Relocating Outside Cats - Cant Come Inside

[Felixity]

I have two cats who live outside only. They have only ever lived at one property for their whole lives but now I am moving house. I have read all the info on how to relocate by keeping them in a room at the new house, but they are not allowed in so I cant do that.

I have a shed for them in the garden. It will have all their bedding etc like a kitty cat hotel, just as they have here now. The problem is that I cant lock them in it right now because of this heatwave. Im pretty sure they will really suffer if locked into a shed in this weather. I have no where else to keep them and Im worried they will get confused and wonder off looking for home if I just let them loose at my new house. The house is surrounded by fields and the nearby village only has a few houses, but we will be next right to major road, which the cats wont understand.

Can anyone give any advice or tips please? <3

 

[Columbine]

Hi, and welcome to TCS

I have no experience in relocating outdoor cats, but hopefully this thread by Norachan will help give you ideas on how to proceed:-
Moving House, Taking The Colony With Me.

 

[Furballsmom]

Can you obtain something like a big walk-in cage?

 

[Norachan]

Hi Felixity Welcome to TCS.

It is possible to relocate outdoor only cats, but you have to keep them contained for at least a month. If you release them before this they will just take off and try to get back to their former home.

Are you planning to keep them in the garden and the shed? A shed would make a great shelter for outdoor cats, but I recommend that you put up some cat-proof fencing so they can't get out of the garden. It would be a terrible shame if they tried to cross that busy road.

cat proof fence - Google Search

There are loads of options for cat proof fencing, you can either buy custom made fencing or put some up yourself if you're feeling handy. Have a look at YouTube too, some great ideas on there.

Is it possible to keep the shed windows open and attach some wire mesh over it? It would be helpful to make a double door from wood and wire mesh too, so you can get in and out easily to feed them. Wire mesh windows and door would give them some fresh air while they are in the shed. You could also set up a couple of fans to cool them down.

Another option is to house them in a big dog crate inside the shed, keep the shed windows open and have a fan blowing during the day. Then you would only need to close all the shed windows and doors when you have to open the crate to feed them or clean the litter box.

I recommend that you get the fencing up before you relocate the cats, just in case one of them manages to get out of the shed.

Keep us posted, let us see some pictures of the shed and garden and maybe we can come up with some better ideas.

 

[Daisy6]

Welcome to TCS.

Why aren't your cats allowed to go inside the new house?

 

[Felixity]

Hi Thanks for the welcome :-)

So there are two very large secured sheds with a gap in the middle. The gap has a secure fence to the rear, a sort of front built on and a clear roof with an open doorway - sort of a shed in itself like a cross between a greenhouse and a potting shed. This is where I want to keep the cats as their main home. I have made a makeshift door from aviary wire fencing and a wooden frame, idea being to keep as much fresh air flowing through as possible. The weather seems to have changed from uber heatwave to nicely warm so Im not worried about that for now. Shame we cant take the hedgehog too!!

A month seems a long time to keep them in their shed. They are ordinary domestic cats raised since kittens inside, but they live outside because they wee in the house all over the place. We already paid 2 months extra deposit on our rent to have the cats, dont want to ruin all the carpets etc. but theres no way they can live inside because they will wreck the place. We tried all sorts to get them to stop weeing, but concluded that it was because they were competing with each other. We looked at rehoming one or both but couldn't find equivalent homes for them with big gardens etc (we live in the countryside) and one has brain damage (not to mention an extraordinarily huge vet bill on insurance and is no longer reinsurable by another owner) so we ended up making accommodation for them outside. They have great accommodation outside and if the temperature ever falls below freezing I bring them in. They get plenty of attention and its actually cheaper and easier to build a pussycat hotel than to replace all the carpets and furniture. Sorry for the long story ;-)

Ill upload a pic of the accommodation they have soon. Would be grateful for any tips when you see the pictures.

Much love x

 

[Norachan]

Are they both spayed/neutered? Intact cats scent mark a lot more than fixed cats do, so if they haven't been fixed getting that done before you move is a must. They'll spray less and they'll be less likely to wander off.

The shed set-up sounds pretty good. Looking forward to seeing some pictures.