Cats that live outside

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When viewing our new house, my DCs fell in love with the 2 cats that currently lived there. The cats followed the children everywhere outside and were very friendly. We mentioned how lovely they were to the vendor and he said they were outside cats, they had lived indoors but since his wife had left him the previous year they had not lived in the house. They had a bed and food in the garage and seemed happy enough with the arrangement and certainly looked healthy to me.

Anyway, every time we spoke to the DCs about the house all they wanted to talk about was the cats and could they have them? DCs are 6 and 4 so didn't fully understand that not everything comes with the house when you buy it!

As we got closer to completing the sale, during one phone conversation with the vendor I happened to mention my DCs obsession with the cats and he said we could take them on with the house if I wanted. I agreed and the DCs were of course delighted.

Fast forward to completion, we didn't complete on the day we should have, due to our lenders' almighty cock up, and by the time it did go through a few days later the vendor had gone and the cats had gone too. Cue two very upset children.

So... The big issue is that I am allergic to cats - sneezing, runny nose, tight throat and itchy eyes. I know I couldn't live with a cat indoors but am fine in an outside space. There are 3 acres of land with the house and as it's very rural I imagine a large rodent population in the vicinity. I'd love a couple of hunters to help keep it down but as they could only live outdoors I have no idea how to go about getting any - if it's even possible at all?
I'm guessing no shelter would rehome in such a situation and I certainly don't think kittens could grow up outside or could they?

Or am I just being cruel (be honest as I really know very little about cats but am willing to learn). My DCs have always loved cats but due to my allergy know they could never have one - until this house came along.

Apologies it's so long but thought it best to explain how this whole crazy situation came about!

Ah that's interesting to know, thanks.

You're right though, for the DCs sakes a friendly cat would be the main thing I'd be looking for as they really do love cats.

Maybe I just need to get a dog

As Alpaca says many rescues including ours (Celia Hammond's) have semi-feral cats that need outdoor homes such as yours. It really wouldn't be fair to keep a friendly cat as an outdoor cat though.

That's what I needed to know, thank you. I have no idea whether cats actually have a need to live indoors as part of a family or if they're just as happy outside. As I have no experience of cats, but lots with dogs, cats always appear to have that air of aloofness and independence about them which has made me think they would be just as happy either way. But if a friendly cat would be happier indoors then that rules that out.

Out of interest - if I were to adopt a semi-feral cat, what would encourage it to stay on my land? Or more to the point, how would I stop it just wandering off and living elsewhere?

Rescues are often looking for people like you.
I have 4 outdoor cats, all semi feral. Three wouldn't dream of coming in the house one comes in occasionally but he doesn't like it if the door us shut.
Mine have an outside shed, they have insulated sleeping compartments with cat electric blankets in their beds if it is cold.
After 6 years I can stroke two of them, the other two are very shy. They'll follow me around the garden and sunbathe on the patio by the house but they don't want to be handled.

The only downside I can see is my semi ferals aren't user friendly, so if you had similar cats your children might be disappointed.

Forgot to add, we had an outdoor cat who suddenly after 10 years moved into the house.
I came home one day to find him asleep in the dog's basket and after showing no inclination to even come in the house he became the perfect house cat.

Rescues that home semi-ferals have full support for them, including starter pens that get them used to where they live for a couple of weeks. Then, as long as they have food and shelter, they're not going to go off anywhere. They also provide help to trap/catch them to bring them in for any treatment they may need.

It's worth noting that some semi-ferals do become tame over the years, but they would be happy to continue to live outside even then as they would be used to it.

All these semi-ferals sound perfect!

Shy I can handle, it's whether they're aggressive that worries me. I think my children would leave the cat alone if they know it doesn't want attention but is there a chance the cat might 'go for' them unprovoked? Or are they more typically likely to just keep their distance anyway?

If I was just after a cat to hunt mice/rats then I'd definitely be up for a semi feral, I'm not sure the DCs would get why we have a cat that is too scared to be stroked though :(

Mine have never ever shown aggression, they are lovely cats.
I have had outdoor cats who were happy to be stroked in the past, it's just the majority of my current bunch are shy.
If you are in no rush contact your rescue, let them know your requirements (e.g. outdoor but friendly and handleable) and they can contact you when the right cat(s) come in.
I would recommend 2 or 3 rather than a single cat as mine love to snuggle up together on a cold night.

A feral/semi-feral is never aggressive in that sense unless you've cornered them and are trying to touch them.

And yes, you need to have at least two.

Maybe the children could be sold the idea that a cat you can't touch is better than no cat at all?

Not that I'm trying to talk you into it but here is a picture of three of mine.
Two of them have only been with me since last summer - when we had them they were very very shy, when we released them we'd see them hiding in hedges and sheds.

Today I was in the greenhouse planting stuff and they stayed the whole time (I should point out many other baskets are available they choose to squeeze into one)
The black cat actually came and rubbed his head against my hand and this evening his sister came into the conservatory for the first time.
If you are patient I'm sure you will end up with some lovely cats.

I love mine, they are real characters and as well as doing a grand job of pest control we love seeing them about the place and interacting with them. The definitely enrich our lives

They even get on (to a degree) with the current house cat who is a real madam and they are pretty unphased by the dogs.

Lovely photo:)

Any excuse to post a cat photo!
The front two had been in rescue for more than 18 months - no one wanted them because
a) One was black and weirdly although the other is a tortie now when we had her her body was black
b) They were so shy they hid when people came to view
c) They rescue suggested they would be best off as out door cats with the option to come in if they choose.

I adore them so much - I went to rescue to get a friend for the tabby (squashed at the back of the pic) cos his companion cat had died and my other outdoor girl is a loner.
As you can see he approves of his new pals.

Beware our semi feral is now the biggest softest lap cat ever! Most cats,given time, love to be around people and will find their way into your heart and home eventually.

Those cats are gorgeous. Did you have a mice problem before they came?.

To be honest we've had cats as long as we've lived here so we haven't had a mouse problem per se.

When we moved into the house there were mice, but a resident house cat along with a huge effort to block every entrance got rid of them. The funny thing is the house cat was the laziest beast ever and had never caught a thing.
During the first week DH opened a cupboard and a mouse literally jumped out into the cat's paw - I don't know who was more surprised. It did however trigger his hunting instincts.

Because we're very rural we know there are loads around and I'm sure without the cats we'd be in trouble - during the years when the fields adjacent to the house are sewn with corn the cats have a field day.

Tbh if you're rural there's a chance a cat will just roll up at some point anyway. We live near dairy farms and get farm cat overspill along with (we suspect) a few dropoffs. Our current cat is 12 years old and keeps the mice down a treat - although she's spending more time indoors these days. We reckon she's ex-farm as she was obviously used to people. If there are any farms nearby I'm sure you could find a good candidate there.

I think our lady is a good balance as she's inquisitive, follows us around the garden, etc, and will even jump on a lap as long as it's on her own terms. But she can't be lifted and will swipe any child who tries to ambush and bundle her about the way some cats seem to allow. We've always made sure that visiting children are well warned!

I actually like her better as she is - an independent moggy rather than an animated cushion

Personally I think that possibly the two reasons you have for getting a cat are conflicting. An outdoor cat might not be the pet or companion your children are looking for, especially if it's not the resident cats you saw with the house. You might be able to talk to a rescue centre, they may a suitable cat, if you have somewhere for them to shelter and can provide food, it may work.