So my 2 year old cat and i moved at the start of this year into a small, one bedroom apartment with a small balcony. Before this i was living with relatives and zorro was an outdoor cat that could come inside as he pleased, so 50/50 inside/outside
For the past 5 months at the new place he was also 50/50 inside/outside but has also been to the vet 6 times since moving due to injuring himself outdoors, nothing serious, just cuts on his paws and punctures from cat fights but needed the vet none the less, there seems to be allot more cats at the new place so hence the injuries.
The last injury was the most serious, he somehow tore out 3 of his claws from a back leg, as i didn't want him handicapped if he needed his claws in a situation outside, i was forced to keep him inside for the past 2 months while they grow back(they are still not fully grown, but luckily they are growing back normally), . But this was also the last straw for me, for 2 reasons:
1. The way i see it, its only a matter of time before he seriously injures himself or worse
and
2. i just couldn't afford that volume of vet bills, i can afford them for the needed health of my cat but not all the preventable injuries that can be totally avoided buty keeping him inside.
So ive decided to keep him indoors 24/7, he has now been indoors full time for 2 months.
Now my dilemma, the happiness of my cat Vs keeping him healthy and out of the vets office.
He's seems to have adjusted ok, at first there was allot of crying at the door to go out but he has now realised that no matter how much he cries he can't get out and has stopped crying and settled down. He is also desexed and is comfortable using a litter tray as he's always had one available for when he choose to be inside. There's no unusual behaviour but he is not ecstatic about the situation. The thing is, my apartment is very small(one bedroom with living room and kitchen combined and a small bathroom) and he is a very active/playful cat, also he rarely plays by himself and will only play if i'm moving the toys, so he requires allot of me to use his pent up energy and when i cant play with him he looks kinda sad but resigns to going to sleep on my bed or sitting at one of the windows.
I do have a small balcony, but until i can totally cat proof it, he cant use it as he has already tried to jump from it(luckily i was quick and literally caught him mid air).
I kinda feel that this situation could leave him susceptible to being depressed and sad and i dont know whats worse, a very unhappy cat or a few cuts and grazes. I was actually thinking the other day that, although it would break my heart, i should not be selfish and maybe i should find him a new owner with an allot bigger house where he would be able to move around allot more. So am i doing the right thing by my cat? I know there are more things i can do like getting him some perches and he is still young and is still very hyper active any may settle a bit more, but none the less im still unsure what to do.
Sorry for the drawn out post, just wanted to get as much info in as possible.
Any advice is very much welcome.
For the past 5 months at the new place he was also 50/50 inside/outside but has also been to the vet 6 times since moving due to injuring himself outdoors, nothing serious, just cuts on his paws and punctures from cat fights but needed the vet none the less, there seems to be allot more cats at the new place so hence the injuries.
The last injury was the most serious, he somehow tore out 3 of his claws from a back leg, as i didn't want him handicapped if he needed his claws in a situation outside, i was forced to keep him inside for the past 2 months while they grow back(they are still not fully grown, but luckily they are growing back normally), . But this was also the last straw for me, for 2 reasons:
1. The way i see it, its only a matter of time before he seriously injures himself or worse
and
2. i just couldn't afford that volume of vet bills, i can afford them for the needed health of my cat but not all the preventable injuries that can be totally avoided buty keeping him inside.
So ive decided to keep him indoors 24/7, he has now been indoors full time for 2 months.
Now my dilemma, the happiness of my cat Vs keeping him healthy and out of the vets office.
He's seems to have adjusted ok, at first there was allot of crying at the door to go out but he has now realised that no matter how much he cries he can't get out and has stopped crying and settled down. He is also desexed and is comfortable using a litter tray as he's always had one available for when he choose to be inside. There's no unusual behaviour but he is not ecstatic about the situation. The thing is, my apartment is very small(one bedroom with living room and kitchen combined and a small bathroom) and he is a very active/playful cat, also he rarely plays by himself and will only play if i'm moving the toys, so he requires allot of me to use his pent up energy and when i cant play with him he looks kinda sad but resigns to going to sleep on my bed or sitting at one of the windows.
I do have a small balcony, but until i can totally cat proof it, he cant use it as he has already tried to jump from it(luckily i was quick and literally caught him mid air).
I kinda feel that this situation could leave him susceptible to being depressed and sad and i dont know whats worse, a very unhappy cat or a few cuts and grazes. I was actually thinking the other day that, although it would break my heart, i should not be selfish and maybe i should find him a new owner with an allot bigger house where he would be able to move around allot more. So am i doing the right thing by my cat? I know there are more things i can do like getting him some perches and he is still young and is still very hyper active any may settle a bit more, but none the less im still unsure what to do.
Sorry for the drawn out post, just wanted to get as much info in as possible.
Any advice is very much welcome.
), but it is great for inspiration: [thread="297074"][/thread].
