Whitsun being out, that is a hard decision but you make a good case especially when they are so adamant about going out. You and John have provided a lovely space for her and she clearly loves you. I say, go with God young Whitsun and be well, But please come back to your people.
Whitsun is surely becoming more determined to get out! It sounds as if your immediate neighborhood is fairly safe, though, so there's that. And you have entrances that permit cat doors, which is a big plus.
In our case, there are resident red-tailed hawks, a number of feral cats and raccoons and possums, and lots of traffic, even on our side street. So we worry every time our Zach escapes. He's often gone for 12 hours at a stretch, even more concerning. He keeps to our street, as far as we know, but still.... at least, most of the neighbors know him by now, and his tag has our number. But I wish he'd just be content with his catio.
Hawks and coyotes were what I was thinking. Cats can climb trees though and hunker under bushes. If they see them in time. Also, I read one time that collars were questionable because the cat might get hung up in trees. (?)
New cat collars have a breakaway design so that can't happen. Regarding the predator risk: I'm already working on training her to come home to a signal, and I'm determined to have her indoors before dusk. That eliminates a good number of the predators. (Coyote, fox, owls.) There are hawks in the area, but there's also SO much prey here that's far easier for hawks to choose. Our bunnies do not have claws...
I hadn't seen about the new collars. Great idea! I used to whistle for Venus, the formerly-feral who went out. She stayed in the backyard 90% of the time, unless she was under a bush in the neighbor's yard where she was born. She wouldn't come in if she was otherwise occupied.
But she was pretty good responding when called, or when it started to rain or snow, or when hungry. (I'm a lousy whistler, so could only do it through my front teeth, but it was pretty loud and a unique call.) I did 'insist' (as much as you can w/ cats) she come in after dark.
Whitsun is a much better snuggler than she was though. ;) Makes sense about the mouse, but Venus would catch field mice during the evening. Stinker.
My 13 year-old tuxedo, Dubby, used to consider it a game to get by me when I opened the door. He was a shelter cat who I think survived by dumpster-diving behind a Chinese restaurant (he is passionate about soy sauce). Interestingly enough, he stopped trying to get out after we took in a kitten that had been abandoned. The little guy, who is no longer so little, convinced Dubby that the great outdoors was not as great as he remembered, or maybe simply that making an escape was just bad form. In any case, the modeling worked, and we have two appreciative indoor cats.
Mine are mostly content supervised on the deck or in catio. One is a great sport with harness and leash. Eagles, hawks, owls, raccoons, skunks are all present. Mostly it’s the fleas I fear.
I was initially concerned about her coming home fat and happy and thinking her tummy was full with a song bird 😔, but according to felineresearch dot org, it’s not a problem on the mainland (vs an island situation). Phew!
Jenny, apparently you've done an excellent job at mothering Whitsun! She wants to come back in even when not hungry. That's an accomplishment.
One cautionary: if you have any light upholstery, keep her off it. I assumed naively that the last feral I rescued and allowed to go outside, would be okay on my cream colored vintage rocker because of all the self-cleaning. She left a line of dirt right as high as her reclining body.
Oh, and have you received the first gift of a dead mouse on your doorstep? Be careful stepping out in bare feet . . . ;)
i live in the middle of a city and have two cats indoors…better than them being in a shelter or euthanized…
we don’t all have the finances to live in rural areas…i have had many “indoor cats” and I have showered them with love and attention, there is nothing cruel in that…
A lot depends on the cats, too. Our previous cat was perfectly content to be indoors only her entire life. The one time she got out by accident, she hid as close to the house as she could manage, the poor dear.
I'm not rural, but this is a pretty quiet neighborhood with an immense amount of trees, scrub, and various backyards to explore without ever going near the streets.
i probably shouldn’t have butted in but i’m 60 years old and sometimes i can’t help myself…my apologies; i hope Whitsun continues to be so obviously content…that your husband continues to regain his health…and that you find greater peace as your situation improves… 😻
I would be interested in a Whitsun tote bag!
Whitsun being out, that is a hard decision but you make a good case especially when they are so adamant about going out. You and John have provided a lovely space for her and she clearly loves you. I say, go with God young Whitsun and be well, But please come back to your people.
Another vote in favor of a Whitsun tote bag.
Whitsun is surely becoming more determined to get out! It sounds as if your immediate neighborhood is fairly safe, though, so there's that. And you have entrances that permit cat doors, which is a big plus.
In our case, there are resident red-tailed hawks, a number of feral cats and raccoons and possums, and lots of traffic, even on our side street. So we worry every time our Zach escapes. He's often gone for 12 hours at a stretch, even more concerning. He keeps to our street, as far as we know, but still.... at least, most of the neighbors know him by now, and his tag has our number. But I wish he'd just be content with his catio.
Hawks and coyotes were what I was thinking. Cats can climb trees though and hunker under bushes. If they see them in time. Also, I read one time that collars were questionable because the cat might get hung up in trees. (?)
New cat collars have a breakaway design so that can't happen. Regarding the predator risk: I'm already working on training her to come home to a signal, and I'm determined to have her indoors before dusk. That eliminates a good number of the predators. (Coyote, fox, owls.) There are hawks in the area, but there's also SO much prey here that's far easier for hawks to choose. Our bunnies do not have claws...
I hadn't seen about the new collars. Great idea! I used to whistle for Venus, the formerly-feral who went out. She stayed in the backyard 90% of the time, unless she was under a bush in the neighbor's yard where she was born. She wouldn't come in if she was otherwise occupied.
But she was pretty good responding when called, or when it started to rain or snow, or when hungry. (I'm a lousy whistler, so could only do it through my front teeth, but it was pretty loud and a unique call.) I did 'insist' (as much as you can w/ cats) she come in after dark.
Whitsun is a much better snuggler than she was though. ;) Makes sense about the mouse, but Venus would catch field mice during the evening. Stinker.
My 13 year-old tuxedo, Dubby, used to consider it a game to get by me when I opened the door. He was a shelter cat who I think survived by dumpster-diving behind a Chinese restaurant (he is passionate about soy sauce). Interestingly enough, he stopped trying to get out after we took in a kitten that had been abandoned. The little guy, who is no longer so little, convinced Dubby that the great outdoors was not as great as he remembered, or maybe simply that making an escape was just bad form. In any case, the modeling worked, and we have two appreciative indoor cats.
I have no cat advice to offer—although I’d worry—but I would like a tote bag.
Mine are mostly content supervised on the deck or in catio. One is a great sport with harness and leash. Eagles, hawks, owls, raccoons, skunks are all present. Mostly it’s the fleas I fear.
I was initially concerned about her coming home fat and happy and thinking her tummy was full with a song bird 😔, but according to felineresearch dot org, it’s not a problem on the mainland (vs an island situation). Phew!
It's so hard when they are determined to be outside. We've had indoor-only (my preference), indoor-outdoor, and now an outdoor-only cat.
I will add safe ramblings for Whitsun to my prayers. And I would buy a Whitsun tote bag.
Jenny, apparently you've done an excellent job at mothering Whitsun! She wants to come back in even when not hungry. That's an accomplishment.
One cautionary: if you have any light upholstery, keep her off it. I assumed naively that the last feral I rescued and allowed to go outside, would be okay on my cream colored vintage rocker because of all the self-cleaning. She left a line of dirt right as high as her reclining body.
Oh, and have you received the first gift of a dead mouse on your doorstep? Be careful stepping out in bare feet . . . ;)
SO FAR we are working hard to not have her out at nighttime, which decreases the dead mouse risk! And thanks for the warning about the furniture...
Our cats have always gone out. Never been run over. Only one got lost. It certainly does feel cruel to keep them in.
The local environment (and the locals' attitude towards cats out and about and being seen outside) is a huge part of the decision matrix, too.
i live in the middle of a city and have two cats indoors…better than them being in a shelter or euthanized…
we don’t all have the finances to live in rural areas…i have had many “indoor cats” and I have showered them with love and attention, there is nothing cruel in that…
A lot depends on the cats, too. Our previous cat was perfectly content to be indoors only her entire life. The one time she got out by accident, she hid as close to the house as she could manage, the poor dear.
I'm not rural, but this is a pretty quiet neighborhood with an immense amount of trees, scrub, and various backyards to explore without ever going near the streets.
Absolutely not. I didn't mean to say so. "Cruel" was a poor choice of words.
thank you for clarifying! with an in-person conversation it would have been clear right away what each of us was trying to say… 🐈⬛🙂
she’s so beautiful though and it only takes one incident to regret the decision to let her out 🐈⬛
i’m not trying to bring guilt into the situation, i just know of too many “bad stories” to believe that anything beyond a catio is Ok for outside 😿
Given how determined she is, I honestly would worry about her trying to break out of a catio, which could cause some bad injuries, too. 😬
i probably shouldn’t have butted in but i’m 60 years old and sometimes i can’t help myself…my apologies; i hope Whitsun continues to be so obviously content…that your husband continues to regain his health…and that you find greater peace as your situation improves… 😻
No, you've got a good point, BF. Thank you for contributing.