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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

Are we being fair to outdoor cat?

20 replies

krustykittens · 02/10/2017 20:25

I have to start by admitting I know nothing about cats and have never owned a cat before! We moved into a new property a few months ago and the previous owners left their cat behind. It is a rural property and she was living in one of the stables. We feed her every day, bought her a bed, toys etc and make sure she gets cuddles and a bit of play time. We really cannot have her in the house as my husband is allergic and we have two terriers that would go for her. The thing is, she is a really affectionate little soul and every now and then she tries to follow us into the house. We have woods at the back of us and she seems to have the life of riley, coming and going as she pleases. We are always out and about so she sees a lot of us, comes for walks with us down the fields at feeding time when the dogs are not around, that sort of thing. But, seeing as she is so affectionate, I wonder if we are doing right by her? Would she be better off in a home where she is allowed to spend time indoors and be part of a family, rather than an outside pet? She is a very, pretty, quite small, long haired tabby - if we were to re-home her, would there be any takers?

OP posts:

sizeofalentil · 02/10/2017 20:28

You could contact an animal charity and ask them to list her on their website, but say you'll foster her until she is rehomed.

I'd be a bit worried about her during the winter. Will she be warm enough where she is?

How old is she, do you think? Is she spayed If not, you need to get that done ASAP unless you want 40 cats in your barn!

Original poster

krustykittens · 02/10/2017 20:34

She has been spayed (thank God!), we have an igloo bed for her out in the stable, lots of blankets and we have ordered one of those self heating blankets for her. Poor little thing got through last winter with no bed at all, just slept on hay. She seems like a young adult, two or three years old but honestly, I have no idea!

OP posts:

CMOTDibbler · 02/10/2017 20:40

One of my cats would love that setup to be honest - she chooses to sleep in the lean to, and really only comes in to eat. The rest of the time she is catching and killing things in the woods. She's affectionate on her own terms, but doesn't discriminate between us and the Amazon delivery man.

So, I think your cat seems to be happy enough with her life, and is used to it so no problem

thecatneuterer · 02/10/2017 20:57

As long as she has food and shelter then it's not a bad life. Yes it could be better - but you could say that about most cats. I'm sure most of mine would be happier in a house with fewer other cats to compete with for example, but at least they have a home and are safe and fed, so that will have to do.

It is so very, very difficult to rehome cats - even if you could find a shelter to take her in she would likely spend months in a pen waiting. And of course not all shelters have a 'no kill' policy.

However, you have an amazing set up for semi-feral cats. You could approach shelters and offer to do a swap = your very friendly cat in exchange for two (it wouldn't be fair to take one on its own) semi ferals. They would need to be kept in a pen for around three weeks to get used to their new home, which the shelter should be able to provide/advise on, but then they would be incredibly happy, and the shelter would have gained an easy-to-home cat in exchange for two very difficult ones. It's worth a thought.

Wallywobbles · 02/10/2017 21:09

She has a good life with you. And cats are very territorial. They really would rather not move house as a rule.

NoCryLilSoftSoft · 02/10/2017 21:15

We had outdoor farm cats growing up. They all stayed snuggly warm in the hay shed. We even had kittens from one of them kept hidden in the shed for about 7/8 weeks before we new they existed. Your girl sounds very happy and well cared for. Just make sure she has all her boosters done regularly and treat her for worms, ticks and fleas. My girl cat is supposed to be an indoor cat but she disappears for days at a time. I can't keep her in!!

Original poster

krustykittens · 03/10/2017 00:10

Hmmm, I was worried re-homing would be hard - there seems to be more cats than there are homes (as is the case with so many other animals). We are hopefully going to start building an American barn at the end of the month so we will be doing all the animals chores, indoors under one roof and she will be moved in here as the old stable will be taken down. That way we spend part of the evening around her in the winter and hopefully, she won't feel neglected. We get a cold east wind up here but the stable is sheltered and quite warm out of the wind. DH is going to put a cat flap on it for her this weekend so she can come and go as she pleases. I see her playing around the house and she seems to be happy but I do feel sorry for her as the weather gets colder. My idiot dogs are snoozing on the sofa in front of a fire in the winter and I feel she should be too. :( I'll see how she fares this winter and if she is getting too cold, perhaps it would be possible to crate her to sleep at night int he house? Does that work with cats? Thank you all for your advice.

OP posts:

Ollivander84 · 03/10/2017 00:15

We have a stable cat and she adores being one! American barn set up, if she gets cold she sleeps in the straw or in her fleece bed. Warm, dry and fed and treat for fleas and worms
Sleeping wise yes to self heating, and make sure whatever the bed is on is raised out of way of any wind and resting on something that's not cold so don't put it on say a concrete floor
I imagine she will love the American barn

NoCryLilSoftSoft · 03/10/2017 00:20

Cats aren't really crate lovers. I suspect she would be miserable. Lots of cats are nocturnal and go hunting at night. As she is already an outdoor cat it's very possibly already what she does. I can't imagine she would take to being crated too well.

ferrier · 03/10/2017 00:24

If she comes in the house she's more likely to be happy on a high place out of reach of the dogs. Not a crate.

reallyanotherone · 03/10/2017 00:30

Cats aren't really crate lovers

Yeah. Tell that to my puppy, it’s proving impossible to crate train him because the bloody cat is always in there.

Buy a crate for the dogs. The cat will soon move in if you make it very clear it’s not hers...

NoCryLilSoftSoft · 03/10/2017 00:30

Could you use stair gates to close off an area of the house to the dogs so she could go and find a wee hidey hole for herself? My outdoor girl sleeps under my bed when she returns from her adventures.

Justaboy · 03/10/2017 00:31

Lucky cat there seems to be having a good life! If she does come in I expect she'll have an argument and sort it with the dogs.

I think you ought to leave her be, she seems fine as she is and your seemingly good new "staff" to her whims and needs:-)

NoCryLilSoftSoft · 03/10/2017 00:33

Tell that to my puppy, it’s proving impossible to crate train him because the bloody cat is always in there.

Well they are contrary wee bastards too!

Perfectly1mperfect · 03/10/2017 00:45

Is there not a part of the house she could live in, a utility room or something like that ?

What lovely people the old owners must have been to just leave between they moved. 😡Do you know if they used to let her in the house ?

Original poster

krustykittens · 03/10/2017 14:11

The reason why I suggested a crate is that because my husband is allergic, I thought it would be a good compromise to give her a place to sleep when it is very cold but stop her from accessing any part of the house where it could cause him to have an allergic reaction. We do have a utility room but I don't want to put the man off using the washing machine! Also, there is no way she will come to an arrangement with the dogs - one of them is a working terrier and he will try to kill her. I just can't risk it.

thecat I did think about what you suggested and this is going to sound very selfish, but we are very fond of her now, the kids think she is brilliant (she is very playful, which I didn't think adult cats were) and the thought of swapping her for two ferals doesn't appeal. If she is happy, we would rather keep her. Sorry, I know that makes us sound awful.

Perfectly I hear you about her old owners! DH was furious when we realised she had been left and rang them to tell them to come get her. They said she would be fine, sorted herself out, didn't need feeding (?!) etc. She didn't have a name so I doubt they ever left her in the house.

I think we will see how the winter goes. That east wind is blowing a gale out there at the moment and I just went to check on her. She is on her back, paws akimbo in her igloo and just blinked at me when I walked in! Hopefully, with the barn and the self heating blanket she will be fine. I just WISH she could tell me she was happy! But being a cat, would she ever be happy?

OP posts:

Ollivander84 · 03/10/2017 14:13

I'm 99% sure she will be fine
We worry about stable cat but she chooses to go and sit in a field getting drenched while hunting rabbits
Her favourite spot is a rug storage area in the roof, she cuddles down in there and snoozes away. If people are about she demands cuddles and naps on the hay bales. Tends to look fat in summer but uses it as reserves for winter

NoCryLilSoftSoft · 03/10/2017 14:20

She is on her back, paws akimbo in her igloo and just blinked at me when I walked in!

The amount of money I have spent on igloos and various other styles of cat beds and not one of the fuckers ever used them!! I donated them all to the cats protection.

Fluffycloudland77 · 03/10/2017 16:07

I drape a fleece over our igloo bed in the winter with a gap, cat loves it.

Your Dh might get accustomed to her, Dh is allergic to ours. I think he's just glad it's not the other way around TBH. He only reacts now if he fusses the cat & then rubs his eyes.

Adult cats are playful.

Bluesheep8 · 04/10/2017 07:55

How could the previous people just leave her?!! People like that do not deserve to have a cat.Unbelievable.

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