix to the top of the fence, and have removed anything
that would allow the cats to get a "leg-up" and over the fence e.g. we have
a worm-farm which used to be a perfect step-up platform.  By shifting that
away from the fence, and with the trellis on the top, it is now too high for
them to climb over.

It has taken us more than 6 weeks (much of it in experimental
stages......observing where Rosie would make her escape) to make the garden
virtually cat proof, but we have managed to do this, with some thinking,
lots of persistence, but with very little expense.  One of the benefits also
is that as well as keeping our cats in, we have far less problems with
strange cats visiting our garden.

I know that most gardens are difficult to cat proof, and if you are going to
do anything with your dividing fence, talk to your neighbour first to make
sure that they don't object, and try to keep the whole structure attractive.

It is so nice to see Rosie and Bonnie in the back garden, running and
playing, trying to catch butterflies etc., and enjoying their added
"freedom".  It has certainly been worth the effort for us, knowing that
there is much less chance of the cats' escape, and perhaps being
accidentally injured.  In the last couple of weeks they have become used to
being able to let themselves out through the pet-door after breakfast, and
spending most of the day in the garden.  About 4 in the afternoon I call
them indoors to have their dinner, and then I lock the pet-door to prevent
them going out at night.  So, another advantage is that they are using their
indoor litter tray much less (saving on kitty-litter as well!).

Blaze...... if your situation is such that it would be economically and
practically possible to cat-proof your garden, it would certainly be worth
the effort.

Cheers

Roberta Bagshaw (Sec.)
Friends of the RSPCA Geraldton Auxiliary
West Australia
email: rbagshaw@midwest.com.au