Post by tonib on May 5, 2018 2:13:01 GMT
When we came to get the cats in tonight, just before midnight, Roman & Lexie were already home but no sign of Osiris, took a quick wander with the Loc8tor (a short radius beeper) around his usual close by late evening haunts. Still no trace. So activated the Find function on the POD3 GPS live tracker & got a shock. He was the furthest we've ever seen him from home & had crossed the main road.
There are short cuts to where he was but it would have taken at least 10-15 minutes to walk it (across a park/green field) but only a minute to drive. So I got my car out as it has Bluetooth phone connectivity & is paired to my phone so could keep in contact with Mark at home in case there was an error & he could update the Find function from home & tell me of any change.
Got to where it thought he was but no sign so did another Find & got a new location. Just a bit further along the main road. So headed there (typically the first location was in a dead end close so had to turn round first!!!) Parked near the new location & went walk about with the Loc8tor still no signal. Checked the GPS Find location again & he'd moved on but not too far from where I now was on foot. So walked on, still no Loc8tor beeping, but as a car was coming down the main road as I approached is last GPS location I stopped the Locator so a to disturb Osiris & find he runs into the road. Turned the corner into the road he was suppose to be & there he was crouched on the grass!
Then he got up & it was obvious he was fine. he was sniffing the hedge there & then came to me. I picked him up & he struggled & there was no way that I could have carried him safely along the main road to my car. So phoned Mark who came out in his car. While I was waiting Osiris was hiding behind a hedge away from the road. Then he decided to move again. This time back across the main road (it was a mini roundabout) as a car approached so I followed with an arm raised indicating stop to the on-coming car. Luckily Osiris didn't take any detours on his walk so although it was a slightly diagonal route we were across the road before the car reached the roundabout.
He then went into the drive of a house but wasn't happy about me getting any closer. Mark arrived, parked slightly up the road (clear of the roundabout & not to scare Osiris with a car) & Osiris was happy to see him & was able to pick him up. Of course Osiris struggled but Mark was able to pass him to me & I held him tight as we walked the very short distance to Mark's car. Mark got in the driver's side & managed to push the passenger door open so I could put Osiris in & Mark then held him whilst I shut the door,
Of course we didn't think to put a carrier in either of the cars!!!! But if Osiris had seen one he'd have run away but once caught it would have been easier to put him in one in the car. So Mark drove home carefully & Osiris eventually settled (ish) in the back of the car Luckily the roads were quiet. I got back to my car & when I reached home Mark was just parking so we were able to get Osiris in safely.
Goodness knows how or why Osiris got there.
1. Walked via a couple of different routes but why he crossed the main road I don't know, presumably no traffic at the time although he can play chicken on our slower estate roads (10 mph & most aren't driving at that speed whist the main road is 30 mph & often drivers are a bit faster)
2. He got in a vehicle & landed up there - don't think that's likely as we know from the tracker he was home or very close (within wi-fi range) 2 hours earlier from the POD3 location history. So not many vehicles, such as vans, are around which might leave a door open whilst the vehicle is unattended for him to get in unnoticed.
It raises the question of how far he does roam or what he will do in the future or has he done it before. Roman has wandered a similar distance away (as the crow flies) in the past but that was in the Country Park & much, much safer.
Do we change their outdoor timings, we used to allow them 24 hour access, but since Roman's cruciate & achilles problems we've kept them in when we go to bed before or rather a little before. Roman & Lexie are no problem but Osiris gets fractious especially as it gets warmer & lighter. If we try to get them in earlier then we could have trouble between the cats (Osiris as the cause), more risk of either of the boys spraying around the house, Osiris is getting less & less litter trained so that could cause problems if kept in for longer periods.
Would he come in earlier if he knew he was going to be kept in? Also would he just wander the distance earlier, at least at this sort of time there are less vehicles around.
Do we make the back garden cat proof so they are kept in the garden or even build a pen. Somehow I think a pen is an unfair reaction on our behalf for cats that have had such freedom for 10/11 years. Lexie hardly goes away from home but the boys have had the freedom to roam, usually not far, since we got them Roman in 2007 & Osiris 2008.
For the moment we will let them continue as present but will make sure we keep the POD3 batteries well charged so that we can find them if necessary. Actual locates do drain their batteries. For the next few days I may set the Adventure (continuous location) recording going when Osiris is out to trace where he goes & keep changing the battery on his POD3 as necessary as this function will drain quicker.
All I can say is thank goodness for the POD3 otherwise we'd never have found him as we'd have thought he was in the Country Park which is in the opposite direction. Of course he could have come home of his own accord by which time we'd have been extremely worried/panicking (even more than we were when we'd found where he was).
Below is a screenprint of Osiris's locations. The house drawing is over our home where the blue dot records him at 9:43 pm. The other blue dots on the map are where he was found by the POD3 system starting at 00:15 a.m. with his picture being the final location at 00:40 & the biggest cluster is where he was initially found by the POD3 (until 00:23) - you can see him moving further up the main road the next position is at 00:31 when I'd already reached the first position & not found him! The 2 red dots I added to show the furthest we have ever recorded him to be (doesn't mean he hasn't been further though)
Screenshot_20180505-011127 edited by osiriscat, on Flickr
There are short cuts to where he was but it would have taken at least 10-15 minutes to walk it (across a park/green field) but only a minute to drive. So I got my car out as it has Bluetooth phone connectivity & is paired to my phone so could keep in contact with Mark at home in case there was an error & he could update the Find function from home & tell me of any change.
Got to where it thought he was but no sign so did another Find & got a new location. Just a bit further along the main road. So headed there (typically the first location was in a dead end close so had to turn round first!!!) Parked near the new location & went walk about with the Loc8tor still no signal. Checked the GPS Find location again & he'd moved on but not too far from where I now was on foot. So walked on, still no Loc8tor beeping, but as a car was coming down the main road as I approached is last GPS location I stopped the Locator so a to disturb Osiris & find he runs into the road. Turned the corner into the road he was suppose to be & there he was crouched on the grass!
Then he got up & it was obvious he was fine. he was sniffing the hedge there & then came to me. I picked him up & he struggled & there was no way that I could have carried him safely along the main road to my car. So phoned Mark who came out in his car. While I was waiting Osiris was hiding behind a hedge away from the road. Then he decided to move again. This time back across the main road (it was a mini roundabout) as a car approached so I followed with an arm raised indicating stop to the on-coming car. Luckily Osiris didn't take any detours on his walk so although it was a slightly diagonal route we were across the road before the car reached the roundabout.
He then went into the drive of a house but wasn't happy about me getting any closer. Mark arrived, parked slightly up the road (clear of the roundabout & not to scare Osiris with a car) & Osiris was happy to see him & was able to pick him up. Of course Osiris struggled but Mark was able to pass him to me & I held him tight as we walked the very short distance to Mark's car. Mark got in the driver's side & managed to push the passenger door open so I could put Osiris in & Mark then held him whilst I shut the door,
Of course we didn't think to put a carrier in either of the cars!!!! But if Osiris had seen one he'd have run away but once caught it would have been easier to put him in one in the car. So Mark drove home carefully & Osiris eventually settled (ish) in the back of the car Luckily the roads were quiet. I got back to my car & when I reached home Mark was just parking so we were able to get Osiris in safely.
Goodness knows how or why Osiris got there.
1. Walked via a couple of different routes but why he crossed the main road I don't know, presumably no traffic at the time although he can play chicken on our slower estate roads (10 mph & most aren't driving at that speed whist the main road is 30 mph & often drivers are a bit faster)
2. He got in a vehicle & landed up there - don't think that's likely as we know from the tracker he was home or very close (within wi-fi range) 2 hours earlier from the POD3 location history. So not many vehicles, such as vans, are around which might leave a door open whilst the vehicle is unattended for him to get in unnoticed.
It raises the question of how far he does roam or what he will do in the future or has he done it before. Roman has wandered a similar distance away (as the crow flies) in the past but that was in the Country Park & much, much safer.
Do we change their outdoor timings, we used to allow them 24 hour access, but since Roman's cruciate & achilles problems we've kept them in when we go to bed before or rather a little before. Roman & Lexie are no problem but Osiris gets fractious especially as it gets warmer & lighter. If we try to get them in earlier then we could have trouble between the cats (Osiris as the cause), more risk of either of the boys spraying around the house, Osiris is getting less & less litter trained so that could cause problems if kept in for longer periods.
Would he come in earlier if he knew he was going to be kept in? Also would he just wander the distance earlier, at least at this sort of time there are less vehicles around.
Do we make the back garden cat proof so they are kept in the garden or even build a pen. Somehow I think a pen is an unfair reaction on our behalf for cats that have had such freedom for 10/11 years. Lexie hardly goes away from home but the boys have had the freedom to roam, usually not far, since we got them Roman in 2007 & Osiris 2008.
For the moment we will let them continue as present but will make sure we keep the POD3 batteries well charged so that we can find them if necessary. Actual locates do drain their batteries. For the next few days I may set the Adventure (continuous location) recording going when Osiris is out to trace where he goes & keep changing the battery on his POD3 as necessary as this function will drain quicker.
All I can say is thank goodness for the POD3 otherwise we'd never have found him as we'd have thought he was in the Country Park which is in the opposite direction. Of course he could have come home of his own accord by which time we'd have been extremely worried/panicking (even more than we were when we'd found where he was).
Below is a screenprint of Osiris's locations. The house drawing is over our home where the blue dot records him at 9:43 pm. The other blue dots on the map are where he was found by the POD3 system starting at 00:15 a.m. with his picture being the final location at 00:40 & the biggest cluster is where he was initially found by the POD3 (until 00:23) - you can see him moving further up the main road the next position is at 00:31 when I'd already reached the first position & not found him! The 2 red dots I added to show the furthest we have ever recorded him to be (doesn't mean he hasn't been further though)
Screenshot_20180505-011127 edited by osiriscat, on Flickr