Dog Community

Venturing Outside

Posted : 5/17/2006 8:30:55 PM

Hi Guys,

On the 1st May I resuced a cat from the vets. We were getting our annual vaccinations for two of our dogs and someone came in just before us and dumped this cat there and told them to 'kill it'. We took her. She is an 8yr old DSH and is very healthy. She is sterillised.

My father is allergic to some cats and so we put her in the garage to be an outside cat for the first few days. However, my father wasnt allergic and she is now an inside cat. She is tolerating my dogs more and more, she comes when called, is eating well and is even using her new litter tray that is fully enclosed (so the dogs dont eat the lovely cat 'gems' Crying

)

However, we have now had Motley for 17 days. Aparently after you have had a cat for a month it is ok for them to go out and they should coem back. But i have major issues with her going outside here is why:

1. Her old owners live only 2 km's or so away
2. Her feet are still pink so i'm assuming she has never been outside before
3. I am afraid that she will try and come back but the dogs might be outside and then she might nit come back because they might scare her away
4. About 500m behind our house is a freeway exit. There is a 7ft wall on our property, then some bush, then a cycle path with a fence around it and then a freeway exit

However, whenever we open the door and leave the fly screen locked, she sits by it longing to go out. Or at least the looks like she wants to go out. Also around here, the front of my house is on a little path and many of our neighbours have cats. On our evening walks we see heaps of cats sat outside our neighbours houses.

So, is it right to let her out? How should i do it to make sure she comes back? I would greatly appriciate any help and advice

Thanks

marynh

Posted : 5/18/2006 7:31:24 AM

why let her outside at all? Cats live very happy lives inside where they are safe. The life expectancy of a cat that goes outside is 9 years of age, on average; whereas the life expectancy of an inside-only cat is 16 years.
Diseases, parasites, injuries, cruel people.....and then dogs
I have to wonder when people say "oh my cats loves to be outside and she's so happy"...my cats don't go outside and they are happy, does the outside cat tell their people they love it outside.
No fleas, no parasites - it's great. I haven't had to flea treat any of my cats since I went inside only 4 years ago.
They don't get yearly vaccines cause they aren't exposed to diseases. I do get them their yearly exams but I tell the vet when they are getting what.
They have tons of toys, cat condo and tree, not a one of them asks to go out and they don't try to escape.
I don't have to go out at night hoping to get them inside and then lay awake hoping they are okay.
I'd leave her in.
I have a coworker who lets her 3 cats outside and then gets angry when a neighbor's dog or cat come onto her property. I ask her why it's okay for her cats to wander about all day but she expects her neighbors' pets to stay in their yard. She said she doesn't want her cats attacked...then I say leave them inside. But they are happy - oh sure always having to be on guard with cats and dogs wandering about.
But why do people assume cats have to go outside? We don't let our dogs wander about so why do we think it's okay to let our cats wander about?

pofi_pasquale

Posted : 5/18/2006 7:55:20 AM

Hello, Hayley:

I think it is so lovely that you rescued Motley and that it turns out she does not irritate your Dad's allergies! Good for you!

But I have to side on the "indoor kitty" route, too. I have 3 cats - all of them taken in from friends who couldn't have them anymore and 2 of them were indoor/outdoor cats. I made all of them into indoor only kitties. One of them is so happy to be safe and loved, he really won't go out even if you leave the door open. The biggest one still gets a little "spring fever" and will try to sneak out when the weather first turns nice.

Having grown up with indoor/outdoor cats and living approximately the same distance from a highway as you described, I lived through the pain of 3 of our 4 cats being killed by cars and all at relatively young ages. Indoor cats ARE healthier, live longer, and mine also NEVER have fleas. They also seem to be, most of them, anyway, a little more interactive, less remote then my childhood pets were. They also are going to predate the bird population - even with a bell on, my most recent addition (formerly my tenant's cat) left a lot of headless birds in my yard. You run the risk of exposure to FIV and Feline Leukemia with an outdoor cat, so it's at least one less vaccination for an indoor cat. Lyme disease, too.

And then there's the fear factor - stressing when you can't get them to come in at night (night time is good hunting - some cats really like it) or when you are leaving the house for most of the day and would prefer they not be stuck outside that whole time. And if you go on a vacation, an indoor cat is much more easily taken care of by a friend or neighbor!

Do they enjoy prowling around and lazing in the sun? I'm sure they do -when they aren't hiding from dogs, mean people or teasing kids and dodging cars. Are they really missing something important if they are indoor kitties - not really. Get a window shelf for her to sit in or put an ottoman in front of a low window for her. Play with her - maybe get her her own furniture to climb on and she will be your sweet kitty for much longer than is likely if you let her outdoors.

Kara

Posted : 5/18/2006 9:55:05 AM

Don't let Motley out! She will forget the outside some. At least her longing to be outside will lessen some as she comes to be integrated more into your lives. There is no good reason to let the cat outside.

hayley018

Posted : 5/19/2006 1:34:41 AM

thanks for the advice guys. My mom says the same thing - we would never ever think about letting our dogs go out alone and yet we are about to let Motley go out alone.

She is settling in much better. She came out into the family room last night and sat down for a dog treat when the dogs did. She is not very fond of the dogs but she does tolerate them much better every day.

My mom suggested letting her outside on a harness for a littlewhile (in the back garden) and letting her get some fresh air. Then maybe seeing how she does in the garden and trying to make sure she wont get over the fence and leave. Does that idea sound plausable or should i forget the outside thing altogether?

I feel so bad when she is trying to get out the door when the dogs go out [

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jensw

Posted : 5/19/2006 2:07:53 AM

A little harness sounds great. We have one for our cat, and she enjoys it. Depending on the activity/curiousity/energy level of your cat, I wouldn't count on her staying in the yard without a harness, though. Our cat did for a few months, and now if she's not on her harness the first thing she does is bolt over the fence. She's the sort who always wants to be where she's not allowed. [8|]

You could try a cat fence [linkhttp://www.purrfectfence.com/]http://www.purrfectfence.com/[/link] if you wanted to let Motley out. I think we're going to get one eventually.