Opinions Needed

[Rhiannon]

Hello all. I am new to Pet Talk. I'm glad I found it, if only by accident.

I need some other opinions from other cat owners.

I have five cats, all feral (wild) born but now all inside cats, each one of which is spayed or neutered. Since my dog has died, they have shown more interest in going outside. At first it may have been to see where their doggie pal had gone but now they are very keen on the outdoors. They love to eat grass until they puke. An ever endearing trait, ain't it?

Trouble is this: There are masses of feral cats that live on my property. My neighbor feeds them, then I try to run damage control by giving away as many healthy kittens as I can catch (so far 40). We've been catching, fixing and releasing as many adults as we can, but distemper runs rampant. We also have wild fox and various birds of prey in addition to the occasional wandering dog.

I have been letting them out only when I am home and can sit out there with them, but one independant girl decided to take off one day and she came back 3 hours later with a rather bizare eye injury. So now I am all paranoid and over-protective again.

Should I keep them all inside, even when they ask to go out? Or, should I just suck it up and risk their health by honoring their desires to wander outside? They haven't been outside for any extended periods since they were babies and I'm also worried that they are now to ignorant about the dangers of outdoors.

They've all had their vaccines updated, but then one goes and gets a cat nail in the eye. Now she's got a punctured cornea with a portion of her iris prolapsing from the opening. He pupil is now an odd triangular shape. It's very funny looking! Aside from that, it doesn't cause her any distress.

[K & L]

Inside ONLY is my opinion! We have 17 and all indoor only! Too many dangers out there.

By the way...good work on TNRing. Best thing you can do for them. Hopefully someone is feeding and providing water?

[Kirsten]

Hi Rhiannon, welcome to Pet Talk! :)

I would keep them indoors, if possible! Like K & L said, there are so many dangers out there, and I've seen too many of them losing their lives at a young age, hit by a car, poisened, or tortured... :(

Could be hard to keep former ferals indoor though, but if they tolerate it, I wouldn't let them go outside!... JMO

Kirsten

[PayItForward]

You'll find a very divide opinions on this forum, about inside only V's inside/outside cats.

I personally have inside/outside cats because I believe cats need to be outside and I live in a quiet neighbourhood with gardens in England.

It is standard for our American friends to have Inside cats and it is considered highly cruel, to allow a pet into the outside world with dangers like coyetes, nasty people, bad traffic etc.

Don't forget there is a third option. Fence your yard to allow your cats outside access but prevents ferals accessing the yard. Or walking your cat on a lease.

You have to look at your situation and use your common sense.

What is best for your cats ?

[moosmom]

Feral cats that have since become indoors should stay indoors.


one independant girl decided to take off one day and she came back 3 hours later with a rather bizare eye injury.

I think you just answered your own question. Formerly feral cats CAN become indoor cats. I have a formerly feral kitty, Lil Eli. He's perfectly happy being indoors only.

I hope you make the right decision. Think of your cats health and well-being. ;)

[Rhiannon]

*sigh*

Yes, these are all the same arguments I have with myself. I have always been of the "indoor only" group, not just because of the dangers but because of the problems they cause with local wild-life, specifically, birds and rodents, particularly ones with dangerously low populations. This is an especially big problem in England (saw a Nova program on it).

But I have such a small house and there are FIVE of them. I love them all but they can drive a person crazy sometimes. They scratch at the door and cry and cry to go out. It's okay for a couple of them, who won't stray past the sound of my voice.

The really cool thing is, they are so well trained, that usually, when I'm ready to go inside, I call out, "Let's go!" and they all come running back in.

A fence would not work at all. There couldn't be one high enough or deep enough. These guys can open doors, gates and, if it's loose enough, windows. I once couldn't find one and discovered him later that night in a cabinet. He not only let himself in, but had somehow managed to shut the door behind him!

Their names, btw, are Vashti (aka Triangle Iris), her sister Willow, Valentine, her brother Ender (aka King Salmon, the only boy) and Valentine's and Ender's older sister/cousin/aunt Flora.

*lol* Minus the confusion, that's Vashti, Willow, Flora, Ender and Valentine.


And since I'm new here, I guess I should say I also have a 15 year old cockatiel named Russ. I have a dying rat named Puck, who's tumor is so big, I'm thinking about giving it it's own name. He just hauls it around and is otherwise fine, and according to the vets, will feel and act fine up until the very end, so I've decided that as long as Puck is happy, I won't put him to sleep.

I just lost my Chow dog Sadie to a stomach torsion. And I'm still mourning the loss of my coyote dog Kiche to Lymphosarcoma about 5 years ago. She was six.

On a happy note though, my bird is in love with the cats and loves to sing and talk to them. I think they're just confused by him. They like to sniff him and chew on his tail feathers. NOT something I encourage, but Russ doesn't mind in the least. I put him back up on his cage, he jumps off and marches around the living room like a dressage horse after whichever cat he sets his sights on.

[Miss Meow]

Welcome!

Sorry to hear about the recent losses in your pet family, it's very sad to go through that.

I'd persist with keeping the cats indoors. There are too many other cats and dangerous things that can hurt them.

Could you make or buy an enclosure so they can be outside but enclosed and safe? Noahsmommy and her husband made a great one recently - have a search in Cat General as it was fairly recently.

[Miss Meow]

Here 'tis

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=26084

[Soledad]

I think you should keep them indoors. If having five of them all indoors is too much, perhaps look at rehoming some of them.

[moosmom]

Rhiannon,


But I have such a small house and there are FIVE of them. I love them all but they can drive a person crazy sometimes.

Believe me, I understand! I have 7 cats in a 2 bedroom apartment, so I'm sure my space is even smaller than yours. I would still try to keep them indoors. Mine drive me crazy too. When that happens, I just get out for a while. It works everytime.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Welcome to Pet Talk. :D I'd also keep your cats indoors only. This is the safest place for them. If you do take them out then you might want to try to keep them on a leash. Several people here at Pet Talk use leashes on their cats and it works quite well. Good luck. :)

[marysmerrycats]

welcome to pettalk:)
I would think that when the cat came back with a eye injury, that you would want to keep them inside. I think it is safer for the cats, and won't cost you vet bills.

[PayItForward]

A fence would not work at all. There couldn't be one high enough or deep enough.
If you want to go the fencing route, you can get cat proof fencing.

Here is a link to cat proof fencing toppers (i.e. Attaches to standard fencing)
http://www.catfencein.com

Also Kimlovescats fella made his own version of the above fencing, I'm sure she'll talk you though making it, if you are interested.

[Rhiannon]

Well, I'm never going to let my guys go outside alone or at all if I'm not out there with them. I'm going to look into some kind of outside enclosure. My neighbors have one they used when they had geese, but they don't use it anymore. Maybe they'll let me borrow it.

[Cataholic]

I have six kitties, one of which is feral. She will NEVER be allowed outside, as I would fear she would run off, and I would never get over it.

My other five are strange bizarre kitties. They stay in my completely fenced back yard. They stay within ten feet of my front door, if I let them out front. I do not leave them outside alone. They are always in my sight. I have, just recently, noticed another kitty close to my house. That makes me keep them inside.

They do pester me some to go outside, I ignore them. "I" know what is best for them, not them...if that was the case, they would eat junk food, stay up late, throw up on the table cloth, have the faucet running all the time, have me not work, etc..

[Rhiannon]

That was one of my worries too, that they'd run off and never come back. Then my most feral cat ran off and was gone for about five hours. I thought, "This is it. She's gone." Then later that night I heard a scratch on the door and she had come back.

Here's the funny part. The first thing she did was make a bee-line for the litter box. I was left standing at the door yelling, "You mean to say you were outside but held it in for five hours?? What do you think all that dirt outside is good for?!"

She just looked at me and blinked, so apparantly my point was lost on her. That seems to happen a lot.

[moosmom]

Johanna,


"I" know what is best for them, not them...if that was the case, they would eat junk food, stay up late, throw up on the table cloth, have the faucet running all the time, have me not work, etc..

Ain't THAT the truth! You had me rolling on the floor LMAO!!!

See you next Saturday ;) !

[Cataholic]

Donna,
Me and Binx, despite his many health issues, are SO EXCITED for next weekend!!!!!!!!!!! We will see you there!!!
Johanna