Indoor to Outdoor Suggestions?

[kc&sherman]

Hey everyone, it's been a while since I've been on this site. I have a rather urgent question, though.

My two cats, KC and Sherman, have been strictly indoor cats all of their lives, and though my mom has moved with them quite a few times, they've never been allowed outside (save an occasional supervised visit). On this move however, the new location does not allow cats and we're being forced to find them a new home. One option, (and the one I'm trying for) is for the cats to move into my dad's house, where I live most of the time. My stepmom is unfortunately extremely allergic though and, should they move in, they would have to be outdoor only (with the exception of the garage).

They're aged 5 and 7, and I'm afraid they'll be too uncomfortable to make the switch. I'm afraid they won't have "street smarts" so to say, and either be hit by cars, fight with other cats, or even run away and get lost. I don't want them getting hurt, but I love them dearly and don't want to have to give them up.

Any suggestions on either where they should go or how to make a safe transition from indoor to outdoor? Thanks in advance.

--Sara

 

[mrblanche]

I would suggest you might be able to build an outside enclosure for them.

Putting cats that old outside is a very serious thing, and could easily cause them to get hurt, sick, lost, or killed.

 

[carolina]

Is there a fenced yard that you could do an enclosure?
I am with mrBlanche... Otherwise I would re-home them... it is much too dangerous, and they will be harmed.

 

[kc&sherman]

Well, nothing they wouldn't be able to jump. :/

I really don't want to have to find them a new home, this is absolutely killing me.

 

[white cat lover]

Living in the country & having outdoor only cats, I think if you live in a populated area outdoor cats are not wise. At their ages, they would eventually adapt & develop the skills needed to survive - if they aren't killed first. Even living in the country, injuries happen. This is one of my farm cats Saturday night after a run-in with another cat.



I won't say it's the easiest life for them - but it's all most of them have ever known. And several I brought home when they were on "death row".

I did build a small outdoor enclosure, attached to a shed for a few of the farm cats (one was not surviving on her own - one is very elderly - and one pretty much gets his behind kicked by 3 of the other cats). It's nothing fancy - about 6' wide & 15' long.

 

[carolina]

Originally Posted by kc&sherman

Well, nothing they wouldn't be able to jump. :/

I really don't want to have to find them a new home, this is absolutely killing me.

Don't die - would you be willing into investing some $$$ into modifying that fence a little? There are ways you can modify your fence so they won't jump...

Take a look at this - there are other versions you can research for less $$$ too -
http://www.purrfectfence.com/

and this post too: http://www.thecatsite.com/Care/36/Cat-Enclosures.html

 

[farleyv]

I know you love your cats, but please reconsider. These guys are not street smart, traffic smart or stranger smart. Also, cats are known to travel many miles to their old homes. So dangerous. Please find an alternative. They look to you for safety. Just an aside, these days there are so many things one can take for allergies. Might you bring this up?

 

[gloriajh]

ugh, what an awful decision to have to make --- I hope you'll be able to do the enclosure thing - and, carolinalima - thanks for those links on outside enclosures!

oh, FYI - when I went to the link(s) I immediately received an email from one of the Retailers - cagesbydesign.com advertising their product

not sure how they got my email address - members on this website don't even have access to it ???

 

[goldenkitty45]

100% indoor cats rarely survive long being forced outside 24/7. You would do best to either find a friend or other family member to adopt them, or put them up on Petfinder/Craigslist and find them a home.

Its not fair at all to them - you are right. There are too many dangers, they won't understand and they will get hit by cars or worse if you just make them outside cats from now on.

If you cannot find a home, the other option is to turn them over to a shelter to be rehomed.

 

[kit e cat]

I would euthanize every one of my cats before I would let them go somewhere where they would have to live outside all the time. Just MO and I'm not suggesting you do that. I just couldn't do it.

 

[foofy cat lady]

I know from my experience, some folks with allergies have lessening symptoms over time. When I first brought Diesel home, my fiance would have to wash his hands every time the cat looked at him, otherwise his eyes would hurt. And now, two years later, my fiance is sleeping with cats on his head.

That, of course, depends on her willingness to suffer for a little bit to see if it changes.

If your cats are indoor-only.. It could spell tragedy for them

How big is the garage? Do they park in it? Would they be safe to spend all their time in there, as far as warmth and catproofing, until you move to another place that does allow cats?

 

[kittyl0ve4]

I say you should talk to your stepmom about seeing her doctor about maybe putting her on some medicine that could help her allergies and allowing the cats inside. It is unfair to make them go from indoor only to outdoor only. They don't know the outside. As others have pointed out, they could be hurt, lost, or worse than anything, killed.

If you are willing to spend some $, it would be a good idea to build them an outdoor enclosure. It would ensure their safety. You would have to make sure the enclosure has some sort of shelter for them to get out of the rain/snow or whatever depending on where you live. If it gets really cold there you could buy them heated cat beds and a space heater to keep the shelter part of the enclosure warm in the winter. I think the enclosure idea is the best alternative to them just living outside to learn how to protect themselves from unknown danger. If you do decide to build an enclosure please consider the ideas on the shelter and how to keep them warm. Build shelves in the enclosure and put a cat tree in there to give them vertical space.. There are so many ways to build an enclosure to keep them safe and they really could be fine and happy, and you don't have to spend a ton of money either.

Best of luck on the choice you make. I just hope it is in the best interest of the kitties and their safety.

 

[otto]

Originally Posted by Kit E Cat

I would euthanize every one of my cats before I would let them go somewhere where they would have to live outside all the time. Just MO and I'm not suggesting you do that. I just couldn't do it.

Thank you for saying so. As would I. They'd be devastated, and very likely dead very quickly. Or worse; lost, starved, sick, hurt, picked up by some sicko and tortured. It's unthinkable.

I am sorry you are faced with this but there is a solution. Find a home that allows cats. Pets are for life, not until they are inconvenient. I'm sorry if my words hurt you, I am. I understand that you said this is not your decision to make. But.....I just can't stand it. I take these things too personally.

 

[esrandall2000]

Originally Posted by mrblanche

Putting cats that old outside is a very serious thing, and could easily cause them to get hurt, sick, lost, or killed.

I totally agree!

 

[jack31]

I'm going to play devils advocate here.

I have an outdoor cat and will soon have two. I would never judge someone for placing a once inside cat outside without knowing the whole story. I have been and will continue to be judged for having outside cats. And until Ginger came into my life I never would have considered it. But she has taught me a lot and although I know this post will get hatred I think opinions are just that and that all should be heard.

I don't know a lot about Ginger's background, other than I took her in off the street from the neighborhood I was working in. She was very pregnant, but oddly very clean (no worms, parasites, fleas or diseases), and also extremely trusting--the vet believes she was a loved indoor pet. I had only one option for Ginger when taking her in and that was a large dog crate on my porch outside. There she gave birth to five healthy babies and raised them. At about 3 weeks I made an extension to her cage that made the enclosure about 2.5ft wide, 8 ft long and 2.5 ft tall. It wasn't great but it wasn't the street, and Ginger wasn't getting pregnant and her babies were safe. When her babies had found homes I had Ginger spayed and tried to rehome her. Nobody was interested. I had two options, send Ginger to the local kill shelter, or keep her as an outdoor cat. Although Ginger was a young cat, I knew she didn't stand a chance at the kill shelter, it was kitten season, and when caged she can be aggressive and bite d/t frustration. She'd be dead. Option two meant keeping her outdoors at our rental home and knowing that her life might be shorter, than our indoor cats, but that she wouldn't be euthanized in the shelter. Maybe I was selfish, but I couldn't do that to her.

Ginger welcomes me every morning and walks me to my car, and is waiting on the porch when I come home from work. We do live in a suburban neighborhood, but in any given day 15 cars maybe drive down our street. We did just move about 1/4 mile from our rental, and Ginger has returned to it two times in the last month. But if I found her dead today I would know that the decision I made 3 months ago, extended her life by 3 months. I'm okay with that. She's known love, and thats something prior to me I don't think she knew.

I'm not saying everyone should send their indoor cats outside. I wouldn't dream of sending my two males outside. I promised them a life without that--as Harley spent his first year of life fending for himself on the streets and Jack was abandoned as a kitten. But I think we need to choose for ourselves and understand the consequences. Yes their lives will be shorter. Yes there are dangers indoor cats don't have. But sitting in a shelter cage for months or years isn't a great life either.

Leslie

 

[otto]

I like your post. Lucky for Ginger she found you. Not all are that lucky though.

I really do think that people who rescue and work in shelters may have a different view point than someone like me, whose cats are my whole life, as I am theirs.

People who rescue do see the other side of the story. They see happy endings coming out of tragedy. They know a cat can be at the end of his or her rope, and then find a happy life again.

In my brain I know this is so. In my heart, I cannot bear the idea of my cats ever coming to any sort of harm, or fear, or life without me. Perhaps that is partly because they are all special needs. Maybe. The only way to guarantee that nothing will ever happen to them, ever, is to keep them with me, and take them with me, should I die.

Of course I realize this isn't about me. I just take things like this too personally, I know.

But.....my heart is breaking for the OP who is being forced to make this decision. My heart is breaking for the cats who are losing their home. I feel a deep anger toward the people/circumstance who are forcing the OP to do this.

I just cannot bear it.

 

[otto]

I can't stop thinking about this. Maybe...everything hasn't been tried? Sometimes landlords will be flexible if someone asks. Perhaps offer a pet deposit and a little extra a month in rent. Stress they are trained to scratch only their own furniture and don't pee around the house. That they are quiet adult house cats, not rambunctious kittens. It's worth a try, right?

 

[yayi]

Originally Posted by Jack31

I have been and will continue to be judged for having outside cats.

You are not alone. All of my cats go outside too.

Maybe we should start judging those with indoor only cats!

Back to the subject, I disagree that the transition from indoor to outdoor is hard on the cat. Outdoor to indoor is more stressful.
I have a friend who adopted an indoor only persian adult two years ago. In a month's time after her arrival in her new home, she would spend most of her time either in the front porch or up on the roof. There are other cats around, mostly strays. She has shown no interest in joining up with them and they don't bother her. My friend has never owned a cat before but now she just loves them for their independence and intelligence.

 

[icklemiss21]

It is one thing having outdoor cats, but to take a 5 and 7 year old who have lived indoors and putting them out 24/7 is another thing.

I am not judging those with outdoor cats but I would turn down your application if you came to my shelter looking to adopt. I have cried myself to sleep too many times thinking of the ones torn apart by coyotes, hit my cars etc.

Personally, I would find a home for them where they could be kept inside, they do not have the knowledge of predators like outdoor only cats would have. Yes some cats may be ok, but could you forgive yourself if something happened to them?

 

[littleraven7726]

Originally Posted by icklemiss21

It is one thing having outdoor cats, but to take a 5 and 7 year old who have lived indoors and putting them out 24/7 is another thing.

I am not judging those with outdoor cats but I would turn down your application if you came to my shelter looking to adopt. I have cried myself to sleep too many times thinking of the ones torn apart by coyotes, hit my cars etc.

Personally, I would find a home for them where they could be kept inside, they do not have the knowledge of predators like outdoor only cats would have. Yes some cats may be ok, but could you forgive yourself if something happened to them?

A friend of ours indoor-only cat got out a few weeks ago, was missing for 2 weeks or so, and when they found him (the odds were against them finding him again) he was being cornered by a tomcat and lost so much weight it took a while to recognize their cat! I believe the cat is 5 years old.

Three of the cats I have adopted since moving away from home were cats that were indoor cats put outside. I came along just in time, as all 3 were very very thin. Two of them were declawed cats (they were several pounds underweight for being 1.5 yrs old). I found out about them through a coworker. The 3rd was a 5 mo. old kitten when we found her, and she was 2 lbs. The vet said she likely wouldn't have lasted another 2 weeks had we not gotten her. So please, please, don't put them outside.

If it were my choice, I would find a rescue organization or try through Craigslist or any other means to rehome your cats. Put fliers up at local vet clinics & feed stores. I've seen ads on Freecycle lately for cats & dogs. Petfinder has classified ads you can use. Ask your friends and coworkers, put up fliers at work or ads in your employee newsletter. Two cats of that age being put outside isn't going to work out well (for the cats). It would be different if they had even been indoor/outdoor, because then they would have some "street smarts".