Pet parent anxiety?

Welcome to TCS and apologies being late to seeing your thread!! You are not alone in feeling this way about your cat! Not by any stretch. :nod: I don't travel too much just because I worry about leaving them too long. In fact, :lol3: when we do get away, it is usually for about five, maybe six, days at a time. My cats are all indoor only unless they are under my care as outdoor TNRd feral cats. I feel for you deeply as it sounds like you tried so hard to turn your cat into an indoor only kitty. I would also be worried sick if my indoor cats were allowed outdoors. I just couldn't do it. I even worry about the feral cats but intellectually, I realize I have no control over them but at the very least, they cannot breed anymore. Still, it is still a constant worry if/when I will see one of them again.

My only suggestion would be to maybe try again someday in making your cat indoor only? It will help to lessen your worry tremendously. Maybe create your home to be more like the outdoors. "Catifying" it with many vertical jumping spots, cat trees, shelving, and a few window perches. Another option that many people do is to make a safe outdoor enclosure attached to the home. I do have a courtyard right off of my laundry room leading to the outside. It is completely walled in on three sides and the outside portion is completely fenced. I will sit outside with my cats if they choose to come out. Only two of my five are really adventurous in wanting to go out with me. They get some outside time each day this way and then we all come back inside together. Are possible options for you to create for your cat? :dk: My two boys are completely satisfied with their supervised outdoor time in the courtyard each day even if it is only for 15 - 20 minutes!!!

I hope others catch this your thread and sorry for the delay in any replies but certainly you are not alone in your worry over your kitty. You are in good company here. :nod:

As for travelling, DH and I don't travel together since we got cats, so someone is always here to watch them. I would be a nervous wreck if we had to leave them, even if we could find a pet sitter we trusted.

Thanks for the responses.  I should mention that I do set up a cat-cam while I'm gone.  That way I can see that he's still coming in and out of the house (via a cat door) while we're away.  I use the Presence Pro app (it's free) and it works nicely.  Our house is pretty catified.  He has lots of window perches, tall places to sit, etc.  I'd like to try again to keep him indoors, but I'm pregnant with our first child and I know that may be difficult once the baby arrives.  I have thought about a cat enclosure outside, but my husband is not in favor of it.  I try to make myself feel better by reminding myself that we rescued him from the streets and he had been living outside exclusively for at least 2 years before we took responsibility for him.  (He was a neighbor's cat but he refused to go in her house due to her loud dogs.  He always came in our yard instead and then started trying to come in our house.  We finally asked her if we could have him and she said "Yes, please take him.").  He's happier going in and out and I guess I have to look at it as a quality of life issue instead of how long he may live. 

I'm sorry I don't have any good suggestions on how to lessen your worry about your lovely outdoor kitty. Although, I saw a video about an owner that straps a camera on his cat's collar and it takes pictures and videos. However, I don't think it can act as a GPS tracker but maybe there is tech out there like that. My mom was thinking about purchasing a GPS watch for my grandpa who suffers from Alzheimers but she didn't go through with it because it was just too complicated. 

Perhaps having some way to track your cat while he's outdoor can help ease some of your worry.

urbancalgirl said:

 I try to make myself feel better by reminding myself that we rescued him from the streets and he had been living outside exclusively for at least 2 years before we took responsibility for him.

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How very, very kind of you to take the cat under your love and care from the neighbor whom did not seem to want him anymore. AW - it sounds to me like he chose you and your family and he is one lucky boy. Question? Is he neutered? I am thinking so but if not, then that could be the reason for the urinating and howling when you tried to keep him indoors only. I am hoping that your reply will be a "YES" - neutered so he is not outdoors breeding and making feral kittens. :shame:

I would see about trying to build an enclosure and work on the hubby . It will bring you great peace of mind, make the cat happy and more importantly, safe, and then in actuality make the hubby happy that you are stressed especially since you are pregnant (

Thank you.  Yes, he is neutered.  I think he howls because he just likes his independence. He has a cat door that usually allows him to go in-and-out as he pleases, so he doesn't like it when I lock him in.  

My cat Psycho was a feral but it was not too difficult to keep him indoors. I started in November when it was getting dark early and cold too . I read some where that was the time to do it. I still worry about him probably too much . My husband thinks I m crazy and too over protective but I can t help it . So I know how you feel. I bought him a St. Francis medal he wears all the time to protect him.