[Samuelowen]

Hi All

After a bit of advice, and please be honest.

Last year we re-homed 2 cats from cats protection. Unfortunatley this summer in august one of them got run over. The other cat only has 3 paws, and doesnt go out the front as he cant make it over the fence. So we have no worries about him.

We both (my partner and I) would love another cat, but we don't know what to do.

1. We don't know whether our cat would like a new cat? He did live with his sister quite happily, but then seems to have come out of his shell more since she has gone. So we want to do the right thing for him.

2. The road, with what has happened we don't know if we can justify having a nother cat. We wouldnt be able to forgive ourselves if the same thing happened.

All advice and opinions welcomed. We will not keep a cat indoors, as we belive that they should be allowed to do what they like, so that wouldnt be an option.

Thanks in advance.

Sam

 

[midgiepooh]

Do you have any friends who own a mellow, easy-going kitty who doesn't mind a little change in location from time to time? I suggest you have them come for a visit and bring their cat along to see how your cat responds.

I have a cat that I can take anywhere I please, and introduce him to any other felines under any circumstances and he simply doesn't care. I would make the visit myself but I'm quite a ways from you! haha!

The second thing I would do, if I adopted another animal, would be to adopt one as a baby and raise them strictly indoors so they'll never have the urge to go outside, or run to the door when I have my hands full of groceries, etc. I know that you don't want to do that - and I totally agree with you that the kitties should be allowed to do what they like. But on the other hand, if they never ask to go outside, that's like a bonus!

There's no right or wrong answer. Do what you feel is best and the cats will be happiest for it.

 

[snowy]

I have a cat that I can take anywhere I please, and introduce him to any other felines under any circumstances and he simply doesn't care. I would make the visit myself but I'm quite a ways from you! haha!

There's no right or wrong answer. Do what you feel is best and the cats will be happiest for it.

You are really so fortunate to have a cat that you can bring out, that's really very nice.

I like that, "there's no right or wrong answer" to every decision.

 

[Samuelowen]

Thanks for the reply.

With our other cat going outside I think any new cat would eventually follow him out.

What are people's view on locking cat flaps at night? Then unlocking in the morning, would at least keep the cats off the road at night.

Would I need to put a litter tray down?

 

[GhostTown]

My honest advice, Sam, is to not let them outside at all if you can do so. Switching to full time indoors is your only guarantee to keep your cats safe. Even outside for only 5 minutes a day, while supervised is a risk to the cats life.

Harness and leash if you must take them outdoors. Otherwise it is a gamble that only you can decide on.

 

[Arianwen]

I would discuss it with the shelter. At the moment, the one I support have several cats that show no interest in going out - not even into the outdoor part of their pens. This isn't because they are forced to remain inside but is a "voluntary" choice. They will not, however, re-home even indoor cats where the roads are very busy and fast on the grounds that any cat could slip out. Whether indoors or outdoors, we cannot keep our cats completely safe from possible accidents but it would you worth doing a realistic assessment of the area where you live - and this is coming from somone who, like you, favours cats being able to go out.

 

[jusjim]

Hi All

After a bit of advice, and please be honest.

Last year we re-homed 2 cats from cats protection. Unfortunatley this summer in august one of them got run over. The other cat only has 3 paws, and doesnt go out the front as he cant make it over the fence. So we have no worries about him.

We both (my partner and I) would love another cat, but we don't know what to do.

1. We don't know whether our cat would like a new cat? He did live with his sister quite happily, but then seems to have come out of his shell more since she has gone. So we want to do the right thing for him.

2. The road, with what has happened we don't know if we can justify having a nother cat. We wouldnt be able to forgive ourselves if the same thing happened.

All advice and opinions welcomed. We will not keep a cat indoors, as we belive that they should be allowed to do what they like, so that wouldnt be an option.

Thanks in advance.

Sam

Two things.

At least think of keeping the cat in at night as I suspect they may get confused by bright headlights.

The second thing is a little story.

Guy is the grey, abandoned cat I feed most days. He's perhaps the most docile cat I've known. He sometimes doesn't come around for a couple of days and I worry, but so far he's always eventually turned up. Caddie is the the little tabbie that adopted the neighbours. Cats and I generally get along so Caddie and I became friends. She always wanted to get at Guy's food so I started feeding him on a chair to stop her nosing in. It didn't always work, so I also started giving her a few bits of the kibble I fed Guy. Then I stopped that because she began to go after Guy's stuff anyway. Guy will come in but he won't eat in and scratches to get out if I close the door. If Caddie is around I have waited until he's eaten his fill to keep her away from him.

Then she started to get aggressive and chase him, trying to run him off. After a couple of days I ran her off chasing her back over the fence to the neighbours yard. That's when a peculiar thing happened.

Guy ate what he wanted, leaving a bit as usual, and then he went looking for Caddie; perhaps to tell her he'd had enough and to come and eat.

I've gone back to the old routine of trying to get Caddie diverted so that Guy can eat. But they're friends. Guy likes to sleep up on my sundeck (roof of the carport) at times. Caddie likes to sleep up there, too, but in the opposite corner. I've decided that as long as cats don't tear each other up, it's probably best to leave them alone when they scrap. This is especially so if they're male and female.

A side note. Missy (my senior cat) and Guy have come nose to nose in the basement, but indifference seemed to rule. Missy doesn't get allowed out because of raccoons and coyotes both of which have been in my back yard.

 

[jusjim]

What are people's view on locking cat flaps at night? Then unlocking in the morning, would at least keep the cats off the road at night.

Would I need to put a litter tray down?

A good idea. The litter box would avoid problems.

 

[minikin44]

I'm very sorry for your August loss. Cats getting hit by cars is not unusual at all, unfortunately, so that Englishman is way off base there. Wildlife are also a problem... in addition to coyotes and raccoons, you have to consider neighborhood dogs and foxes, etc. I actually have a cat that was born outdoors and stayed there until he was 2-3 months old, and now has no desire to go outside since I've taken him in. On the other hand, my cat Tugs is constantly chomping at the bit to sneak out, but he's not allowed, as I live right off of a high traffic road. It really just depends on the individual cat... Maybe you could find one that is so mellow that it won't want to go out and will get along wonderfully with your current kitty? Also, there's some kind of cat fence extension that you can get to keep them in your yard... http://www.purrfectfence.co.uk/ I don't know personally if it works, but I suppose it's worth a shot?

 

[snowy]

If your kitty come out of his shell only when the sister is gone, I suppose he is a timid cat? Some cats are more than happy being a lone cat? its we human who thinks they need company or we human prefer more than one?

Anyway, I really loved kitties to have a taste of the outside, I'm sure they will be happier if they have both worlds, but on the other hand, there are risks. Considering what they may get from the outside, I'd rather they stay indoor. In my case here, not so much worry about traffic, its more about getting FELV, getting into fights and he transmitting FIV to other kitties, getting flu and other nasty diseases from other kitties, tick and flea. If ever he come home sick, I have to bear the exorbitant medical bills...not worth it. But if you have weighed all pros and cons and prepared to bear the consequences...well, the decision is yours. Of course, from the point of most of them, given the high chances of being runned over by cars, for the safety of kitty, most would hope you decide to keep them indoor.

 

[jusjim]

8-O I didn't even think of raccoons. Then again, I hadn't seen a raccoon on our property before Ares came to me. While he was still an outdoor stray and I was waiting for the chance to get cat stuff and bring him indoors, there was an animal in our fig tree and I was trying to see it but it was hard in the dark and with only my cell phone as a light to aim at the tree. Ares was following me around and trying to get a look at what's in the tree as well. I'm glad nothing happened to him before he came in!

Neighbours on both sides of me have had raccoon invaders coming in through cat doors. One came across it in the basement, the other got on to the bed and woke them in the middle of the night.

I'm guilt-tripped on almost a daily basis by an Englishman for keeping him indoors. He (and others) kept saying, cats are smart, they won't go near cars. do you agree with his interpretation of the cat indoor-outdoor preference in the UK?

No, I don't agree. Many years ago, long before the age of 'cars for everyone' so to speak, I lost a very good cat to a car in England, and a couple of years ago my neice lost a cat to a car in England.

 

[midgiepooh]

Let's see if I can make this not sound completely confusing! haha!

I have three kitties: Francis, Darwin and Midge. Fran used to be an indoor/outdoor kitty, Midge has never been outside a day in her life, and Darwin was a stray so obviously he was outside a lot before we took him in.

We've moved a couple of times, but now we live in a highly residential area with lots of traffic. Moreso, all of my kitties are FIV+, and I'd rather get hit by a truck myself before allowing any of my babies outdoors.

We never had issues with Midge because she never knew what it was like to be outside in the first place. Francis had trouble at first because he didn't understand why suddenly he couldn't go. But he "got over" it soon enough and doesn't ask any more.

But Darwin...as soon as he hears your key in the lock, he comes running to the door. If you've got groceries, he'll wait by the door in the hopes he can sneak out! ha!

But no matter how hard Darwin may try, the others simply watch him and they never try to do it themselves. Especially Midge.

My mom has the same experience. Her indoor kitty never tries to go outside despite having a brother who goes out several times a day.

I really haven't witnessed a problem with anyone having an indoor cat who wanted to do what the outdoor kitty was doing. But at the same time, if you were to adopt a new baby and they wanted to follow your cat outside, let them go if you want to let them! Like I said, there is no right or wrong answer!

Its a huge risk, but both of you will be happiest when you're both doing what you want to do.

Do you have a screened-in/glassed-in porch? My kitties love going out there. It gives them the "feeling" of outside but the protection of being indoors. Its good enough for them! haha!

 

[Arianwen]

This isn't scientific but largely based on this forum, but I think it is much more common for cats to be indoor / outdoor in the UK in general - England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It is certainly the norm where I live and doesn't seem to be in the places that a lot of other forum members come from.

 

[jadis]

When I was a kid we had cats and they were always indoor/outdoor. We had a cat door and we would bring them in at night and lock the cat door. We had another cat door going to the garage and had a litterbox in there. Bringing them in at night didn't keep them any safer however, they all lived short lives. Two were hit by cars, one killed by a neighbors dog, one we just found dead in the yard one day, and one disappeared.