My limit (and advice about inside vs. outside)

[STLCardsBlues1989]

Thanks. I feel like a horrible pet parent on one hand (because it is more dangerous outside), but I know she'll be much happier outside. She didn't really like it in here and the tension was palpable. She can play with her brothers now and run around and play.

[20yrsinBranson]

Originally Posted by STLCardsBlues1989

I have four housecats. We recently brought Matilda into the house (she is the fourth). I love her and she is sweet. However, it's been ten days now and she and the other cats do not get along. She wants to be outside. There haven't been a lot of behavioral issues, but twice someone has peed in my bed. Tonight she sat on top of me and peed on me. Fortunately I caught her in time and she only soiled one blanket (I washed them all tonight before bed).

I don't want to kick her outside, especially with the weather the way it is. I do love her. But I'm really frustrated. Multiple times a day the cats have hissing fights and she starts some of them. She obviously does not understand the litter box thing completely. I'm just wondering if three was my limit as far as having cats inside. I wonder if Matilda (once the weather gets warmer) would prefer to be outside. She definitely misses her mother and her brothers (who are outside cats).

Is it okay to kick a cat out, at least for the summer time? I'd hate to, but I'm at my wit's end. The other cats have their issues, though the scratching thing has mostly cleared up (they're using the new scratching post). I've tried to be patient with all of the cats, but Matilda has worn me to a frazzle. Maybe I'm being unfair to her, but I'm running out of patience. I won't do anything immediately, but I can't be turning around every half hour to break up a fight or wash my sheets. I go back to school in January and I don't have the time or the energy for this.

Is it wrong to put a cat outside? Are some cats just not cut out for the inside life, especially if they've never experienced it before? Or will it work out if I'm patient? I just don't have time for all of this drama. Everybody has their limit and I think I've reached mine. In the Spring she should be fine outside. Her mother and brothers are out there anyway. There is the road out there, which is a risk, but I don't really think she's all that happy in here. I'm not sure I would be happy in a place where nobody (as far as cats) liked me. Maybe I'm just frustrated because I got peed on and I'll feel better tomorrow. But I've been wondering about this for a while. I may be at my limit. The inside cats are feeling more like a burden than a joy right now, but I suppose that's the case with pets. But I can't live with my parents forever and I don't want to accumulate too many inside cats, since they are more work. I'm just feeling really weighted down.

I don't want to risk her life by putting her outside, but having her outside is not an automatic death sentence either. There certainly are risks. I think she, I, and the other cats would have more peaceful lives if she were outside with her mother and brothers. I feel like a horrible cat owner saying that, but I think, once it's warmer, that life would be better for all of us if she were outdoors. I want her to have a long life, but also a happy one. Shouldn't the quality of the life be as important as the quantity? I don't think she's miserable here, but I think she would be happier outside where she could roam and be with her family, the cats who do love her.

And, please, don't give me the "well you don't love you cat" line. I do love her. But I don't want to keep her confined when that may not be what is best for her, as far as quality of life. I'm not being irresponsible. I am seriously trying to consider what is best for her and the other cats. If you want to attack me, that's fine. I'm just trying to do what is best for them. Advice is fine. Attacks I don't need.

Anyway, thanks for your advice and Merry Christmas.

I would find another home for her where she can be the only cat. Putting her outside would not be a good idea. She may have been accustomed to being outside previously, but that was in a different location. Cats are very dependent upon the circumstances of WHERE they are raised. It is very, very difficult for them to learn new territory. I think that her chances of survival would be very limited if you kicked her out.

That having been said, if you have a very protected back yard (no dogs or ornery little neighborhood boys), you might get away with it (when the weather is warmer), but once she is out of your yard, her fate is unknown. Typically outside cats live less than 3 years on the average. It really is a dangerous life fraught with fear and pain and eventually death.

If you can find a nice home for her, that would be preferential. Also, if she is not yet spayed, that might help reduce some of the bad behavior. Hormones make a cat a little crazy. Most altered cats I know are content to sit around and get fat. If she is already spayed, then obviously, that is not the case with her.

best of luck. I think that maybe three is your limit.

20yrsinBranson

[foxywench]

you say they have acess to the shed, has anyone given any thought to turning the shed into a "cat house" add shelves and wooden boxes and ramps up the walls so they can get up higher snuggle down, and fill the boxes ect with straw.

cats do fine with incliment weather as long as they can get out of the drafts...a wet cat is an unhappy cat...but a wet cat exposed to a wind or draft is a dead cat...

(this goes for most animals/livestock...its not the cold/wet that the problem, its the combination)

[ulrikeV]

I have given this advice already in the beginning of the thread, but it seems around here the general attitude is an indoor only cat is worth all the comfort and attention she deserves while an outdoor cat is left to fend for itself, maybe fed some kibble occasionally.

Originally Posted by foxywench

you say they have acess to the shed, has anyone given any thought to turning the shed into a "cat house" add shelves and wooden boxes and ramps up the walls so they can get up higher snuggle down, and fill the boxes ect with straw.

cats do fine with incliment weather as long as they can get out of the drafts...a wet cat is an unhappy cat...but a wet cat exposed to a wind or draft is a dead cat...

(this goes for most animals/livestock...its not the cold/wet that the problem, its the combination)

[STLCardsBlues1989]

20yrs- we brought her in because she was recovering from spay surgery. that was a few weeks ago. she knows the area. her mother was a stray and she was raised in my yard. her mother and brothers live outside as well. i know the risks of having her outside, but i could tell she was much happier. as far as rehoming, read the papers. few people want cats. if i hadn't taken care of them, nobody would have. having her outside is not the safest, but she is definitely happier.

[20yrsinBranson]

Originally Posted by STLCardsBlues1989

20yrs- we brought her in because she was recovering from spay surgery. that was a few weeks ago. she knows the area. her mother was a stray and she was raised in my yard. her mother and brothers live outside as well. i know the risks of having her outside, but i could tell she was much happier. as far as rehoming, read the papers. few people want cats. if i hadn't taken care of them, nobody would have. having her outside is not the safest, but she is definitely happier.

Well, if you don't have a lot of car traffic you might give it a try and see what happens. If you are rural, there are always dogs, coyotes and owls to worry about. I think I'd give it a bit longer though. You might buy one of those Feliway pheromone dispensers that you can buy at larger pet stores. It might help considerably. Also, depending on the size of your house, maybe you could restrict the kitty to a specific area rather than giving her the run of the house.

Best of luck. I'm sure it's a very difficult decision to make. I had a kitty once that was from a long line of alley cats and she never did adapt to being an inside cat. She was totally psycho. One day I set her outside for a few minutes, as I had done many times in the past, and she took off never to be seen again. She just was not happy living inside with me. SO I understand where you are coming from.

20yrsinBranson

[suei]

Oh I see a lot of people with outdoor cats leave them outside and give them access to sheds etc..

No, I didn't my previous cats had choices they could go out or come in. If they had been in all day I would open the door to let them out. If they had been out all night I would call them in.

Towards the end of their lives I found I would let them out on a morning and by the time I was going to work they would come in it was the same on an evening, basically they went out to toilet and came back.

Whether indoor or outdoor I love the affection and companionship a cat has to offer.

[=^..^=]

Originally Posted by STLCardsBlues1989

20yrs- we brought her in because she was recovering from spay surgery. that was a few weeks ago. she knows the area. her mother was a stray and she was raised in my yard. her mother and brothers live outside as well. i know the risks of having her outside, but i could tell she was much happier. as far as rehoming, read the papers. few people want cats. if i hadn't taken care of them, nobody would have. having her outside is not the safest, but she is definitely happier.

For the sake of your sanity, your family's sanity and the cat's sanity, I believe you did the right thing. Once a cat knows the outside world it's often hard to convert them to indoor cats. You at least tried and that counts for something.

[suei]

I'm inclined to agree with the cats whiskers (poster above), once a cat has been an outdoor cat, then they are an outdoor cat. For all the risks and dangers my last outdoor cat died in my arms 3 years ago he was 14 and was pts because of a tumour in his mouth.

You may be aware I now have three indoor cats, I made that decision before I brought them home.

I don't believe the right thing to do is to rehome her, if you love her.