Feral cat to inside cat

[grawmmawmoses]

Good idea!!! I'm going to wait several days before making any changes in his room tho.....

 

[Kwik]

Good idea!!! I'm going to wait several days before making any changes in his room tho.....

Excellent,try not to make any if it can be helped-lol

You have cats so I'm sure you know just moving a chair or a statue across the room can blow their minds-

 

[grawmmawmoses]

gotcha!!

 

[tabbytom]

gotcha!!

Any updates?

 

[tabbytom]

G grawmmawmoses

Updates please!

 

[grawmmawmoses]

The catio has been installed and he has gotten used to it. Of course the door is fixed in open position so he can come and go as he peases. The catio is where I have coffee every morning and where he get most of his petting so it should be a happy place. The first couple of days he didn't hang out there anymore but now he's back to spending most of his days on the patio/catio. He shoots straight through to go through doggie door into his room but spends most of the day napping under the couch.

 

[Kwik]

The catio has been installed and he has gotten used to it. Of course the door is fixed in open position so he can come and go as he peases. The catio is where I have coffee every morning and where he get most of his petting so it should be a happy place. The first couple of days he didn't hang out there anymore but now he's back to spending most of his days on the patio/catio. He shoots straight through to go through doggie door into his room but spends most of the day napping under the couch.

Wow,what a beautiful set up that is- is thst a sliding welded wire door to the yard? Where's the doggie door? I love it,it's really really nice..... so he does come inside and go to his room all by himself- that's fantastic!

 

[tabbytom]

The catio has been installed and he has gotten used to it. Of course the door is fixed in open position so he can come and go as he peases. The catio is where I have coffee every morning and where he get most of his petting so it should be a happy place. The first couple of days he didn't hang out there anymore but now he's back to spending most of his days on the patio/catio. He shoots straight through to go through doggie door into his room but spends most of the day napping under the couch.

Great updates! Any photos of Robbie?

 

[grawmmawmoses]

The door swings open and closes but I have it fastened open. The doggie door is straight ahead as you go in the catio, to the right of the french door that leads into the house. Here are two pictures of Robbie, one sleeping on the patio and the other in his room separated from inside cats by screen door. He was in fine shape when he first showed up but now he is overweight, the often result of having had food insecurity and then having food available at all times for grazing. Sigh!

 

[Kwik]

The door swings open and closes but I have it fastened open. The doggie door is straight ahead as you go in the catio, to the right of the french door that leads into the house. Here are two pictures of Robbie, one sleeping on the patio and the other in his room separated from inside cats by screen door. He was in fine shape when he first showed up but now he is overweight, the often result of having had food insecurity and then having food available at all times for grazing. Sigh!

Oh my- he has packed on the weight,lol.Hopefully when he realizes it's always readily available he'll not over eat but in the event he doesn't maybe you might want to try weight management or metabolic- I free feed too ( with portions of wet at mealtimes) and switched to indoor weight MGMT dry and there doing well- Timmy ( my feral)was on outdoor high protein before when he was brought inside - same thing,started packing it on but as I gradually am switching his food he's also no longer eating like it's the last meal and just nibbles like the rest now....

You're set up is very impressive - Also the screen door for separation is brilliant- thanks for sharing the photos,love them ... Robbie looks like he's in Heaven!

 

[tabbytom]

Here are two pictures of Robbie

He's a cutie!

 

[grawmmawmoses]

I did try diet food but he didn't like it. He gets a 3 oz can of wet food in the morning (eats while being petted) and I cut back to 1/2 can until I read that the wet food isn't the culprit - it's mostly water. So back to full can. He is a picky eater surprisingly. He only likes certain wet foods so we accommodate his tastes. My inside cats will eat anything! I close the doggie door when it gets dark so the raccoons don't come in, so he goes all night without being fed which is why I give him canned food first thing in the morning. I found a place for his water bowl at night that the raccoons haven't found so far. If they find his water bowl they wash their filthy hands in it. Gross! No question that Robbie loves me and I love him. He comes running to me whenever I step outside. He is also very vocal. I tried putting his litter box on the patio instead of his room so he could still use it at night but he told me in no uncertain terms that he does not want his litter box outside so I put it back inside. When at first he ignored the litter box, I bought the Dr. Elsey's Touch of Outdoors litter and now Robbie is obsessed with his litter box. I put it around the corner from the screen door so he has some privacy, but my cats can still tell how much time he spends in the litter box and we are all astonished! He loves his litter box!

 

[Kwik]

Timmy too,loves the litter box - the Outdoor DrElsys was great! You can always give him an extra box outside,he might give it a try ....
I only use the weight mgnt dry food,the dry is definitely the culprit,lol It's been a slow transition mixing in little by little,we're almost at 100% they are all wild about fancy feast Primavera and small portions... we sure do spoil,huh? They deserve it!

Yeah those raccoons sure can make a mess of a water source,my problem was frogs!Uggh,it'd be dark out when I'd go to change the water & get a heart attack when something unexpectedly leaped out- but the moment they'd jump in the bowl- black water- ukkk

I'm so happy Robbie has you (& you him) he's a darling

 

[grawmmawmoses]

He truly is precious and he closes his eyes when I pet his face and neck. So trusting and loving! I do adore him! If I can get him inside with my other cats they all need to eat the same thing so I'm hoping he'll naturally quit gorging once he realizes that the food will always be there for him. I feed Royal Canin dry food and Fancy Feast canned. Because of Robbie's selective taste, I quit ordering the variety packs and only order his favorites which is fine with my inside cats. He does love his yard so I'm not sure whether he will ever be happy inside with only his catio for outdoors.

 

[grawmmawmoses]

I also have a delicate balance with my four inside cats and I pray we won't have behavior issues if I bring Robbie inside. One of my cats sometimes seems jealous of Robbie. Sigh!

 

[Kwik]

I understand completely,my 4 have a great dynamic and now with Timmy there are 5,my one teeny female is very territorial and she is not a happy camper plus she's making this difficult for Timmy to explore etc etc- it's tough but it's something thst needs be worked on and worked out because he's here to stay!

I have no doubt Robbie could be perfectly content with the catio as his only outdoor space ..... and he's safeTimmy only knew outdoors for 7yrs,it's only been 4 mos & I've not let him on tye patio yet so he'd acclimate to indoors- he barely looks out the window,it's very busy in here with 4 others to keep him entertained,,toys,trees,cubbies ,poles,perches'- and he's not even found half of them yet- indoor life is a good life,they all adjust to their environment and with people like you & I there's nothing to miss

 

[grawmmawmoses]

How long have you had Timmy inside and how long were you relating with him outside? I've tried opening the screen door to let him come into my bedroom when the other cats weren't in there but he wouldn't leave his room. Also I can't have him tested until I can pick him up and put him in a carrier. Even the mobile vet requires that he be in a carrier.

 

[Kwik]

Someone left treats under a bush for him for 6 yrs after they captured him as a little kitten and TNRd him to my Condo parking lot!I

The " treat" lady moved & called me so I cared for him for one year outside ,he never had human contact before,never a cat friend,he hid for 6 yrs- was emaciated,Mal nourished,flea & parasite infested etc..... after I could pet him I started him on Revolution Plus- introduced him to FOOD,my cats ( on leashes) then captured him and we went straight to the Vet and I had an enclosure built inside my living room where he was contained

He was brought in June 1st- his enclosure is his safe space but his door has been opened about 2, months now I think- he's loving his beds by my couch now ,starting to go into my bedroom but basically doesn't go far from his enclosure ( yet).... I have a thread all about him from day one " Timmy- Cold Turkey 7 yr old feral" if your interested

As long as they have thst outdoor option it's much more difficult,thsts why I've not let him on the patio yet- I'd like him to first explore the entire housd

 

[Kwik]

Timmy,7yr old TNR true feral! COLD TURKEY!

It's 4 months of reading but surely you can relate to many things and perhaps you'll find our journey encouragjng

 

[grawmmawmoses]

how do I access your story of Timmy? I tried clicking on the picture above but that didn't work.