Can an older male cat adjust to life indoors?

[msaimee]

You mentioned he might have parasites. Did the vet give you a de-wormer? Usually one or two doses of Drontal does the trick, and it's an inexpensive drug.

Can you leave dry food out for him 24/7, and supplement with canned food once a day? If he does have parasites, he will be very hungry, and possibly anemic.

Have you tried getting him some catnip toys? Cats seem to love those. Also, you can try to engage him with a wand toy and a laser toy.

I would advise you keep him indoors. My guess is that once he's neutered, he will very happily settle indoors, because the instinct to roam and mate will leave. It may take a few weeks after the neuter for his hormones to settle down. Another option would be to take him out on a lead and harness--this is what I do with my one cat who loves to go outside. It takes several trips outdoors for a cat to get used to being on a lead, and they don't usually walk beside you like a dog--but my cat loves going out on a lead, and yours might, too. I can tell you from experience that it's much less stressful caring for an indoor cat than an outdoor cat, because you worry a lot less. Since this is a stray and not a feral, he can most likely adjust to life indoors with walks outside on a lead. I can give you some advice on that when he's healed up from the neuter.    

 

[mubin]

Thank you for the chart @Orange&White!

We don't leave dry food out for him msaimee because he tends to finish up whatever is in his bowl straight away, but if we feed him 3 meals a day, he doesn't usually beg/meow to be fed in between. In fact, when we had to fast him for his trip to the vet to be sterilised, he didn't really ask for food in the morning.

The vet did give us a deworming tablet. I'm still figuring out how to get him to eat it. He seems a bit more lethargic after the sterilisation operation and has lost some appetite. Is this normal? However, he doesn't seem interested to go outdoors anymore.

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• mubin
• Mar 27, 2017

Waiting patiently beside his food bowl.

 

[IndyJones]

Yup pretty normal. He is mellowing out because his hormones aren't going haywire anymore.

 

[tabbytom]

Okay! Thanks for the tips, I will try and calculate/estimate his calories intake. For the moment, he only asks to be fed in the morning and evening. I think that when he was a stray, he must have settled into a routine with the community feeders. Whatever we put in front of him, he will pretty much gobble up..............

His eating speed and amount will slow down once he's more or less settled in.

He gobbles up food is because as an outdoor cat, he has to eat fast so that other cats will not eat his food and also maybe the amount given was not enough as probably he has experienced that.

It takes 6 to 8 weeks before the hormones are fully flushed out of the system. And after that, his activity levels will slow down. So keep him fit by playing with him.

 

[msaimee]

Ask the vet if he has a "pill gun" he can sell you (for a few dollars). I can post a pic if you like. They are plastic syringes that you put the pill in. You open the cat's mouth and just shoot it straight down. It's how I pill all of my cats. You can get the ones for dogs in PetSmart, but it is better to get the smaller one for cats from the vet's office. I tried giving a dewormer pill to the last feral I took in by crushing it and mixing it with tuna, but she would not touch it. You can also try to give it to him in in a "pill pocket" treat which you can purchase in most pet food stores. I'm glad that your kitty is calming down, that's great
news!

 

[IndyJones]

Some cats might not like pill pockets though.

 

[msaimee]

This is a picture of a pill gun.

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• msaimee
• Sep 14, 2016

 

[shadowsrescue]

The dewormers if they are Drontral are very very very nasty tasting.  Don't try to mix it into food.  My vet breaks the pill for me into two and places it in a small gelatin capsule.  Then it can be put in a pill pocket or a pill gun an be used.  I have also taken a piece of cooked chicken and rolled it flat, then placed the capsule into the chicken and placed it into the wet food.  Sometimes it works, some times not.  

 

[mubin]

I tried giving a dewormer pill to the last feral I took in by crushing it and mixing it with tuna, but she would not touch it.

Apparently, Sumo will eat just about anything we put in his bowl. We put out a few bits of his dry biscuits and the tablet (whole) and he just ate the tablet along with the biscuits. [emoji]128514[/emoji]

 

[orange&white]

Apparently, Sumo will eat just about anything we put in his bowl. We put out a few bits of his dry biscuits and the tablet (whole) and he just ate the tablet along with the biscuits. [emoji]128514[/emoji]

That made me laugh!  You've got one easy cat there. 

 

[hbunny]

Apparently, Sumo will eat just about anything we put in his bowl. We put out a few bits of his dry biscuits and the tablet (whole) and he just ate the tablet along with the biscuits. [emoji]128514[/emoji]

Wow! He actually just ate it?!?!?  I wish mine were that easy to give pills to!  I have one weird cat out of my three that will take his if I put it in a piece of biscuit---yes, I am talking about southern-style breakfast biscuits, just a plain piece of one!  His unnatural, insane love of all carb people foods makes it easy.  My other two would make you think I'm trying to poison them if you saw them, I can't trick them with anything, they get the pill popper!

 

[IndyJones]

I can give pills without the device. Makes it easier when you have the training to restrain a cat.

 

[IndyJones]

Should mention I have a falconer glove I use not my bare hands unless it's my own cat.

 

[foxxycat]

that's great! None of mine eat tablets in their food. I use a pill popper. I coat one side of the pill-the fatter side=with butter and the skinny side goes in the piller end. I tip their head back just a bit and just place two fingers on each side of snout on top jaw and pull my wrist back=usually it's enough to crack open the mouth-insert the popper and push the plunger=follow with syringe of water- make sure they swallow it. my girl I put water in her mouth before I pill her, pill her then water again as well as butter coating helps it slide better.

never crush pills in food. it's BITTER and they will foam at the mouth and possibly won't touch their food afterwards. Best to pill them or get meds as injections. The injections just go under the skin not in the muscles like people. Some cats are easier to inject than to pill. My angel Floey was NOT pillable. I tried ALL the tricks. 3 people to hold her down and open jaw-it ended up causing more stress than it was worth. So we just got the meds as injection afterwards if it was available that way.

 

[IndyJones]

My Indy pills better than injects. She screams literally like a small child when given a needle.

 

[anahidrose]

Oh he sounds presh...fix that boy and keep him..he found his forever home..LOVE this story..keep us posted

 

[mubin]

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• mubin
• Mar 31, 2017

 

[livelovepurr]

I'm so happy when I hear about cats finding homes! If he is content with you now, he'll be content with you forever. He will be fine not going outside. Is your balcony screened in? If he likes to be outdoors, you could let him on the screened balcony or buy a window perch for him that way he can last in the sunshine. Cats love sunshine

 

[livelovepurr]

And don't over feed him. Treats are really unnecessary. No nutrition and all fat. Timed feeding is a good way to keep a cat at a healthy weight. Figure out his daily caloric intake for maintenance and divide it between morning and night!

 

[IndyJones]

What happened to his ear? It looks cauliflowered.