An intro from a newbie

Glad I found this forum. The wife and I have not had a cat for many years. When we moved to the country away from city life (Yea!) it wasn't too long before a stray came calling one night. Weak, skinny, and starving, we provided our Buddy with food, comfort, and the loving that he probably would not have recieved had he not found us. We took him to the vet the first week, had him neutered, all shots and feline tests, and registered him. He was a skinny, estimated to be 8-month old at the time with a few bad nicks that were taken care of by the vet. That was nearly 6-months ago. He has now gained 3 1/2 pounds, his coat is shinny the way it's suppose to be and is in excellent health. The recovery road was costly, but worth it in our opinion. The first month or so, we left him outside and he would normally be around the house each morning, except one. That morning we went looking for him and out of the field came a tattered and wipped cat! He had met his match and then some. Off to the vet again. Bad lacerations on his behind and other areas. After a 5-day stay at the vet we vowed he would no longer be allowed out at night. The countryside is teaming with coyte, fox, wild dogs, racoon, and many other varmints. He now resides in our double car garage from sunset to sunrise. During the summer he was provided cooling by fans and this winter he will have a heated pet pad for his sleeping area. He simply refuses to be a totally indoor cat and we feel he needs his freedom, at least during the day. He has adapted to the process well and shows no fear of being placed in the garage at night. He's in and out all day but confined to the garage at night where he has all the comforts of the house except heating and cooling other than what I have described. He's a great cat and always stays near, venturing only into the nearby fields. For those in similar situations, is there anything more we can provide to or for him? I just wonder if others are forced to practice this effort to ensure the safety of their feline friends and what efforts they are taking. Thanks in advance for your replies.

Hello and welcome.
I wanted to ask, why is he in the garage and not in the home? It gets cold in AL at night in the winter.

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Welcome To TCS.

Rob & Sport

Welcome to TCS!

He would probably adapt to being indoors all the time, but that's not to say he wouldn't ask to go out. I've seen coyotes in our neighborhood in broad daylight, as well. I'll bet that had he not had you to come home to, he would not have survived that attack.

However, it sounds like you're doing what he seems to like. Do you leave a light on in the garage at night? I always turn one on when our cats go out there, but it's probably more for me to see them than for them to see what they're doing.

Cats, as you probably know, like a cozy place to sleep, something that's enclosed and has only one opening. I guess that's their old wild nature showing up. Does he have a little house or nest in the garage?

I just wanted to say welcome to TCS and I hope you are able to find a solution to keep your boy safely inside

Hola y bienvenido a TCS, ...Catulina

y Milky

te saludan!!!........

(Translate: Hi and Welcome to TCS, Catulina and Milky say hello to you!!!... )

See you on the forums!

Thanks mrblanche for your reply as well as others. Yes, we too leave a dim light on at night and he has a very nice secluded kitty bed where he leaves his impression each night. I am adding a pet warmer this winter and will set that to 90 degrees to make it more comfy for him. He also has an unheated area to sleep comfortably as well. Someday he may want to remain inside, but we'll let him make that decision. For now he seems very happy with the arrangements we have made.

Bless you for taking care of this guy. I'm sure that he is very happy to have a nice bed to rest in. Beats staying outside since he can't seem to steer clear of harm's way.

Welcome!