Indoor cat needing outdoors: which option is best??

[LJW12]

Hello cat lovers and cat experts, would much appreciate your thoughts on the following:
**Please note I really don't want to start an ethical debate on indoor v outdoor cats**as this is a complex issue....
I have two cats age 6, one female white, one male tabby. Tabby had to become an indoor cat 4 years ago because he is super-friendly and kept moving in with various neighbours and basically seemed to go completely wild (yes he is neutered though). At the age of 2 he would kill huge birds including pigeons then stay with the dead bird for days, barely coming home, and visiting other people just as much as me (yes not very loyal!) He has tummy issues and I'm still figuring out with my vet the correct diet for him to be on (expense has made this a long process unfortunately). I tried putting special instructions attached to his collar such as 'do not feed, special diet' and my phone number & address in case he strayed. After several visits to and from several neighbours, and an argument with one particular lady who refused to stop feeding him (basically she wanted me cat!) I felt I had no choice but to lock him in. I take him out for walks in the garden on a harness and he has indoor toys. I'm not sure how he'd cope running free again. I had to tape up the cat flap that's in the front door, and now white female kitty comes in and out all the time, but I have to get the door!

However, this is not ideal. The plan was to save up money for some kind of cat fencing, but this means two more cat flaps in the two back doors and a separate enclosure as I'm surrounded by hedges. It looks like the housing association (landlord) may not approve this, but even if they do it's a lot of work, after 4 years I still don't have all the money saved and this is likely to go on vet bills for tabby, plus my cats still could escape through the front door when myself and a soon-to-be-lodger comes in and out. I have recently discovered that the lady who was trying to 'steal' my tabby has moved away. So my options as I see it are as follows:

1) Continue to keep tabby indoors indefinitely. This is my least favourite option as I think both tabby and I have had enough of this. I really want him to enjoy the outdoors.
2) Try to re-home them. Least favourite option but perhaps necessary? Someone with lots of money or who lives way out in the country? Someone who is home more and less stressed out about money - I'm a student nurse and I will be doing shifts for the rest of my life. On the other hand I may not find this other ideal person and cats could be worse off. In any case it would also break my heart to part with my cats.
3) Gradually let tabby out again, and allow both cats to roam freely, using existing cat flap. No expense, but lots of worry. If tabby doesn't come home I will be worried sick.
4) Find a way of getting cat enclosure put in, along with two cat flaps, (fingers crossed it will all be approved). Finding a magical solution for myself and lodger to come and go without cats escaping through the front. This option seems kindest but it will completely drain my finances.

I am completely stressed out over this. I never envisioned having these issues with my cat. We had cats growing up and they used to just come and go with no fuss. Tabby is adorable though; when he wants something he does that thing with his paw and taps me on the face. My cats growing up used to just ignore everyone. This is a cat that needs lots of attention. When I'm here he gets lots, but I have to go to work!
Any helpful ideas would be much appreciated. If you were in this situation with one of your cats, what would you do? Please be kind, I'm rather upset.

[Lilith]

Umm, I've been thinking about this.

I've made my yard secure by fixing an overhanging 'lip' of wire around the perimeter. That is - I fixed the wire a foot or two proud of the existing fence and simply bent it over so that a climbing cat came up against a barrier. Well, it wasn't that simple in practice once my Molly-Houdini arrived and I had to make several modifications, but that is it in essence.

You have hedges - could they be lined with wire and staking, the wire pegged securely into the ground to prevent a cat from getting under? I used weldmesh but the cheapest chicken wire would have done just as well. This might be a lot more affordable for you.

I have to provide a 'cat ladder' for intruders to escape, and bend the wire flat against the fence in one place for the chief visitor, Maud (DON'T come into the garden, Maud!) to get out, but when my own cats go out the wire goes back up into its 'lip' and the ladder comes down.

I agree you're going to feel a lot happier with Tabby under your eye, especially in view of his wonky stomach.

Good luck and hope you find a solution

ps I'd post pics but photobucket is sulking, drat it!

pps AH! This is very similar!
http://www.icatcare.org/advice/keeping- ... our-garden" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ohh noooo (another edit) this starts out sensibly enough but ends up with the suggestion of installing electric fencing and the cat wearing a collar which sounds an alarm???? However I'll leave the link as it does illustrate the wire 'lip' idea.

[Animal lover]

I am in favour of indoor cats - which is something that I know has a lot of myths surrounding it, which causes some people seeing it as a complete no no. I have had my cats as indoor cats from very young kittens. I have spoken to many experts in cat behaviour, vets, animal inspectors, etc., and they all say that to have indoor cats is fine. You just have to make sure that you take care of their exercise and stimulation. (You may have seen in 'Rescue & rehoming - General' the topic Refusal of adoption of indoor cats' which I began).
I am not totally opposed to outdoor cats. I believe that if people do want their cats to go outside it is best to have outdoor enclosures built for them. I would not take an adult cat and force them to be an indoor cat. I would assess the individual cat. I do think your tabby needs to be indoors and as they are used to going outside they should go out with supervision. Going in to people's houses is a problem, other people feeding them is and so is the problem of the hunting. One of my Sister's cat was a hunter who would either stay with the prey where they killed it or take it everywhere with them. Going to get in to bed and seeing feathers, blood and other bits of the poor bird on the bed is awful. The cat would be very protective of they prey and would get very nasty and aggressive when you tried to remove it. It was a definate issue. 3 big, loud bells were put on her collar, bird scarers put in the garden, wooden panels put over gaps in fencing, etc., which really cut down the successful hunts. If it was just an issue of the hunting, I would suggest to try those things.
Do you have a shed? I know someone in Housing Association and they converted the shed in to a nice inside area and also added a large chicken wire outside area on to it. The H/A were ok with that. I would ask your vet to write a letter as that can help persuade the H/A. In general most are ok with a free standing construction that does not need planning permission. I know of someone who has one built joining the house and they have a window open where their cat goes in and out of their enclosure, they do not always have to be over the cat flap. If you have one like a converted shed, you can always pop your tabby in there while you are at work. They can be very cheap to build. Do you know anyone who could build one foc? Or you can get the materials from foc? Have you thought of starting a fund raiser for one? Lots of people fund raise in different ways, or just ask for donations, in order to be able to pay for their pets surgery, etc. I am sure you have lots of friends, family, co-workers who would love to help? You will be surprised by how many people would love to help. In my area money was raised for spine surgery for someone's dog, part donations, part selling cakes. They raised so much that they were able to give some money to an animal charity.
On the uninvited guests coming in the cat flap, you can get the magnetic ones were the cats wear collars which will open the cat flap. I think that would be fine for your white cat. Then depending on where you have the outside enclosure, you may have to pop your tabby in there before work and take him indoors when you get home.
I would never want to rehouse any of my beloved animals for any reason. I have always done whatever I had to do in order to ensure they were happy and healthy. I have also been lucky with having other people at home and great vets, etc. I really hope you do not have to rehouse your tabby.

I hope this has given you a few ideas. Please let me know how you get on.

[LJW12]

Thank you for your helpful replies and your support. I just had a response from the blue cross saying: "I'm sorry I don't think you'll find anyone to pay for your fencing or vet fees and your cats will need to be re-homed. Where do you live?" I know I sounded stressed out in my email to them and perhaps therefore not very responsible, but isn't this jumping the gun a bit and not very supportive? If I get this work done and dusted the only concern then is getting a catsitter when I go away. What do you think?? And any more ideas or thoughts anyone? Would someone else do a better job looking after my cats? I'm not sure I could bear them being taken away by strangers then advertised on some website.

[mr_frisky]

I prefer to let cats out when I can. For when I'm not there, or when it's dark I let them go into the back garden which I cat-proofed inexpensively. http://www.photobucket.com/catgarden" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; shows a few early pics after I first did it a few years ago. The brackets cost £1 each from screwfix, the netting £12 for a 65 foot run (times 2), plus a staple gun to affix it and a few metal barriers around trees.

[Lilith]

That sounds a bit - a lot! - drastic! Especially when the cat shelters are usually overflowing - would have thought they would encourage you to keep your cats - you sound VERY responsible to me!

Well, true, no-one but you can foot your vet bills/fencing project, but you'll get there. Amazon is a good place to start for wire etc. It's a daunting task at first, but measuring up and calculating cost might be more reassuring than you think - admittedly I've no idea of how large your garden is. (Just seen post from Mr Frisky, some good tips!)

Worst case scenario is that Tabby has to stay indoors for a bit longer than you bargained for, which I know isn't ideal, but do hope you go on coping, as you clearly love your cats - you wouldn't have posted if this wasn't the case.

All the very very best and keep in touch

[Animal lover]

I personally find that you should not judge places based on the response you get from one person. I recently dealt with a great person who was very helpful and when I called back the next day and asked for the same person again, they were out on a rescue. So the person on the phone insisted she knew why I was calling and what message to leave. She was horrid! She was someone stuck in the 1800's. I know a lot of places with staff and volunteers like that and I personally find that they should be told 'thank you for your time and goodbye' as they are one of the biggest reasons that places struggle for donations and adopters, etc. No one is going to support somewhere that is ok with being rude, short sighted, stuck in the past, etc. Places need to act like a business, especially in today's day and age, and one of the most important things to realise is that the first and last impressions of somewhere is what makes someone decide if they want to support you.

There are lots of great cat sitters out there. What times will your lodger be working? Maybe you could sort something out with them? Or if you have friends with older children who could cat sit? Your tabby may have to stay in for a while longer, you may have to stay in more often and safe more, but I do feel that it will be worth it. As long as you play with your tabby and have lots of toys to stimulate them, they should be fine. If they are ok going out on a leash too, then I think you are doing the right thing. You may feel that they should go to a shelter or a new home, but there are no guarantees they will be better there, unless you are very specific on what type of home you want and do an inspection, etc. I would definitely ask around for help, donations and fundraising. Some people may say no, some may say yes.

[Sage]

Since he's got stomach issues and you're working on a diet I'd hold off on letting him out unsupervised. There's no way to know what he's eating out there and if he gets a reaction you won't know the source.

I don't know you or what your cats need, but I'll say one sign of a great owner is doing the best for your animals, even when it hurts. Good luck!

[Suzynick]

Hi

I am in a very similar situation. I have two cats and I have issues with both of them. Firstly we have Storm who is a serial sprayer, so much so that he spends time outside and when he comes in he has to stay in the kitchen/diner which isn't a huge amount of space.

Secondly we have Alfie his brother, he went out as usual a few years back and didn't return as normal. Eventually he came back the following morning but he was so petrified he wouldn't come in the house. We got him in and took him to the vets and the vets said he had literally been running for his life, all his claws were bashed and still don't retract back in properly.

Alfie loved the outdoors before, he is a real sunshine cat, but he would sit by the door shaking. Eventually I managed to get him on a harness and we are still going for garden walks even now. i would never let him back out on his own as he didn't have a lot of road sense anyway and was always going somewhere he shouldn't! He copes very well with his lead, I walk him when I get home from work and during the warmer months I walk round with him with my dinner to save time!

I can't get my garden cat proofed as very small and the trees are too close to the fences and we don't get much privacy in our garden so wouldn't want to take them down. Also this means storm too would be confined to the garden which I would prefer but he doesn't have a huge amount of space in the house so to do this to the garden wouldn't be fair on him.

Both mine have issues with each other at times, both being boys, but occasionally do lay together so I know they don't detest each other. That said I did think about one of them being rehomed sometime ago, but there is no way I could do this so I perserve.

Hope this helps in some way!

[Suzynick]

Mine also has a tummy problem!

[Mrs Kane]

Hey there LJW12,

Have you considered scouting the B&Q types stores for netting of any sort? I managed to get some for my cat (though I haven't put it up yet, haven't been able to talk to my neighbour about permission ) for 40€ for 8 metres, so that's about 32/34 quid, which isn't bad. At least then Tabby can roam around your back garden. You could start small, if that's possible, perhaps netting over your back door area so he can go outside and sun himself.

I agree with you saying you want to keep an eye on him with his diet. A cat sitter can be expensive but perhaps it's worth looking into as a short term investment until you're able to sort out a more permanent solution? Failing that are any friends or relatives willing to come over and cat sit at any point during the week for him?

Does he seem very distressed as an indoor cat? IE always making noises at the door or pawing at it? It is possible to teach some cats to become indoor ones over time. As long as he doesn't take to showing remarkable signs that he's unhappy then perhaps it might be a good idea to keep him as an indoor guy. My issue would be is he sad that the other cat gets to go out and he doesn't?

[Cussypat1974]

Health wise, the tummy issue with tabby is the only thing stopping outdoor access? Is that correct?

White cat goes outdoors with no issues? Just trying to get a handle on the situation!

What is the actual diagnosis of his tummy trouble? Is eating wild food actually a cause?

Him visiting other houses is absolutely normal for cats. You shouldn't be offended. Just because I have one friend doesn't mean I cannot have many! I LOVE when my cats make friends with humans in the area, because it means so many people are looking out for them, and care about them.

Cat proof fencing CAN be done cheaply and doesn't need any permanent structures (planning permission) if you have walls already. You can train your lodger or find one who is already trained.

You COULD rehome tabby to the countryside, but be aware that some HORRIBLE things happen to cats in the countrysiðe too.... As I have had experience. Search for a thread on my Hamlet if you dare...... I will never get over it.....

If I were you, I would work on a cat proof garden. Yes it takes money and time. If you take more time, you can do it cheaper. If youost pics of your garden, we could all give you ideas!