Will A 2 Year Old Feral Pet Cat Adapt To Outdoor Enclosure/cage?

[r2737072]

*About 2 years ago a kitten was abandoned on our balcony, we began feeding her and caring for her, since then she continues to live around the house.
*At the age of 9 months she got spayed.
*She isn't used to humans picking her up or holding her.

However, I've been facing some problems:
*We live in a place that is near a wild open area, which means wild animals (stray dogs, jackals and snakes...) can and do roam freely there.
*I do not live alone and some people in the house do not want her inside (I do, but some don't).
*I can't giver her away because I care about her and because shes already 2 year old roaming freely outside - too feral (can't/hard to be kept indoors at someone else's and isn't used to humans picking her up or holding her)
*And I can't keep her outside wondering freely because of the dangers I mentioned (especially viper snakes whenever they show up she gets too close to them, at least from dogs and jackals she runs).

So I began to think of a solution: Building a safe outdoor enclosure/cage that is big enough for her to run around and jump.
We also began feeding another abandoned kitten about 4 months ago, so I thought I would put them together to enjoy eachother's company.

My questions are:
Will she be able to accept/adapt-to this change after 2 years of roaming freely?
And if you think she would be able to, how big should the enclosure/cage needs to be?

any help is appreciated.

 

[msaimee]

I don't know that she would adapt or be happy confined in an enclosure, especially since she's been free to roam her whole life. She's survived this long outside, she probably knows how to fend for herself. Feral cats are very savvy, they are taught by their cat mother (and sometimes also father) from kittenhood how to be safe from humans and other animals. I know there's a lot of worry involved in caring for outdoor cats, but for many of them, life confined in a cage or enclosure is too stressful.

 

[r2737072]

I don't know that she would adapt or be happy confined in an enclosure, especially since she's been free to roam her whole life. She's survived this long outside, she probably knows how to fend for herself. Feral cats are very savvy, they are taught by their cat mother (and sometimes also father) from kittenhood how to be safe from humans and other animals. I know there's a lot of worry involved in caring for outdoor cats, but for many of them, life confined in a cage or enclosure is too stressful.

First of all, thank you for the reply.

You were wrong about one thing though, maybe I didn't mention it clearly. She was left by her mother very early (which means her mother didn't teach her almost anything) she just took the rest of her siblings and left her.

I know you said that she knows how to fend for herself, I have seen how she's careful whenever she spots a dog/jackal. But whenever she sees a snake she gets too close to it to inspect it, even big venomous ones.

Besides, I heard that even 3-5 year old ferals have even became indoors, so an enclosure should be easier than an apartment for a cat.

Bottom line: What are you suggesting I do?
Again: Thanks for the reply.

 

[msaimee]

could anyone post any pics of outdoor cat runs for indoor cats

Here's the link to a thread that contains pictures of outdoor enclosures used by members of the site. I hope it's helpful.

 

[r2737072]

could anyone post any pics of outdoor cat runs for indoor cats

Here's the link to a thread that contains pictures of outdoor enclosures used by members of the site. I hope it's helpful.

Thanks for the link, however, many/most of these enclosures have access into the house (something that I cannot allow as stated in my post).
The one I intend to build is outdoor only, so, it has to be big enough because there wont be an access to the house.

What I'm asking is that do you think the cat would be able to adapt to it, if the answer is yes then how big should it be? (dimensions?)

 

[Norachan]

I think it can be done. I have 22 cats at the moment, most of them were feral born and some were a couple of years old when they came to live with me.

Sorry I don't have time to write more now, but please take a look at a couple of my threads. This thread is about the large colony of feral cats I moved house with. (Now all indoor/enclosure cats)

Moving House, Taking The Colony With Me.

This thread is about a sick feral kitten I found who had to be kept separate from the rest of the cats for a while. There are pictures of her small enclosure here.

Sick, possibly FIV+ Feral Kitten

Thank you for helping this cat. I believe she will have a much longer life if she is in an enclosure rather than free roaming.

@sheri B also has enclosure/cat room only semi-feral and feral cats.
@trudy1 I think you built some enclosures too, is that right?

 

[r2737072]

I think it can be done. I have 22 cats at the moment, most of them were feral born and some were a couple of years old when they came to live with me.

Sorry I don't have time to write more now, but please take a look at a couple of my threads. This thread is about the large colony of feral cats I moved house with. (Now all indoor/enclosure cats)

Moving House, Taking The Colony With Me.

This thread is about a sick feral kitten I found who had to be kept separate from the rest of the cats for a while. There are pictures of her small enclosure here.

Sick, possibly FIV+ Feral Kitten

Thank you for helping this cat. I believe she will have a much longer life if she is in an enclosure rather than free roaming.

@sheri B also has enclosure/cat room only semi-feral and feral cats.
@trudy1 I think you built some enclosures too, is that right?

How long did it take for your cats to adapt? and how big do you think should the enclosure be?
(I intend to put inside it a 4 month old kitten and a 2 year old cat)

 

[msaimee]

Are you ever going to let them out of the cage, perhaps during the day? Are you able to handle them? My concern is that no animal wants to live in a cage long term, especially feral cats, it's not in their nature. They may live longer, but the quality of their life may be less. One of my the kids I work with volunteered at the local shelter, and I sometimes accompanied her. When first caged, the cats would be frantic and crying, but after a while they would give up and become depressed and the will to live would go out of them. I understand that your enclosure would be larger than a shelter cage, but it is still a cage. Give it a try with your enclosure, but I hope that if your cats aren't able to adapt, and you see depression set in, particularly in the older one, that you will reassess your decision. I completely understand the worries and stress of caring for outdoor cats, I've been there myself, but sometimes we have to let them live the lives they want to live on their terms even if it causes us extra stress. A cat being kept inside a house is not the equivalent of being kept in a cage. This is something I feel passionately about, but I understand that others disagree, and have other views and experiences, I respect that, but I wanted to voice my concerns.

 

[r2737072]

Are you ever going to let them out of the cage, perhaps during the day? Are you able to handle them? My concern is that no animal wants to live in a cage long term, especially feral cats, it's not in their nature. They may live longer, but the quality of their life may be less. One of my the kids I work with volunteered at the local shelter, and I sometimes accompanied her. When first caged, the cats would be frantic and crying, but after a while they would give up and become depressed and the will to live would go out of them. I understand that your enclosure would be larger than a shelter cage, but it is still a cage. Give it a try with your enclosure, but I hope that if your cats aren't able to adapt, and you see depression set in, particularly in the older one, that you will reassess your decision. I completely understand the worries and stress of caring for outdoor cats, I've been there myself, but sometimes we have to let them live the lives they want to live on their terms even if it causes us extra stress. A cat being kept inside a house is not the equivalent of being kept in a cage. This is something I feel passionately about, but I understand that others disagree, and have other views and experiences, I respect that, but I wanted to voice my concerns.

Your right about your concerns, I'm concerned about it too, that' why I started this thread.

As for you questions:

"Are you ever going to let them out of the cage, perhaps during the day?"
No, I don't think so, if I let them out, they may not go back inside. Unless the whole thing entirely didn't work out then I would be forced to change my mind.

"Are you able to handle them?"
It depends what you mean, if you mean pick them up or holding them then no, I mentioned this in my thread.

My biggest question is about the dimensions of the enclosure.

 

[Norachan]

The bigger the better, really. How much space do you have? Is it a grassy area or a concrete floor? What's you budget?

Cat's make the most of vertical space, so if you only have a small area but could make the enclosure tall enough to put in several layers the cats will be more comfortable.

They'll need stuff to climb, closed in sleeping areas that are off the floor, a roof to keep the rain off, protection from the wind etc etc.

Make sure you have permission from whoever owns the house/land and check that you're not violating your city's construction codes. Where I live no one minds a cat proof fence, but some cities might see a catio as an extension of your house. You'll need to research that before you start building.

Could you post a picture of the area you want to build the enclosure? Is the kitten feral too?

 

[Norachan]

Here's a few links to catios you can buy or that people have made themselves.

Outdoor Cat Enclosures and Cat Runs : High Quality Pet Products by Somerzby

How To build an outdoor cat enclosure or catio

Our cats were already used to being fed by us and had been TNR'd when we moved. I kept them locked in the house for the first month because I didn't trust the fence 100% and didn't want any of them to try and get back to their original territory. The first 5 weeks were tough, but then they accepted that they live here now and they're perfectly happy.

To be honest even when they were free roaming they'd stay in our yard and the field next to it. The land we have now is about as big as the field was, but it has more trees for them to climb.

The FIV positive kitten I found stayed in her own, smaller enclosure for a couple of months. I wanted to make sure the other cats knew she was family before I let them interact with each other.

They all share the same area now.

 

[r2737072]

Is it a grassy area or a concrete floor?

It's hard soil actually, but I do intend to make a floor that would be covered with synthetic grass.

Make sure you have permission from whoever owns the house/land and check that you're not violating your city's construction codes

We own the lands, and no the cage isn't considered a house/house-extention

Could you post a picture of the area you want to build the enclosure? Is the kitten feral too?

The kitten is feral too yes, however I can't really post the picture of the area for safety reasons. (Nothing personal, just being careful, some people can use any picture to pinpoint it's location based on shadows, time of the day.....)

 

[Norachan]

Well, the catios in the Somerzby link above would be big enough for two cats. Make sure they have something like a shed in the enclosure to sleep in, stuff to climb and a roof to keep the rain off. You'll need to be able to get in there to feed them and clean up, so it should be high enough for you to walk upright. You'll need a gate too.

If you can't get real grass to grow think about something natural like wood chip for the floor. If they pee on synthetic grass it's going to be difficult to clean.

 

[r2737072]

Well, the catios in the Somerzby link above would be big enough for two cats. Make sure they have something like a shed in the enclosure to sleep in, stuff to climb and a roof to keep the rain off. You'll need to be able to get in there to feed them and clean up, so it should be high enough for you to walk upright. You'll need a gate too.

If you can't get real grass to grow think about something natural like wood chip for the floor. If they pee on synthetic grass it's going to be difficult to clean.

Thanks for the link, it cleared to me whats the size of the cage/enclosure should be.

 

[Norachan]

We have a catio being constructed in this thread.

Catio Incoming

Lots of pictures and details of how it was made. We'd love to see some pictures of whatever you make when it's finished. (If you don't mind sharing pictures, of course. )