Semi-stray going outside (long post!)

So I live with my mother in a multi-cat household. One of the cats is a neutered male my mom started feeding outside...then along came winter, and, feeling sorry for the oh-so-friendly stray, we let him in the house. He's very nice and obviously accustomed to being around people.

Now, our other cat is a little terrorist who can't get along with any other feline. He is the daytime cat...he sleeps at night and goes outside in our yard during the day (he can't leave the yard as he has an invisible fence). In order to keep the two kitties separate, the "stray" stays on a night schedule. He sleeps inside all day and when night comes, we let him outside. He freely roams the neighborhood, as he did before he found us...then he returns home in the morning.

Every once and a while, he comes home with scratches and cuts, as though he got in a fight or stepped on something sharp. It hasn't happened recently, but it has happened. There are plenty of dangers outside...cars, skunks, and other cats.

Sometimes I think we should make him an indoor cat. The problem is, as evening arrives, this "stray" scratches incessantly at the doors, begging to go out. If we don't open the door, he'll just sit there and scratch and scratch. He loves the outdoors. If we let him out during the day on the invisible fence, I think he would get depressed...plus, the bully cat wouldn't have as much outside time. I've been thinking that perhaps during winter we can get him used to staying inside for longer and longer periods. But then there's the biggest problem...my mother is totally committed to the day-cat/night-cat schedule. It's her house, and I very much doubt she would support making him an indoor cat.

Another alternative is taking the "stray" to a veterinarian to get routine shots. He will still go outside at night, but at least he'll be protected from getting sick from any outside cats, raccoons, etc. Again, my mom is against this..."since he's neutered, he surely has his shots." She doesn't want to take a fierce ball of claws to the vet....and I have no idea if he would ever trust us after that anyway. Even if I wanted to get him his shots myself, 1) I don't know a reliable vet nearby and 2) I don't have the money.

Sorry about the length of my post...Any suggestions? Ideas?

I think ultimately you need to determine where you stand with this other cat. It is your cat or a stray? If its your cat I feel you have a responsibility to it to provide the appropriate shots if its to be out of doors, and honestly talk with your mom about it being an indoor cat.

I think you may be suprised just how quickly it would adjust to inside life--it may take some patience with the scratching and crying to go out but you would need to stick to your guns and keep it inside.

Leslie

When we found our feral kitten, Sunny (he's 6 mos. old now) he used to claw at the doors and yowl at the top of his lungs to get out. That lasted about a week. He got really comfortable with us and had reached the conclusion that we weren't going to eat him, so he stopped that behavior. I know that it can really rattle the nerves listening to his noise, but it does get better. We can leave the doors open now and Sunny has no desire to go outside.

IMO, regardless of whether or not you decide to keep the "stray", it is best if you make sure he has the vaccines/shots needed in order to keep him healthy. I also have 8 feral cats that I feed and provide veterinary care for so I know it can get expensive. Most of them are spayed/neutered and vaccinated, the remainder will be in the next 2 weeks. If he's not neutered, he needs to be and there are many low cost spay/neuter clinics around that can do that for you.

Originally Posted by Jack31

I think ultimately you need to determine where you stand with this other cat. It is your cat or a stray? If its your cat I feel you have a responsibility to it to provide the appropriate shots if its to be out of doors, and honestly talk with your mom about it being an indoor cat.

Click to expand...

He's our cat. We just allow him to roam freely outside at night. I'll try talking with my mom about getting him some shots, but I don't know if I'll get anywhere. Feline Leukemia, FIV, and Rabies shots would be desirable. Any idea how much that would cost?

As for keeping him inside...it just doesn't seem fair. The bully cat who was an indoor kitty until we adopted him gets to stay outside all day...but we won't let the former stray cat out at all? Doesn't seem right. (Actually, our third cat is also a former stray my Mom took in...she's ok being indoors though, goes out on the porch every so often. But she's older and less energetic, it seems.)