Whether you’re trying to keep your cat in or other cats out, knowing how to keep cats from climbing your fence is going to be important.
Cats are notorious escape artists. They are smart, wily, and incredibly cunning. And, they don’t take no for an answer very easily.
If you have a cat who wants to get in your yard or one that wants to get out, finding a way to prevent this is going to be tricky, but it can be done.
There are several ways to keep cats from climbing your fence. These include installing roller balls or anti-cat spikes on the top of your fence, putting up netting or barriers, building a higher fence, and using a cat repellant.
Each of the above solutions has its pros and cons, depending on how much time you’re willing to commit and how much money you want to spend.
Also, the more determined the cat is, the more you may find one method works better than another.
I have always had indoor cats, but recently adopted one from a local animal shelter.
Because she was originally an alley cat, she loves to be outdoors and wander, which isn’t always appreciated by my neighbors.
I’ve spent some time trying to figure out a way I can allow her to spend time outside, without making my fence an eye-sore, or breaking my budget.
How to Keep Cats From Climbing Your Fence
Fencing has its purposes, whether you live in the middle of an urban area, smack in the middle of a neighborhood, or out in the middle of nowhere.
Usually, we put up fences to either keep something in or to keep other things out. But if our fencing isn’t effective, what’s the point?
No matter if we are trying to keep our cats in our yard or other cats out, we need to know the fencing we have chosen is adequate and can do the job.
Our cat’s safety and our neighborhood relations depend on it!
But if it turns out our fencing isn’t as effective as we would like it to be, don’t worry. There are several things that can be done to rectify that.
1. Place Netting on Top of the Fence
Most homeowners who are struggling with unwanted cats in their yard or with their own feline friend getting out will first try and place the netting on top of the fence.
A heavy mesh netting placed on top of the fence will make it more challenging for cats to scale and climb.
Netting is popular because it’s easy to install, not super expensive, and will also keep deer or other unwanted animals from being able to jump or climb your fence.
One downside to netting is it may not provide the look you want for your yard.
Netting can be seen as unattractive and if you have a fence you find aesthetically pleasing, you may not be as excited about this option.
2. Install Roller Bars and/or Anti-Cat Spikes
Perhaps more effective than netting is to install roller bars like this one.
This can be placed on top of your existing fence and will roll, making it tough for even the most dextrous cats to make it over your existing fence.
Another great option similar to the roller bars is to place anti-cat spikes all across your fence. These tiny spikes will make it tough for any feline to maneuver across them.
These are made of plastic or metal and will often serve a dual purpose of keeping birds and squirrels off your fencing as well.
Both of the above items are relatively easy to install.
Many people think they are more attractive, or at least less of an eye-sore than netting, but they will be more expensive.
3. Build a Higher Fence
Here’s an option if you would prefer not to have to install anything on top of your existing fence either because you don’t like the look of your neighborhood doesn’t allow it.
Adding height to your existing fence may be all you need to keep out unwelcome cat guests or prevent your cat from roaming.
This is probably the most attractive option of all three and will give you additional privacy, which may be one of the reasons you built the fence in the first place.
One problem with adding on to your current fence is this: cats are climbers, so just making a higher fence might not give you the results you are hoping for.
Depending on the cat’s agility and determination, they can climb pretty high.
And, if it’s a wood fence, certain felines won’t find it any harder to climb a taller fence than they would find it hard to climb a taller tree.
4. Use a Cat Repellent
Finally, another option that will leave your current fence intact but could provide the solution you’re looking for is to consider buying a cat repellent.
You have a few options in this category to try.
One is to opt for an ultrasonic cat repeller that uses motion sensors and strobe lights to scare critters away from your yard or back in, depending on what you need.
These are not harmful, nor do they tend to be annoying to humans.
Another product to try is a motion-activated spray device that will trigger when a cat has gotten within a certain range of it.
The resulting liquid that is released is not harmful but will make your kitty think twice about leaving or entering the yard.
The obvious problem with the repellent option is you are only going to be able to deter a cat from climbing your fence in a specific area.
If you have a large fence, this may not be the ideal solution, but can work well if there’s a specific spot where entering and/or exiting is easy.
Summing Up Keeping Cats from Climbing Your Fence
There are a few ways to keep cats from climbing your fence. Whether it includes anti-cat spikes, cat repellant, or simply building a higher fence, you can easily DIY your way into keeping your cats where you need them to go.
Hopefully you found this guide useful and can now easily keep cats where you need them!
