New here and needing some help!

[mamamia]

I'm not new to having cats, but this time is different.  I've always had indoor cats and this little sweetheart is an outdoor cat.  About 3 weeks ago, this sweet little cat decided to adopt our family.  She's been cared for, has had all her shots and whatnot, but her current owners are ready to be cat free.  My whole family has fallen in love with her and we've decided to let her adopt us! 

Here's the catch for me...she's outdoor only.  I've invited her in and she has no interest of being inside.  She's been an outdoor cat for 3 years and it's all she knows.  Besides, my husband has allergies so this is a good situation.

So, if I'm going to do this, I want to do it right.  She needs a house of her own, to keep her safe from weather and other animals.  Which is where my questions come in.  I'm going to build her a house and I know basically what she needs, but I'm unsure about whether she needs insulation.  We live in the south so 75% of the time, it's warm or hot.  When we do get cold whether, it's rarely that bad.  I'm afraid that if I insulate her house, it will make it too hot in the summer, even with the air vents I'm putting in.  Will a simply wood house, with some straw/cedar bedding and blankets be enough to keep her warm?  Her house will be on a covered porch about 2 stories up.

I want to build her a house soon.  We're headed into our hottest season and that tends to be when we see coyotes around.  I want to make sure she's safe and secure within the next couple of weeks. 

A quick bit about my newest girl.  She's around 3 years old and up to date on everything.  She's a gray striped tabby with the sweetest green eyes.  Despite being outside, she's becoming comfortable with getting a little spoiled.  I've bought her a new bed, a scratch box, a few little toys and her new food and water bowls.  Her house is going to be small, but big enough for her to move around in, with carpet on the bottom and on the roof (so she has a place to sit up high and check out the woods).  She LOVES being brushed, which I do daily, and she's happiest in my lap.  My 2 young children have been spending a lot of time loving on her, which she is happy to accept.  And they're also learning how to be good cat people.  I've been teaching them everything I can...my neighbors like to call me the cat whisperer.  Somehow, all the neighborhood cats, even the crazy ones, seem to love me.  It's mutual...I love cats!  I can't believe I married a man who's allergic! 

Thank you for any suggestions you can offer!!!!

 

[mani]

Hi Mamamia and welcome to TCS!

You may find that over time your new little girl may like to come inside.. if so and you can get her used to some good grooming, it would make it easier on your husband.

As for outside, could you make her an enclosure?  Somewhere safe to be if needs be, that would include areas for sleeping etc.

This is the thread where I describe (with pics) making up an enclosure and inside bits.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/245692/outdoor-cat-furniture-play-structures-help-please

 

[mamamia]

Thank you for your response!  We're planning to put a cat door to our screen porch so she'll have access to that as well.  But right now, her favorite place to be is our front porch.  It's big and wraps around to the side of the house and stays very cool and dry.  That's where we're hoping to build a house for her. 

She's very comfortable with being brushed...I do it daily.  I've spoken to her current owners and they've tried to welcome her into their house on several occasions but she gets very upset inside and wants to be back out.  As much as I hate to admit it, it probably wouldn't work as well for us if she were an inside cat.  But she will have access to the screen porch and we're working to clean out our extra one car garage.  It's detached from the house and was a great shelter for our dog (black lab) before she passed.  We're hoping to either put a cat door within the dog door or just add a second small cat door and leave the dog door closed.  It stays pretty comfortable in there and she would be completely safe.  By winter, we hope to have several places for her to go. 

But at the moment, she rarely leaves our front porch.  She just sits on the railing and watches everything in the woods nearby.  She hasn't ventured very far, but she enjoys wandering a bit.  And since the porch is where she likes to be, I'd like to provide her with a safe, cozy place there, and as soon as possible.  Right now, it's pretty nice outside, but in a few weeks, it's going to get super hot and usually super dry.  That's when coyotes start showing up.  They never come that close to the house and if I know there's a pack around, I'll find a way to get her in the house at night, even if she doesn't love it.  Or at the very least, get her comfortable on the screen porch. 

Sorry for rambling...this is very new to me.  I grew up having cats, all indoor.  And my kids LOVE cats so much!  We went so far as to go to a rescue and look around for a kitty of our own.  But within a few minutes of being near the cats, both my husband and my kids were feeling it.  We had gotten used to the idea of not having a special cat of our own when Miss Mia started showing up.  Her owners are friends of ours and live nearby.  They have taken wonderful care of her.  But they'd never planned on getting another cat until 2 lost kittens showed up at their house, only 3 weeks old, no mother and nearly dead.  The vet said they'd been living off bugs.  It was very sad so my friend cared for them, nursed them to health and kept them as her own.  But they already have one cat who does NOT like the new kitties around.  The male kitten has adjusted well, but Mia never seemed that happy.  But here, she's happy!  My friend (current owner) is thrilled that she's found a home with us.  She didn't want to separate the kitties and this situation is great because her brother comes to visit her frequently.  It's wonderful!  But it's also a bit scary for me.  I worry about her being outside.   

Again...rambling!  Thank you for all of your help!  I'm still open to opinions about insulated vs. non insulated if anyone has any!  And I'm looking into other play structures for her as well.  Thanks again!

 

[mani]

Cats find 'their people' and yours has obviously done that..  

My enclosure came with a hammock, and it sounds ideal for your porch as it is a very cool place to be, and high up, so she feels safe and can survey the land!

These are the people (in Australia) whom I bought my enclosure from and it included the hammock.  There are a lot of ropes to keep it where it needs to be, but the cats just love it... see if it suits your space:

http://www.catnets.com.au/cat-enclosures.html

 

[MoochNNoodles]

 I can't believe I married a man who's allergic! 

Don't worry; I did too. 

  Ours are indoor only; but they don't go into the bedroom and DH takes allergy meds daily; doesn't let them get in his face, etc.  

I second the idea of an enclosure.  Having the screened in porch might be a happy medium.  One of my old cats would break screens to get out if she wanted to; so I wouldn't count on it keeping her in but it should be better than nothing against the cyotes.  If the kitty will learn to accept the garage for shelter that might be a great option.  And like Mani said; her opinion of going inside may change with time.  I used to be bothered by the fact that my neighbor's dogs are outdoor dogs. Then I got to know them and found out that they were indoor dogs till they moved here.  For some reason the one dog just would not go inside.  Refused.  The other dog just follows that one so she wont go in either. They have several shelters in the yard and what not; but still after years of living here they wont go in the house.  So I guess you never know.  

I don't know about insulating the house.  There are self heating beds that you could add in the winter if it's cold to help. 

 

[franksmom]

I think the enclosure is a great idea to at least put her in at night when the coyotes are around. When it gets super hot outside you may be able to coax her into the AC. My sister was allergic to cats when we first got her a kitten (we didn't know) she ended up getting used to the cat and no longer had allergic reactions. I know this is rare but I have heard of other people who are allergic to cats having their allergies disappear after falling in love with a cat. I also know there are pet wipes that are supposed to help. I also remember reading a thread about a feral cat family that the wife wanted to take care of but the husband was allergic to, she compromised and set up a cat room for them where they would sleep at night. If you have a fenced in backyard or are willing to put a fence up there are methods to cat proof the fence which would keep the cats in and coyotes out. Google cat fence to get some ideas. 

 

[mamamia]

Thanks again guys!  I've been doing more research and we've decided on a 2-part option.  First, we're going to build her a small shelter to put on our porch.  That seems to be her favorite spot right now and I'd like for her to have a safe place there.  Second, we're adding a small cat door to our screen porch.  That will give her a place to go in the backyard.  Our yard is already fenced...we had a dog for years (we lost her about 2 years ago)...so we rarely see anything in the back.  I have several large garden beds back there so I work hard to keep it pretty secure.  The only thing that's had the nerve to jumpt the fence was a deer and she was so freaked out that she jumped right back out again. 

Coyotes aren't a huge problem around here, but we do tend to have long, hot, dry summers.  When it gets too hot and dry, the coyotes will sometimes come into the neighborhoods looking for food and water.  Occasionally, we'll also see a big fox wandering around.  Mia is up to date on all her shots, but from my experience, if you see a fox out alone in the daylight, he/she is probably sick or wounded (we had a den near our last house-had a wildlife expert come out to check on them and found at least one was sick-rabies).  Plus bats, racoons, opossums, snakes, etc...I just want to be EXTRA careful that she's safe.  I'm careful to always pull Mia's food in at night and never leave anything outside that would attract attention.  And we have several solar lights that come on at night...I might add a few more near the porch. 

I've discussed inviting her inside with my husband and he's against the idea.  He already takes allergy meds, nasal spray and has been through shots.  His allergy issues are pretty extreme.  But he's been working hard on plans for a cat house and is planning on putting in a cat door to our screen porch...both this weekend, if time permits. 

Thanks again for all your help!!!!

 

[Sa'ida Maryam]

Hi, is she spayed?

 

[mamamia]

Yes, she is!  And she's up to date on all her shots.  She's actually going to the vet in the next couple of weeks as she is almost due for her next round of shots. 

 

[franksmom]

Thanks again guys!  I've been doing more research and we've decided on a 2-part option.  First, we're going to build her a small shelter to put on our porch.  That seems to be her favorite spot right now and I'd like for her to have a safe place there.  Second, we're adding a small cat door to our screen porch.  That will give her a place to go in the backyard.  Our yard is already fenced...we had a dog for years (we lost her about 2 years ago)...so we rarely see anything in the back.  I have several large garden beds back there so I work hard to keep it pretty secure.  The only thing that's had the nerve to jumpt the fence was a deer and she was so freaked out that she jumped right back out again. 

Coyotes aren't a huge problem around here, but we do tend to have long, hot, dry summers.  When it gets too hot and dry, the coyotes will sometimes come into the neighborhoods looking for food and water.  Occasionally, we'll also see a big fox wandering around.  Mia is up to date on all her shots, but from my experience, if you see a fox out alone in the daylight, he/she is probably sick or wounded (we had a den near our last house-had a wildlife expert come out to check on them and found at least one was sick-rabies).  Plus bats, racoons, opossums, snakes, etc...I just want to be EXTRA careful that she's safe.  I'm careful to always pull Mia's food in at night and never leave anything outside that would attract attention.  And we have several solar lights that come on at night...I might add a few more near the porch. 

I've discussed inviting her inside with my husband and he's against the idea.  He already takes allergy meds, nasal spray and has been through shots.  His allergy issues are pretty extreme.  But he's been working hard on plans for a cat house and is planning on putting in a cat door to our screen porch...both this weekend, if time permits. 

Thanks again for all your help!!!!

I would really look into cat proofing the fence in the back yard so you could keep her safe back there without worrying about coyotes and her wandering off and getting hit by a car. Here is an example (http://www.catfencein.com). 

 

[msbedelia]

What a wonderful addition to the family! Sound like you have wonderful plans to make this work!

I am allergic to cats myself, but am able to manage it with a combination of vacuuming (with HEPA filters), HEPA air purifiers, de-allergizing kitty wipes, grooming, anti-allergy spray (for furniture and surfaces), anti-allergy laundry detergent, aromatherapy, medication, eye drops, lack of carpeting, etc. I also think my body has begun adapting. I am very lucky that this is able to work for me. I definitely know people who could not live with cats due to allergies; they're simply too severe. It's great that you guys are finding your own ways to work with this!

 

[djkitties]

What a wonderful addition to the family! Sound like you have wonderful plans to make this work!

I am allergic to cats myself, but am able to manage it with a combination of vacuuming (with HEPA filters), HEPA air purifiers, de-allergizing kitty wipes, grooming, anti-allergy spray (for furniture and surfaces), anti-allergy laundry detergent, aromatherapy, medication, eye drops, lack of carpeting, etc. I also think my body has begun adapting. I am very lucky that this is able to work for me. I definitely know people who could not live with cats due to allergies; they're simply too severe. It's great that you guys are finding your own ways to work with this!

What brand do you use for kitty wipes and anti-allergy spray? Thanks

 

[msbedelia]

What brand do you use for kitty wipes and anti-allergy spray? Thanks

For wipes, I use whatever my local pet store has in stock that looks high quality. I also add Allerpet C, because I trust that product's effectiveness more (rightly or wrongly).
For anti-allergy spray, I use Ecology Works. I buy it by the gallon and use my own spray bottle, and even though I buy it from the National Allergy website, I always get there by linking from amazon because the deals are better if you do that.