What to do with my "black sheep" cat?

[WhatchaCallKitty]

I have 2 cats. Long story short, I didn't want to have more cats after my last one passed, because of spiritual/religious reasons (basically, living without animals for at least a few years).

Well, a foreign woman tricked me to marry her for papers, and before figuring out what she was up to, got a couple of cats, because she really likes them.

Well, as mentioned I am a religious person. She is the opposite. At least the last I saw, she is extremely into witchcraft, paganism, occult, etc.

So I sent her a picture of the available cats and accidentally picked the wrong one (got the other right). There were a few that looked almost the same.

I think it's this reason why the one who I accidentally got is so inexplicably amazing?

(Amazing doesn't describe her personality, but it's the best word I can think of.)

The other one is a "black sheep", since it's just myself and the 2 cats. Her personality is opposite of us, and I'm quite sure it's because of that woman telling me to pick her and I did.

Of course, it isn't the cat's fault, but we're in a situation where she isn't fully happy because she needs to have a different lifestyle. For example, she really likes being outside, but loving in the city, and being winter 50% of the time it is only possible to take her out on a leash half of the year.

Also giving her up for adoption may actually be better, but my other cat likes playing with her although I don't think she'll mind much about her leaving.

I don't know what to do. What are my options? How to help the other cat be happier, without adopting any more cats, but also making sure they don't kill her if I put her up for adoption? (I've heard they do this where I'm from.)

Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

 

[banana queen]

My cat used to like the outdoors a lot, but I trained her to be happy as an indoor cat and now she doesnt care about the outdoors. Plenty of play, high places to climb within the house and a wide variety of toys. You can also make a catio if you have the space.

In a city you might not have a large outdoor space, but there are catio options like this, that can fit in a smaller space.

An alternative if you live in an apartment and have a balcony, you can put netting up to prevent your cat from falling or jumping out.

 

[WhatchaCallKitty]

My cat used to like the outdoors a lot, but I trained her to be happy as an indoor cat and now she doesnt care about the outdoors. Plenty of play, high places to climb within the house and a wide variety of toys. You can also make a catio if you have the space.

In a city you might not have a large outdoor space, but there are catio options like this, that can fit in a smaller space.

An alternative if you live in an apartment and have a balcony, you can put netting up to prevent your cat from falling or jumping out.

Unfortunately, my front door faces the street, and I do not own the house, so that Amazon thing isn't possible (but thank you for the idea).

As for her being happy indoors - she is. She's about as happy as she can be, despite not being able to go out. However, when I take her outside rarely (usually at night, no cars) she gets extremely happy and excited to run around and explore. I have to chase her to catch and bring her back inside. My other cat dislikes being outside. So yeah I don't know what to do, because her spirit is that of an indoor/outdoor cat.

 

[KarenKat]

In an ideal world, Olive would be indoor-outdoor. We live near a lot of coyotes, bears and other predators (not to mention people and cars) so she can’t go out safely. We tried the harness thing and it made her inconsolable for weeks so I think it’s healthier not to try it again.

In the end, it has to be a compromise: safety versus enrichment. Some people choose safety, and some risk that their cat may be hurt or killed in order to provide that enriching environment that no indoor environment can provide. Unfortunately we have to decide that for them, they don’t understand the risk they are taking.

If you love your kitty and are just conflicted about her missing the outdoors, I don’t think you should rehome her. It sounds like she likes you and your other cat. Cities obviously offer a lot of man-made dangers, but a country life would have different ones so it doesn’t mean that she would have the outside and be safer, the dilemma would still exist.