Should I surrender my cat?

89Mo

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I have a lovely 18 month old male cat
he currently has access only to the back garden, as he isn't big enough to jump over the fence to be able to roam
I live on a corner block next to a street that has pretty steady flow of cars
ever since I got him I cannot shake the thought of him getting out one day and being involved in an accident.
When I adopted him I had planned to keep him indoors only, but he had other plans lol

and No, I'm not prepared to confine him to a cat run as he is used to enjoying the whole back garden, and there is no option to enclose the whole yard.
any object he could jump on has already been removed from the fence line.
he's a very small cat, and I mean I've already had him 16 months and hasn't escaped yet.

am I being irrational with my fear?
I do believe cats should live a natural fun filled life, but wouldn't forgive myself if anything happened to him
I do struggle with anxiety as well.

I mean I could give him up to another family, and the same thing may happen.
what should I do?
 

nurseangel

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Hi, I understand your concerns. Has he been neutered? That helps, but doesn't totally prevent roaming. And he can't get out of your garden? At eighteen months, he should be fully grown. I am hesitant to give advice because only you can make the decision whether to keep him. I still worry about the kittens that I caught and sent to a no kill shelter. I like to think that they went to happy homes but I am a worrier. Please keep us posted.
 

HeyKat

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Your fear is not irrational. Cats can and do get hit by cars. Google "cat-proof fence." It could prevent him from ever being able to get out of your back yard.

Also, is he microchipped? That way if he gets out, if someone finds him they can get him back to you.
 

BoaztheAdventureCat

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You have good reason to be afraid, but don't continue to dwell on that fear. And in my opinon, no, the reasons you gave are certainly not good reasons for re-homing your cat! I didn't know about the cat-proof fence that HeyKat mentioned; that sounds cool, however in the grand scheme of things, I don't think that's nearly as worthwhile of an investment as it would be to harness and leash train your cat. You may be able to keep your cat fenced in that way, but what if he climbs a tree and gets out, or a wild animal gets into your yard and grabs him while you're not looking?

There's too many risks of so many things going wrong if you let your cat go outdoors when you're not around.

This playlist I've found to be very helpful in learning how to leash-train a cat and the benefits of doing so in the way that Traveler's Garden suggests:
 

LTS3

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You can try transitioning the cat to indoors only. Have patience as it may take time for the cat to get used to being indoors only.


A catio would be ideal. You don't need to fence in the entire yard. A small enclosure that your cat can safely spend some time in with supervision is fine. Something like this:



You could even build one close the house so the cat can access the catio freely through a window such as this:

 

Babypaws

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Patience is the key. I have an Indoor feral cat…..I think she was born in our shed but not sure when, never saw her til 2020 and that was when we also found her litter of 3. I started feeding them, long story but I ended up bringing the kittens inside and kept feeding mommy. She would wait every morning near the porch door to be fed. She ended up getting pregnant again and had a litter of 5.
There was no way I could care for 5 more cats (already had 11 inside.) I called a rescue place and they came out and trapped the kittens and mommy. I asked them to bring the mother cat back because she was familiar with the area and I would care for her. When they brought her back it took a few weeks and I was able to trick her to come on our enclosed porch and I never let her outside again..
but it took 4 months for her to trust me enough to let me pet her. A month or so later I was able to trick her into getting into a carrier and I took her for her exam and shots. Once her shots were complete I would let her come inside the house for a few hours a day, she would sleep on the porch at night. She’s been strictly inside the house now for 6 months….maybe I’m just lucky but she’s doing fine. She is such a good cat and loves to be petted but still won’t jump on my lap but I’m working on it. I’m hoping her 5 kittens were adopted and have a good indoor home.
Cats are much more safe being inside whether they realize it or not. i’m So glad I decided to bring her inside….
You have to remember the more a cat is outdoors whether to roam free or have a catio the bigger the chance of getting fleas….
 

game misconduct

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not to be harsh or mean ok but you are the owner and the one in charge not the cat you chose to allow the cat out side so yeah your fears might one day become a reality with only yourself to blame for it. also can also make those fears go away by simply keeping him as an indoor cat only.you are the owner the one in charge not the cat and as an owner sometimes we must make choices for the better interest of our pets regardless if the pet likes it or not
 

Novus888

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I have a lovely 18 month old male cat
he currently has access only to the back garden, as he isn't big enough to jump over the fence to be able to roam
I live on a corner block next to a street that has pretty steady flow of cars
ever since I got him I cannot shake the thought of him getting out one day and being involved in an accident.
When I adopted him I had planned to keep him indoors only, but he had other plans lol

and No, I'm not prepared to confine him to a cat run as he is used to enjoying the whole back garden, and there is no option to enclose the whole yard.
any object he could jump on has already been removed from the fence line.
he's a very small cat, and I mean I've already had him 16 months and hasn't escaped yet.

am I being irrational with my fear?
I do believe cats should live a natural fun filled life, but wouldn't forgive myself if anything happened to him
I do struggle with anxiety as well.

I mean I could give him up to another family, and the same thing may happen.
what should I do?
"I'm not prepared to confine him to a cat run as he is used to enjoying the whole back garden"

So it's basically an 'all or nothing' scenario huh? So he either gets the whole garden, becomes an indoor cat, or you unburden yourself? Either get a cat run (a 'good enough' solution), make him a indoor only cat, palm him off on someone else, or get used to the idea that the odds are good he will learn how to climb the fence. Choose the option that causes the least anxiety.
 

Nebaug

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You live on a busy road. You are not willing to make him an indoor only, you are not willing to give him catio you are not willing to cat proof fence. So , what are you willing to do ?
 

Tigger's Mum

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Your fear is not irrational. Cats can and do get hit by cars. Google "cat-proof fence." It could prevent him from ever being able to get out of your back yard.

Also, is he microchipped? That way if he gets out, if someone finds him they can get him back to you.
Was going to suggest the same thing.

There are also these. This is for Europe but I'm sure there'll be similar in America.

Cat Fence Roller Kits
 
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89Mo

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8 89Mo what did you decide? I realize my post was a week+ late
I gave Benny back to the rescue group on 30 April. I gave a list of his likes and dislikes and what he loves to eat for dinner. I described his ideal home. The rescue group owner whose house I dropped him off to, has about 50+ cats so he's making cat friends and getting socialised, then he'll be available for adoption soon.

I just have too much anxiety to have pets. I worry about everything.
I've started medication and counselling because my anxiety is getting the best of me.

Thanks everyone for your kind messages. 😊
 

Babypaws

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I’m sorry to hear you gave him back to the shelter but maybe now he can find a good home and become an indoor cat
 

fionasmom

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I know this was a very hard decision that you made considering what is best for the cat. It was responsible of you to bring him back to the rescue so that he can be rehomed. I hope that things will improve for you.
 

game misconduct

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I gave Benny back to the rescue group on 30 April. I gave a list of his likes and dislikes and what he loves to eat for dinner. I described his ideal home. The rescue group owner whose house I dropped him off to, has about 50+ cats so he's making cat friends and getting socialised, then he'll be available for adoption soon.

I just have too much anxiety to have pets. I worry about everything.
I've started medication and counselling because my anxiety is getting the best of me.

Thanks everyone for your kind messages. 😊
best of luck in living/dealing with your anxiety my gf suffers from that as welli see how difficult it can be to live with for her. you can do it
 
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