Cosmo and The Great Escape
In this story, Peter Bowen shares his experience of life with his much-loved, wandering cat.
We live at 7 Battery Square, Battery Point, near Princes Park. In November 2024, we agreed to take on a four-year-old Cornish Rex, which had been allowed to roam freely in Sheffield. We had previously had a Cornish Rex named Ralph, which was allowed out and would occasionally cross the road, but would mostly wander around our garden.
Cosmo turned out to be a different cat. He was a big cat, but still very nervous of cars and noise. Notwithstanding this, he was a wanderer. He liked Princes Park and would approach people there. They would ring us and say they had our cat. He went into Room 10 at Lenna, was on someone’s roof in Arthur Circus and once we had a call from Farzi on Castray Esplanade to say they loved our cat, but the chef didn’t want him in the kitchen. Some people knew where he lived and carried him home, at some danger to themselves. He would always come home by himself.
We knew we had to do something. We had a walled garden at the front, so we utilised this space. We built a barrier on the only open side with a gate. The main barrier we used was metal mesh with wooden framing. For the roof, we used bird netting as used in cherry orchards. We were concerned about a miniature Japanese Maple, but the flexible roof has worked well and allowed the tree to grow and be trimmed. We installed in a cat flap through a front window.
We put in a suitable mix of sand and bark for a kitty litter and Cosmo uses this, mostly early in the morning. He still sometimes escapes, but this is rare and he has not escaped from the enclosure. He likes to sit up on the ledge and complain about his fate. Children next door at the early learning centre are a favourite recipient of his calls.
We also walk Cosmo on a lead and can be seen frequently at various cafes around Battery Point. He attracts a lot of attention. We have a backpack for when he is tired or when he is alert to a dog or traffic.
We got some of the ideas from friends and would be happy to share this concept with anyone. Call me on 0419344906 or visit.
