Conflicted on my cat…advice?
I adopted a stray that was wandering around in my grandparents’ yard. He has all shots, is neutered, etc. etc. etc. However, we also have a small dog that uses a doggie door built into the living room wall, and Gizmo (my cat) will try and escape through it every chance he gets. The doggie door leads outside to a small fenced-in area where our dog does her business, and Gizmo will jump the fence and run around the yard.
To solve this problem, I keep him in my room and his stuff is in my walk-in closet that I never use. He has his litter box, food, water, and I just recently bought him some toys. He gets to wander freely between the two rooms and has a window perch in my bedroom so he can look out the window if he wants to.
However, I have people getting on me about keeping him in 2 rooms of the house because "he needs to go out or he is going to get mean." If I am playing with him, feeding him, regularly scooping his box, etc. are they still right? He loves being outside, but I don’t have money right now to get him a leash, right now it’s necessities (food/litter) until my birthday in August.
Would he "get mean" being cooped up in here another month and a half, roughly? Could I compromise by carrying him outside when I get the mail? I don’t want him to be mean, but I don’t trust him to not go out the doggie door, and I know if he’s not in my room or my walk-in closet, he will go out through the doggie door and be unattended outside. I have heard this isn’t advisable.
Am I being a mean cat owner, too overprotective?
Filed under: Cat Furniture
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Hi there,
I love questions from "overprotective" cat people. In my opinion they rank high on my list!
Thanks for adopting the stray and being concerned about him. You have done all the right things for him thus far.
As far as the rooms confinement, I know many people who live in one room apartments that have a cat or two. It is what it is! They don’t let their cats out, and they are just fine and dandy. Cats do not get "mean" from not being allowed outdoors. They get testy when they get bored and not played with or paid attention to. Your arrangement where your cat can look out the window with a window perch is great. Once you can afford it, a nice tall cat tree would add height for him. Cats love high places on which to perch and it helps prevent boredom.
If you have a tall dresser in one of the rooms, why not put a box with a towel in it so he has a higher place in which to "hide" as well.
I think he will be fine in two rooms. After all it is more than some cats have in one room apartments. It is the way in which you configure the living area which is the important thing.
Make sure to spend plenty of play time with him on and off during the day. I think you are doing a wonderful thing in being careful about his safety.
Once you can afford a harness and leash, you can begin to train him to go for walks with you.
http://cat-training.suite101.com/article.cfm/leash_training_cats
Hope this helps and again thanks for your concern.
Troublesniffer
Owned by indoor cats for over 40 years
Member: Cat Writer’s Association
Neither. You are doing what’s best for your cat.
And keeping an animal confined indoors for their health and safety is never mean.
Another alternative I’ve used is to get one of those doggy doors that use the chip type thing in the dogs collar. It will only open for the dog, but the cant can’t get out.
If you do decide to use a leash, I would advise against a regular collar. They are designed for it to snap if tugged on too much, to prevent choking. I use a harness for my larger cat. He can’t get out of it, and I don’t have to worry about him hanging himself. But, if they are on a leash, they can’t escape, from you, OR another animal, so never leave them in the yard unattended.
Good Luck~
you’re not being mean-i’ve had to keep my cat in my one room efficiency for six months & she was perfectly fine-she had the window to look out-closets to roam in-your cat will be fine. maybe take it out to the mailbox once in a while or put something in front of the doggie door for a while and let it roam through the house every few days-i don’t think it will get mean though-two rooms is good space for your cat
Well, heres my thought. if you dont live in the middle of a city, I think since he was already and outdoor cat- let him outdoors.
Cats always come back eventually… and this gives him freedom. Ive found that they explore outside and hang out there.. but always seem to come in for night/sleep.
You are being too overprotective.. and a stray who’s lived outside takes a LONG time to adapt to houselife.. and they are wild when stuck inside all day. I adopted a street cat who was nearly dead and he is now an indoor cat… he RUNS in circles and goes nuts from time to time to burn off excess energy. I say let the cat be an outdoor cat.
No, your cat should be fine. Yes, many cats do like to go outside, but your cat will not become mean unless you neglect it. As long as you interact with your cat, they will be friendly. However I do recommend getting a leash when your birthday comes around and taking your cat outside regularly, but in that time your cat will still be nice as long as you play with him/her.
This is always going to be a big argument with strong opinions on both sides. I let my cats out and they have to be in when I go away for long periods or before bed. Besides that, they have free reign. They do come when called.
I don’t think it is mean to keep them indoors but I see nothing wrong
with letting them out as long as they can come back in. Your cat is already use to being outside
Would you be happy in his position, if you were used to being outside and free? I doubt it. Unlike the majority of the "indoor" cats, he is USED to being outdoors.
Some cats can adapt to being inside, however they mostly have far more then two rooms.
I am one who believes that a cat does need to be outside. Contrary to popular belief it does not shorten their life if they have all their shots up to date, flea treatment, etc, all my indoor/outdoor cats have lived well beyond 16.
Until you can give him outside, by all means take him out in your arms, and do him a favour and let him have at least ten minutes outside. You can even make a cet fencing solution so he stays in your yard.That way he doesn’t go anywhere else, but can still go out.
It’s really sweet that you took him in and are caring for him. However, he was a stray cat that was used to being outside and that’s never going to change. I think you should just let him come and go. He will come back because he will remember where the food is. I know it’s scary to let him go and worry about him not coming back, but its in his nature to want outside. We took in a stray at my boyfriend’s house also. We started off just feeding him outside, and it took over a year but he finally started coming inside. Now he lets us pet him also. But he still always wants to go outside unless he’s napping or eating. He pretty much spends every night outside, even in the winter (we live in Michigan). Hope this helps!
I’m going to disagree with the others and say that I think that keeping a cat confined to two rooms should only be done as a last resort – Cats are designed to roam outside after small yummy things – and anytime this space is cut down, you can create psychotic cats. Even indoor cats with large spaces to roam can be subject to behavioral problems and such. If you lived in any other place besides the US and Canada, what you would be doing would be considered cruel, and baffle most of the cat loving population.
But, I agree, sometimes cats have to be indoors for their own good. But you do have options. If you think your cat is doing find confined to two rooms and shows no signs of boredom or other behavioral problems, than it might be okay to let him be. You can get a pet door for the dog that works on a chip, so the door only opens for the dog, not the cat. But, the best solution I think is to cat fence your back yard. Since its small, it should be very easy to do. That way, your cat gets the best of both worlds, and you get a happy sane cat, and a dog with access.
Check out these sites for Cat fence Ideas – You can do it yourself for a lot less money.
http://www.catfencein.com/
http://www.purrfectfence.com/
http://www.feralcat.com/fence.html
We rescued a feral cat last summer. He has all his shots and is neutered. He didn’t want to go out through the winter but now he does. We have a secure back yard that he can wander around in at his leisure and can’t get out. He rarely stays out longer than an hour or two if the weather is nice and in the evenings, sometimes all he wants to do is sit on the stairs and enjoy surveying everything out there.
If your cat really wants to go outside, give him a secure area to use.
You have a lot of factors to consider as to what is the right thing you should do:
Do you live near a busy road?
Are there a lot of wild animals near your area which could harma cat?
Is your cat aggressive to other animals? (He could start a fight)
Are there alot of cats that wander around your area? (This shows that it could be safe for your cat, but also that there are more fights that could accur)
Are there any cranky neighbours that you know to complain about animals? (I’ve known people to poison there neighbours cats because they found them annoying)
Are dogs allowed out on their own where you live? (They could attack your cat)
Is Gizmo declawed? (Declawed cats can not run up trees when threatened and should be kept in)
Are there farms nearby? (They could use rat poison and that’s dangerous to your cats, but normally farms are okay because they have a lot of cats themselves, find out whether the farm uses rat poison instead of the good olde cats)
REMEMBER: Ask people around your area who own cats or used to, they’ll tell you what they do about their cat and if a lot of cats seem to go missing in your area.
There are absoelutely millions of questions to ask and I hope you’ll be able to think of anything harming to a cat.
Also, remember that however lavish and comfy a prison is it’s still a prison. And that your cat may simply pine away if very sad. And seeing as it’s used to the outdoors it’ll find it hard to get used to being inside.
Would you ever let your kids out even with the dangers of gangs and roads? If the answer is no then you are condeming your kid to a life where it’s only ever inside and never goes out. Is that fair on any craeture? I don’t think so, btu if your surroundings are indeed very dangerous for your cat than you should keep it indoors.
There’s no one anything can tell you to do, the choice is yours.
The cat may also belong to somebody who they love and really want to go back to them. Unless your sure it’s a stray.
Hope this helps.
No, you aren’t being mean. And it’s a myth that former strays aren’t happy being kept indoors. I’ve had many former strays as fosters, and they are quite happy to be living the indoor life. They’ve been outdoors on the street in the rain and cold, and have scrounged for food. They’ve been shouted at and chased by humans, and have escaped dogs and cars. Now they are indoors where they are dry and warm, have soft places to sleep, and best of all – food!
Is there any way you could seal the doggie door while you are at home, and allow him to have the run of the house during those times? Or for your birthday you could get one of the doggie doors that works with a chip in the dog’s collar, so that only the dog can get out of it. Another option is to rebuild the fence so that your cat can’t get out of the enclosed area (there are many pictures of cat fencing online). Leash and harness training is an excellent option, and most cats enjoy it. But keep in mind that he will walk *you* and not the other way around.
I don’t think you are being over protective.
How about a possible compromise. Depending on the size of the outdoor area for the doggie business, you could attach tarps to the top to keep it covered and thus kitty couldn’t get out. This would serve 2 purposes. It would keep kitty in and provide additional shade for the dog.
Good Luck.