Hello, first please can I confess to being a dog person (sorry) who is rather out-her-depth dealing with the family cat.
Background: We have a rescue cat (had her years). We were told she was an outdoors cat. She wouldn't come out from behind the sofa when we got her, then after a month or so we let her out and she was completely shocked at the world and had obviously never been outside before. She had zero jumping skills, fascinated with the sky, hideous with other cats, etc. She loved it though - once over the shock. She got in the habit of spending time behind the sofa and time outside, and eating in between. She spent more and more time outside. We thought it was the kids scaring her (making noise etc, they are gentle kids and have never hurt or chased her). After maybe 3 years we were having building work done so sent her to live with ILs. We thought she'd love it - living with retired folk in a quiet house backing onto fields. She was the same - either outside or behind the sofa. She stayed 2 years in the end, before coming back to us when ILs moved to supported living. On the plus side its reassuring that she isn't like this because of our kids.
Fast forward another 2 years, cat now won't come in the house hardly at all. She has been enabled a bit by DH - she now insists all food must be put outside for her. Of course the seagulls figured this out, and we now find ourselves standing outside for 10 minutes a day, three times a day, guarding her food while she eats :S This isn't really what I imagined when we got a cat.
Main options as I see them:
- put up and shut up.
- refuse to put food outside any more so she either comes in, or starves.
(If it makes a difference she is a thin cat, always has been, and simply won't eat any extra food put out for her!).
Surely we can't be the only people with this problem? WWYD?