Hi Melinda,
I know how difficult, if not impossible, it is to keep cats
inside. We have 13 rescued cats who had all been outside cats
before we rescued them.
We moved where we are because our house is on a dead end street with
no traffic and we are surrounded by woods. Therefore, when our cats
escape, which they often do I don't worry as much. In other words I
think it all depends on your area. If it's safe, and Fuji is unhappy
being confined inside. I'd let her have some freedom outside. I know
a lot of people in the group won't agree with me, but this works for
me, and my cats are always inside at night. I don't feed them after
about 3:00 pm so they are hungry and come dashing in before dark.
Lorrie
On 09-18, Melinda Kerr wrote:
I forgot to add that on our very small base there are no wild
animals, most strays are caught almost immediately ( Fuji is
collared and chipped) and the likelihood of Fuji coming across and
getting into a confrontation with another cat are very slim. Most
people who have cats brought them from the states and have already
had them vaccinated. Again, very few are actually let out. The
speed limit on most of the base is less than 40 kilometers per hour
(about 25 mph.) I know there are a lot of things she can come
across if she goes outside. I'll probably keep trying to sit out
with her as I have done since she got sick. However, if she
occasionally manages to escape my clutches, I won't worry too much!
She stays pretty close and always comes home in a couple of hours.
I really am trying to do my best to keep her healthy and happy.
Thanks again for your input and concern.
Melinda and Fuji
On Sep 18, 2010, at 6:49 AM, Cougar Clan wrote:
Suggestion: Fix her a secure kennel outside. I put up a 12x12x6 foot
kennel with a topper (anything, including a tarp, will work. I used left
over chain link). Daddy had a piece of ductwork fixed so Ebony and Mi Tu
could go to a window in a bath, go through a pet door, walk out in the
ductwork and down a ramp into a kennel fitted with plastic milk crates and
other toys. Both cats were FeLV-, healthy and wonderful. Ebony had
been a street cat until about age 3 +. He became a yard cat then an inside
outside cat then he and I moved and he needed to be an inside cat with a
play area. The cost was less than $300 and I rested secure in the
knowledge that Ebony (who was getting older) and Mi Tu (who had never lived
inside) had a safe place to go.
If you just let her go you are endangering other cats she may come into
contact with. You may be subjecting her to a painful death too. If she
becomes sick, other animals will prey on her. I'll leave the details to
you. I don't tell you this to scare you but to be sure you realize what
you may be doing. Dixie was grown when she can into my life. She was
FeLV+ and very alone. She became a garage cat then a house trailer cat
then a two house cat who had everything. I thought about just letting her
go but could not do that to the other cats that depended on me...nor
could I face what might happen to her. We live in the country with dogs,
coyotes, hawks and.well, you get the idea.
With a lot of stress-reducers, your little one will adjust. Actually,
getting a companion who is FELV+ may be the best answer.
On Sep 17, 2010, at 4:33 PM, Melinda Kerr wrote:
Hello all,
I haven't really posted much and I've never actually shared my story. I
will be brief now and say that I have a 15 month young kitty who is FeLV
positive and receiving Chemo for mediastinal lymphoma. The problem is,
she doesn't know that she is supposed to be sick. At this time there are
no outward signs of illness. She was allowed outside for a couple of
hours at a time, never overnight and always staying close to home. Now, I
try to limit her to outside time with close supervision. However, she has
started to push the boundaries and is running and hiding from me. I know
she is trying to play with me and alleviate some of her boredom. She
spends the day begging to go out, crying meee u, all day long.
She races us to the door and bites at our ankles to try to get out. I'm
faced with the decision of just letting her go because her quality of
life seems to depend on it. She is otherwise quite content. I am leaning
toward giving her more outside time and
dealing with the consequences. Her chances at a long life are very limited
anyway and I feel that I should try to make her happy.
Am I wrong to feel this way?
Melinda and Fuji
On Sep 18, 2010, at 2:52 AM, Bonnie Hogue wrote:
Yes, Natalie. I have one little lady who is a rehabilitated feral.
She raised a litter of kittens down by the creek. Some kind people
trapped them and found homes for thekittens, but no one wanted mama cat.
She's a lovely brushed coat
