This post is more for me than for our new charge. My experience with cats is an inside/outside stray that pretty much came with the house and lived with us for 15 years. Then a 5 year period with the care of 3, and loss of 2, feral cats. Now a special male stray cat has moved in after months of sneaking in at night and eating our remaining feral's food and leaving before morning. Once he realized if he hung out he could get breakfast too the socialization was quick and he moved in, has had initial exam and shots and will be neutered this week. He is adapting well to living inside and I've been educating myself about living with a cat 24/7 but still in the back of my mind is the idea that someday he may live the life our first stray. We have the advantage of living in the country with plenty of space and stimulation for a cat but it could also be his downfall. My questions are: How do I stifle my personal beliefs in freedom in order to protect this cat from possible harm? What have been the methods of animal caretakers to provide adequate stimulation? What do you do if the cat slips outside? How has leash walking worked out? You get my drift. I want to provide a good home for this guy. And about him, he is somewhere around 1 year old, a smoky grey medium hair, with a quiet, gentle, and very interactive personality. All in all a seemingly adaptive cat. Advice and constructive criticism welcome. Thank you.
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Stray Cat Inside Cat
- Thread starter FeralSOS
- Start Date
Inside is always best. You know the dangers outside. If you allow him to be unsupervised outside then their may be consequences down the road. Have you ever thought of building a catio? There are lots and lots of pictures. Just do a google image search on catio. He could safely be outside for periods during the day.
As for indoor play time, there are lots and lots of wand toys to choose from. A favorite is the da bird toy. My cats alos love Neko flies. You need to spend time playing with the cats each there. Jackson Galaxy, a cat guru states that cats need to Hunt, Catch, Kill, Eat, Groom and Sleep. This can be achieved with indoor playtime. You want to play with the cat until he is sufficiently tired. Really get the cat moving. After a play session of hunt, catch and kill, you offer a special food reward. This can be some plain cooked chicken, a bit of canned tuna or a even a small meal. This will satisfy the Eat. Next if the cat is tired out and has a fully belly, he will groom himself and take a nap.
I have one of my cats leash trained. You can do a search on youtube for videos. My cat likes it, but I so wish I could do a catio on my property ( darn Home Owners Association!). Yet lots of people leash train and enjoy time outside with their cats.
I have brought 2 former feral kitties inside the house. I was over the top cautious of them getting outside. Yet after being inside the house for 3-6 months, neither cat has ever tried to get outside. They have lived the dangers and harsh weather elements and know that inside is the place to be.
Some people like to get companions for their cats. This be a good idea depending on the temperament of the cats. Some cats are solitary creatures and prefer to be alone while others love to romp around and play with other cats.
Thank you for helping this kitty. You have helped to save him. He will be such a great kitty and the neuter will only make things better!!
As for indoor play time, there are lots and lots of wand toys to choose from. A favorite is the da bird toy. My cats alos love Neko flies. You need to spend time playing with the cats each there. Jackson Galaxy, a cat guru states that cats need to Hunt, Catch, Kill, Eat, Groom and Sleep. This can be achieved with indoor playtime. You want to play with the cat until he is sufficiently tired. Really get the cat moving. After a play session of hunt, catch and kill, you offer a special food reward. This can be some plain cooked chicken, a bit of canned tuna or a even a small meal. This will satisfy the Eat. Next if the cat is tired out and has a fully belly, he will groom himself and take a nap.
I have one of my cats leash trained. You can do a search on youtube for videos. My cat likes it, but I so wish I could do a catio on my property ( darn Home Owners Association!). Yet lots of people leash train and enjoy time outside with their cats.
I have brought 2 former feral kitties inside the house. I was over the top cautious of them getting outside. Yet after being inside the house for 3-6 months, neither cat has ever tried to get outside. They have lived the dangers and harsh weather elements and know that inside is the place to be.
Some people like to get companions for their cats. This be a good idea depending on the temperament of the cats. Some cats are solitary creatures and prefer to be alone while others love to romp around and play with other cats.
Thank you for helping this kitty. You have helped to save him. He will be such a great kitty and the neuter will only make things better!!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
Thank you for replying so quickly with such good advice. We're learning about toy preference. I dug out an old fishing pole so we'll try the wand idea. Fortunately (sometimes), we live in an old house with many interesting places for cats to climb, lounge and watch and a basement that is a "catacomb". And recently purchased a nearby camp with open rafters that should be fun to climb and walk. Let's call him, Boz, for Catsite posts. He only recently recovered from a nasty case of round worms so we've been babying him a bit and because of the rural environment he had to travel quite far looking for food so he needed a safe place to rest. However, after he recovers from the neuter, we'll put a plan into higher gear.Our remaining feral is intimidated by Boz. After 5 years, it's doubtful he will ever live in the house. That's a story for another day.
Thanks again
