I had worked just for an hour or so when it started to rain heavily. I heard a rumble from the sky and thought to myself it would be a good time to get something to eat and go to the hardware store to buy materials for the gate that I'm going to make.
I keep my toolbox and my power tools in the garage so I did not have to rush to gather that stuff and take it to a shelter.
Onward to get a burger.
I parked my car in a garage under a department store just across the hamburger restaurant.
Raining cats and dogs
Making use of the narrow canopy nimbly like the cat that I'm mainly building the fence for. There were people inside the cafe looking at me and smiling.
Ah, life is good for those who've forgotten to bring an umbrella with them.
Almost there.
Back to the project at hand.
That side of the yard is done. That tree is close the fence and there's space between the hedge and the fence. Theoretically, the cat might jump from a branch into the space between the hedge and the fence. That's solvable with chicken wire wrapped around the trunk and the branches.
It's unavoidable that some of the poles aren't straight. It's nearly impossible to control the direction the pole anchor as it penetrates the ground in to any great degree of precision. The exact spot you hit the pole with the sledge hammer is difficult to control and there is stuff like small rocks underground.
The key however, is to make sure that the lower edge of the net is tight and against the ground.
There are some cats that might try and dig into the ground if it's soft like sand or something. But that problem is solvable. You can install a cut off section of a net like that underground, for example. An American company that manufactures and delivers fencing solutions like this uses a similar method. Also if a section of a fence has a loose lower edge, it can be fixed in place with a tent pole.
They also install a top section to their fences at a 45 degree angle so as to discourage climbing. I'm pretty sure out cat won't try and climb that net. It's way too wobbly for comfort for a 6 kg animal. I'm also counting on our cat being unable to jump over the fence. On what grounds? Well, she hasn't jumped to heights like that in the house for many years. It's also a different matter to jump from a tv table to the top of a shelf that much higher than jump over a wobbly fence.
But in the event such a miracle happened, I have a solution ready at hand. I'd just install an inwardly-slanted top section to any part of the fence where such a jump is realistic. From a cat's perspective, such a section looks like a ceiling.
That's the first corner.
I trimmed that syringa to make room for the hedge in the spring.
That side ends behind the garage where we have two composts. My wife wanted unhindered access to them from the fenced in part of the yard, which is the whole backyard.
Because the composts are perfect platforms from which to jump outside the yard, a small section of that fence is two meters tall. A roof will be added for extra security.
I climbed on top of the composts to be able to drive one of poles into the ground. At that height it would've been quite difficult and somewhat dangerous otherwise.
I had a McGyver moment when I tried to think of something to stand on to be able to safely drive the last pole into the ground. See that white bag? It contains a tire. I stacked another one on top of it. It was quite stable a setup. I attached the net to the corner of the garage.
I also forgot my roll-up tape measure at the hardware store when I was buying more timber. You cut it yourself. It did not slow me down as I did not need precise measurements for anything at this stage. Just use something as a measuring stick.
How about the possibility of other domestic cats or other animals getting over the fence and being trapped in our yard? I consider that very unlikely. The outside is a much bigger place than the inside. When faced with an obstacle like that, a wild animal or someone's domestic cat, of which there are a few in the neighborhood, will likely go someplace else rather than try.