Hello Im sorry if similar questions have been asked before but my cat is a little more thick-headed than some and I wonder if there could be some advice specifically to help him. My 4 year old male cat, Moloki, is an outside cat. He used to live in an apt but once he got that first taste of the outdoors, he never looked back. He's been living at my parents house and can roam freely and come and go as he pleases. He has a big 5 bedroom house to be in when he is inside and a great big yard and peaceful neighbohood to roam when he is out. Im happy to let him stay there forever since he is happy, but sadly, the house is going to be sold soon and my family can no longer care for him. Now that I finally moved into an apt complex that allows pets, I would love nothing more than to bring him up here to live with me again. But I have many concerns..
Moloki has always been very sensitive to change. He hates car rides and refuses to be in his carrier. Taking him to the vet is a challenge to say the least. It usually takes 2 people to hold him and wrap his body in a towel and just hold him like a baby til we get to the vet. When I drove him from NY to PA, he spent 3 straight hours thrashing around in his carrier til I finally thought he was really going to hurt himself and ended up holding him in my lap the whole rest of the trip! When he is left inside for too long, he meows and meows and wont let up til he can go out. He also has not used a litter box in over 2 years because he is outside so much he just goes out there. So I am very worried at how he might adjust to living indoors again and in a much smaller space. I also worry about even making the trip up to my new place remembering the nightmare the trip was so long ago. Is it possible that he could adjust and eventually be a happy kitty again being inside? Could he learn to use the litter box again? Im worried he will tear apart my brand new furniture or pee all over everything. Has anyone been able to do this and succeed for a cat thats so stubborn as mine? Should I maybe get a female cat to introduce him to in hopes that he will be happier if he has a playmate? I really love him a lot and hate the thought of giving him up for adoption, especially after the absolute horror stories you hear about animal neglect and cruelty. I just dont know what I should do! Any advice will help. I know it will be a slow, long process if I do try this and I will have patience but I need to know if there is any hope I can actually make it work. Thanks!
Moloki has always been very sensitive to change. He hates car rides and refuses to be in his carrier. Taking him to the vet is a challenge to say the least. It usually takes 2 people to hold him and wrap his body in a towel and just hold him like a baby til we get to the vet. When I drove him from NY to PA, he spent 3 straight hours thrashing around in his carrier til I finally thought he was really going to hurt himself and ended up holding him in my lap the whole rest of the trip! When he is left inside for too long, he meows and meows and wont let up til he can go out. He also has not used a litter box in over 2 years because he is outside so much he just goes out there. So I am very worried at how he might adjust to living indoors again and in a much smaller space. I also worry about even making the trip up to my new place remembering the nightmare the trip was so long ago. Is it possible that he could adjust and eventually be a happy kitty again being inside? Could he learn to use the litter box again? Im worried he will tear apart my brand new furniture or pee all over everything. Has anyone been able to do this and succeed for a cat thats so stubborn as mine? Should I maybe get a female cat to introduce him to in hopes that he will be happier if he has a playmate? I really love him a lot and hate the thought of giving him up for adoption, especially after the absolute horror stories you hear about animal neglect and cruelty. I just dont know what I should do! Any advice will help. I know it will be a slow, long process if I do try this and I will have patience but I need to know if there is any hope I can actually make it work. Thanks!
