Well, I couldn't help myself. It's pretty cold here and I went outside a couple of times yesterday and there was a small cat outside of the house. It was super cute and would run over to me every time I left the house. Suffice it to say, my dog is now giving me the eye because we have a kitty living with us. I haven't had cats since I was in junior high, which is some time ago. I have a few questions. I am very particular about my house and have someone clean weekly. I am trying to decide if the cat can be an indoor cat or indoor/outdoor. Anyone have a cat that stays inside at night and some during the day, but also goes outside? I did buy a self-cleaning litter box and a cute bed for her last night, but I'm just not happy about the litter box idea. I'm not trying to offend anyone - it's just the way I am. I am trying to let the kitty and our dog get used to each other, but I will eventually put the litter box in the laundry room, which is where we keep the dog's bed. My mom thinks I should make the cat a home in the garage (in a box with blankets), but I just don't know. One other consideration, I'm pretty sure we will have kittens in a month or so. I am taking her to the vet on Saturday, but just hoping to hear some words of wisdom in the meantime.

Oh, another thing - I am a little concerned that she will sharpen her claws on the furniture, which is why I'm thinking she might need to get outside for a bit so she doesn't get bored in the house. I bought her one of those claw sharpening poles at Petsmart last night, but I'm not sure it is going to keep her entertained enough.

Final question- wet food, dry food, evaporated milk? What do you do?

Thanks!
Kim

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Kim

Are you sure she's not someone's cat? I don't normally advocate letting a cat out but you may want to do that just in case it belongs to a neighbor.

All my cats are indoor animals. An indoor cat will live longer and will not take a toll on the bird population.

As for keeping the cat in the garage, that's a pretty bad idea. If you don't want the cat to be a pet, please try and find a good home for it. Another thing, cats scratch. Even with a post to work on they occasionally go after rugs and furniture.

My cats get moist food once a day and dry food is left down all day for them to pick at. I never give them any type of milk. They really don't need it and, in some cases, it upsets their stomachs.

It's good to remember that cats aren't dogs. You really can't train them. The more important issue is she may be getting ready to have kittens. She will need a place to have them that feels safe to her. Please do some reading about that.

I hate to be blunt but it doesn't sound like you really want the cat to impact your house. It may work out but, if it doesn't, it's always good to have a plan B.

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We adopted our cat when he was 5 months old 10 years ago. They tried to talk us out of declawing him, but that just wasn't going to work. It doesn't matter what you do, they are going to tear up your furniture. We had him declawed when he was neutered. I felt so guilty for going against what they said when he came home and I thought he was going to be in such pain. But, he jumped right out of the carrier and never looked back. I wasn't even sure he had been declawed...they did such a great job. I've heard horror stories about them cutting off the ends of their toes, etc., but they were very minimally invasive - they just removed the claw and the entire toe is fine - like I said I wasn't even sure he was actually declawed at first.

I had called around to different vets checking prices for neuter/declaw and one vet told me that declawing is what actually makes cats/humans able to co-exist because otherwise when they tear up your furniture, you just get rid of them. She was right. Later, we briefly contemplated having him rear declawed as well, but never did.

Our cat only eats dry food. He never really liked wet. I bought it a few times as a treat, but he just lets it rot in his bowl. The vet said it makes their poop stink more and if he doesn't want it, don't start it, the dry is fine.

Our cat's food/water/litter box and one of his beds are in the laundry room. He prowls at night and wakes us up by jumping in/out of bed with us, so he is locked in the laundry room at night. He doesn't mind, when we get ready for bed he heads in there. He also takes naps in there during the day when he's not locked up.

I know some people let their cats roam. I don't know where you live, but I hate roaming cats in our neighborhood. They kill rodents and birds and bring them back to your (or other peoples) house. We've found dead small animals in our yard and they use other peoples gardens/sand boxes as a litter box. Our cat is completely indoor. He will wander out on the porch occassionally, but doesn't attempt to go beyond that.

Hope that helps some!

Lisa

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Thanks, Virgo. Blunt works for me and you are actually quite right. I didn't go looking for a cat, so I'm trying to determine if I can make this work. I'm not sure myself right now. I work at home and she keeps jumping up on my computer as well as on the counters, shelves, etc. Yikes! As far as her being someone's cat, I just don't know. She seems pretty clean and healthy, so I would have to guess she came from somewhere. However, my neighbor across the street said she showed up at her house Friday night, so she has been leaving food and water outside for her. I was out of town, so the first time I saw her was yesterday. I looked at the community mailboxes in the neighborhood, but there aren't any postings. Quite frankly, I'd prefer to return her to her owner if there is one. But, my guess is that she was dumped in our neighborhood after the pregnancy was discovered. We have a neighborhood full of families, so it is a relatively safe bet that someone would take her in. I've made our house work for our dog and we've had him for 8 years. He is an inside dog, but obviously goes outside to do his business. I'm just wondering if there is a similar solution to the cat - probably wishful thinking, I know.... Thank you for the advice.

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Kim

Thanks, Lisa. I like the laundry room idea, although DS said he would happily have her in his room. But, I don't want her waking him up at night, either. He slept on the couch last night, though, so she wouldn't feel alone.

I will talk with the vet on Saturday to see what he thinks about the declawing. Obviously, if we are going to let her out, that is not an option. I am quite aware of that. I don't know.... I appreciate very much your input. I am feeling a little overwhelmed, so info from current cat-owners is extremely helpful.

Thanks!

Kim

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Kim

Smokey is an indoor/outdoor cat. He sleeps in the house (either in bed with us, in his basket in the laundry room or on the blanket on top of the recliner) and we let him in and out but he prefers to spend most of the day outside running his kitty errands. The litter box is in the laundry room but he prefers to go outside and will only use it if he can't hold it.
He has not clawed anything I think that's because he spends so much time outside. I see him daily scratching the big tree and his cathouse and other surfaces outside.
My personal opinion is that pets should sleep with the family so they feel they are part of the pack or (at the risk of offending people) part of the family.
Another thing that helps get close to your pet is to "feed" them your breath. It is a bonding experience and gives the animals all kinds of information about us that can only be conveyed to them by smell.
It's also a good idea to feed your pet after you plate your food up. Everyone has dinner at the same time.
Declawing is cruel and is going to be outlawed in the state of California soon. I would not recommend it especially if the cat is going outside. It is a cat's natural instinct to sharpen their claws also if they happen to get into a fight with ANY animal they will have no defense whatsoever.
God makes cats with claws for lots of reasons many that we probably don't even know about. I feel very strongly about this.
And like a child if the cat has scratching posts and other options and you train them by consistently removing them when they begin to scratch and take them to the post and rub their claws up and down it they will learn really fast.
Incidentally that is also how to teach them to use the litter box. Just put the kitty in and rub their paws like they do when they are finished going potty.
Cats are smart however my main frustration with mine is that he only comes when called when he wants to. He comes to my whistle (also when he wants to) and there is nothing cuter than going outside and whistling and seeing your kitty come running home from his errands.
Smokey has dry food in his bowl all day and we give him a forkful of wet at night and in the morning.

ETA originally I wanted him to be an indoor cat (outside on leash only) only however after he was about eight months old it became impossible as he was aching to go outside. I could not keep him in any longer.

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I know this won't be a popular bit of advice but I do not care, I'm going to give it anyway.

Ask your vet if the pregnancy can be terminated. Up to a certain stage, it's no big deal for the vet to terminate, they just do it along with a spay. It will probably cost a bit more than a regular spay but worth it IMHO to not have to deal with an unwanted litter in an animal that did not belong to you at the time of conception.

I also vote for a front only declaw at the time of the spay. NEVER remove the back claws, they will provide the cat a certain amount of defense should they ever get out-cats can climb trees with just their back claws, my cat did it several times. Both my cats were declawed and never had an issue. Ed's toes were so flexible/strong that he was able to open drawers by wrapping his toes around the knob and pulling back!

I'd put the kitty litter in the laundry room/basement/garage or where ever in your house that it's out of the way. As long as the cat is healthy and not over weight, I'd leave dry food down at all times along with plenty of fresh water and skip the canned food.

My family has always had cats and the spay/neuter, declaw and diet of dry food has worked for us every time. All of our pets have lived to at least 15 years old(a ripe old age for a cat)so we must have done something right.

Enjoy your new family member!


P.S. If you decide that she's not right for you, find a local no kill shelter to give her to.

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Thank you, Anna. That would be an ideal solution for me. I would just like for her to have some outdoor time so she doesn't get in to everything. I did try it this morning. I let her out for about an hour. I went to get the mail and she was up in the tree across the street. She came down right when she saw me and headed for the door. It was pretty cute and I did have a moment of panic when I went outside and didn't see her.

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Kim

Okay personally speaking first I was so happy to hear you decided to give this kitten a home thanks so much. Again personally I feel you must either have the cat stay out completely or inside completey you cannot have both for so many reasons. Of course you live in a very cold climate you could make room in your garage and purchase a small house or a large box and fill it some old blankets to keep the cat warm in the really cold weather or snow. I feel if you let a cat go in and out you never know what they will bring back from the outside, ex.. fleas ticks getting pregnant and of course those lovely gifts liked a killed small rodent or bird. My cats are 100 percent inside sure they love to lay on the window sometimes and look outside but for the most part they are truly happy to lay wherever they please like my bed my daughters bed the top of the couchs any small warm cozy spot. I also would say once a cat reachs 6 months dry food only its so much better for their digestive system and their bowl movements are not smelly lol. I would never offer milk only to a baby kitten just plain water and treats dry or soft moist treats would be wonderful as well. As far as destroying your furniture I have several stratching posts and they love that . Keep us posted. Peace. Catherine

I didn't ask for popular advice - just advice. This is valid and, quite frankly, has already been suggested by a family member. I'm guessing she is too far along for that to be an option. I appreciate your input!

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Kim

Thank you, Catherine. I appreciate your advice, as well. I hadn't really considered the additional fleas, ticks, etc. she might come home with if I try to let her be an inside/outside cat.

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Kim

We give our cat Advantage drops don't even have to do it as often as they say. He has no fleas or ticks and as far as them bringing in dead animals that is their way of gifting you and getting appreciation for a good hunter. So far Smokey has not done that and he is two years old.
Nothing personal Catherine I simply don't agree with you on this one although I can see the benefits of keeping the cats indoors.

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I have always had cats and LOVE them. We used to get them declawed, but, I will never do that again. NEVER!!!! The vet told me they cut off the first knuckle, not just take out the claw. Not sure if each vet does it differently or not, tho?? I'm sure it hurts, but, animals don't really show pain, unless it is excruciating.

I have a (now) 3 legged kitty that we adopted. We had to have our 4th leg amputated a few months ago. She had 3/4 of her leg....just enough to always bump it on something, and finally the bone broke thru the skin, so off it came. Best thing we ever did. We did not have her declawed. We have had her nails trimmed, tho, and it is WONDERFUL!!!!

As for clawing the furniture, my neighbor puts clear tape on the corners of her couches and LR chairs, where her cats used to claw. They don't like the feel of it, so don't claw it up.

Ah, the litter box..... we keep ours in the laundry room as well. I use Feline Pine, which is not "dusty" like the clay cat litters, and it is flushable.

I hope you do decide to keep this kitty. When you take her back to the vet, see if the vet can scan her for a micro-chip. Also, if I lived close by I'd be glad to take a kitten from the litter.

Good Luck.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

I am a cat person so here is my 2 cents.
NO to the declawing. You can just trim her nails, ask the vet to show you how much though, with regular clippers.
NO to the indoor/outdoor. Our male cat was an indoor/outdoor cat before we adopted him. This led to many battles and wounds for him and he has FIV, similar to HIV, because of a fight he got in with another infected cat. Cats can get alot of diseases, fleas, ticks, etc. from being outside.

I have to say I agree with another poster that said if some of the cat-like things seem to be bothering you then you might want to be the cats "foster" family until you can find a home that she will be unconditionally loved. (I am not saying you will not love it but just a house where pardon the phrase the cat is the queen of the home.)
I have 3 cats and it is thier house. They eat on the counters, one sleeps with my daughter, one sleeps with me and the other sleeps on the living room chair. They drink from the water fountains and they scratch the furniture. Nothing except a plant has ever been destroyed. The house is cleaned daily but there is cat hair all over. I love them unconditionally though and do not mind. I would be so very lonely if they were not here.

We have 3 litter boxes~two upstairs and one in the laundry room. If you have 2 floors it is often recommeded that there be more than one box.

CLAWING FURNITURE~Petsmart and other pet stores sell clear tape that you can apply to your furniture that you do not see (well only after several months but it easily pulls off) and it deters them from scratching. Only one of my cats scratch. We have this cardboard scratcher that sits on the floor that 2 love to go and claw at.

FOOD~our vet loved dry food because it decreases plaque build up. We started our cat with Kitten Chow and now she eats Purina ONE (another product her vet recommends) Our other cats are on special dietary need foods.

Just remember that EVERY cat is different~as is every person.

Best of luck.

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We have an indoor/outdoor female cat. I wouldn't have her any other way. She loves outdoors. It's natural for her, as is the hunting she does when she is out there. Bunnies and birds are her contribution to the circle of life/food chain thing. She doesn't go far from our property at all. I've never been in a situation where I couldn't just go outside and say, "Here, kitty kitty!" and have her at my feet.

A friend rescued a pregnant female, and our cat is one of the kittens that cat had. We've had her for six years.

I don't have any big ethical opposition to declawing, but didn't want to spend the money on it and didn't want to limit her ability to go outside. What I tend to do (particularly in the winter when she's inside more and is more apt to claw the furniture) is purchase SoftPaws. They're like fake rubber fingernails for cats. She still has use of her claws, but they just won't penetrate the couch fabric. She could certainly still climb a tree while wearing them, though.

The first time around I got the clear ones, but quickly figured out that meant I wouldn't know when she'd lost them. Now I get the hot pink ones. It's easy to tell when one has fallen off and needs replaced.

I rescue cats and I have my own personal cats. I am known around my area as the cat lady

Please don't let your kitty out. I can tell you from experience it is cheaper in the long run to keep them in. I have seen many outside cats who get in fights or caught up in things and they get abcesses or other injuries. These are usually not that cheap to treat as it requires them to be knocked out to have the abcess drained and cleaned up. They also run the risk of picking up respiratory illnesses.
If you provide toys for stimulation they will not get bored. Cats are really good at entertaining themselves and they are alot of fun to play with as well.

With the litter box, if you scoop 2xs a day and use good clumping litter there will be no smell, I promise. People are very suprised when they enter my house and see that I have cats. I have 2 self cleaning litter boxes that I use for my personal cats and litter boxes I have to scoop for the rescues. With the self cleaning there will be little plastic tray, I just dump the tray in a empty newspaper bag or plastic grocery bag and put the tray back in the slot. I do this in the morning and in the afternoon. I change the tray once it starts looking a little funky. I keep a mat under my boxes to keep the litter from tracking all over the house. They make litter box hiders that look like a piece of furniture that you can put the box in and it has a hole for the cat to go in and out. These are great if you don't want a box that is in your face everytime you walk into the room the box is in.

I have OCD. I am freakish about the cleanliness of my house. I will tell you, you will have fur on the carpet and the furniture. I vacuum my floors and run it over the furniture everyday and hair is not a problem at all for me. I brush the cats every few days to pick up the loose hair. I clean baseboards once a week and use a lint brush to pick up the stray hairs. It sounds like alot but it really ins't as I would do this whether I had pets or not.

I use cardboard scratchers. I have never been a fan of scratchers made of carpet as I feel they confuse the cats. It is ok to scracth this carpet on my scratcher but not the carpet on the floor? Sisal is ok but I find after awhile it looks ratty, with the cardboard when it looks ratty I just buy a new one and we're good. I find they prefer the cardboard scratchers anyways.

As far as furniture and cats. I have only one cat that bothers my furniture, the others never touch it. I think it just depends on the cat really. I find they prefer their scratcher with a little nip on it to my furniture.

Please don't declaw the cat. I was a vet tech for many years, it is not nice what they have to do to declaw. You can buy softpaws and they work great. If you don't want to deal with putting them on your vet or the groomers at petco will put them on for you.

If she is pregnant and you decide to allow her to give birth, she will need a nice quiet place away from the dog to give birth. About 2 weeks before she gives birth you will notice her "nesting" she will start checking out places like closets and under the bed. It is not unusual for her to go to 3 or 4 different places until she finds the right spot. Once she has picked her spot you will notice her going in and out frequently and trying to make it soft, this is when you want to put a box with some shredded paper in it. I use a clear sweater box that is big enough for her to stretch out in comfortably and enough room that the babies can scoot a little but not too far from mama. Sometimes when you put the box in they change spots. I have found if I know a cat is pregnant. I will make her box before she starts nesting. I put the sweater box with a soft blanket in it and put it where she normally sleeps so she can get used to it prior to you using it for a birthing box.

If you don't want her to have kittens you can have the pregancy terminated. Some vets will not do this but if you contact the SPCA they can usually recommend someone who will. While I understand that many people disagree with this ( I used to be one of them) there are so many homeless cats in the US who need homes and are being put to sleep the likelyhood of those kittens being adopted if they go to a shelter are very slim and they in all honesty are more than likely to put to sleep anyways unless you can find a no kill shelter or private rescue like me.

Cats are independent animals but also social. Living in the garage is not a good place to keep a cat.

For food, you can feed a diet of wet and dry or just dry but never all wet only. I feed all my cats wet in the morning and free feed dry all day, this includes the rescues. I split one container of wet between 2 cats. If you use a decent quality qwet food they wont have stinky poop. I don't feed expensive foods as I pay for the food for my personal and rescues out of my pocket. I feed Wholesome Goodness for wet and I use poultry based foods rather than fish. I find fishy foods cause more tummy upset. Contrary to popular belief cats and milk do not get along. Cats cannot digest milk products well and it can cause tummy troubles that you really don't want to deal with

I am sorry this is so long. I hope this answered the questions you had and if you have anymore please feel free to message me.

In the past most of my cats were indoor/outdoor cats, we never had them for more than a few years. Unfortunately it was inevitable that one day they would leave and never come home. Now my cats stay inside except to sit on the porch with me. There are benefits to letting a cat go out though. They get fresh air, more exercise than indoor cats. Many will prefer to potty and scratch outside, meaning less mess for you. Outside time keeps them more mentally stimulated too. Many will hunt for food. Some will eat most of it and you never see it, others prefer to eat the head and bring you the rest. Supplementing their diet with real prey is healthier for them (unless they get a hold of a sick or poisoned animal) But there are real dangers to letting the cat go out. Cars, other animals, getting lost, getting into something that makes them sick and even sadistic people who like hurting animals for kicks. You need to consider all factors and decide whats best for your kitty, a lot depends on where you live, some places are obviously more dangerous than others (i.e. living next to a busy road)

Until recently I only feed my cats dry kibble. Now I give them a dry,wet and regular meat. In the wild a cat get most of it's liquid from it's prey which is about 70% moisture, they really don't drink a whole lot. Dry kibble only contains about 10% moisture. Cats that eat dry kibble do drink more water but unfortunately not enough to make up for what they're lacking. Cats just don't have a very high thirst drive. This leads to chronic mild dehydration. Most cats are not really negatively affected by this, but some are prone to urinary tract problems. I would try to get some liquid (other than her water bowl) into her diet. Whether it be some canned food, meat or adding some water to her kibble. If you add water to her kibble it has to be eaten quickly and any remainder thrown out. Fungus/mold can grow quickly in wet kibble. I also recommend going with grain-free formulas. It's better for her and less poop for you to clean up.

I'm against declawing, but when scratching becomes a real problem and it comes down to declawing the cat or getting rid of it, declawing would be preferred unless you can find her a good home.

Good luck with your new furbaby!

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Annadrose no offense taken hon I was talking from experience with some prior cats I have had over the years. There were too many times I did have some cats who were both in and out , however some of the problems that happened were some I mentioned which were the fleas and ticks and even with using medications and flea collars, which do not work, they brought it into our home and our shelties got infected which turned into a mess. Then of course most certaintly for me personally a female cat would have to be fixed otherwise they would breed all the time and thats not fair. While I did have one male cat Friskey he was totally outside and I felt if I fixed him, he would be less defendless againist other males cats roaming around but again mostly the fleas and the ticks and as far as those presents which I got so many times I know its part of being a cat and it is what cats do. Either way Anna I am happy to know you do own a cat and you seem like you have a wonderful pet and he is lucky to have you as a owner and in the end it comes down to what works for you and your family. Peace. Catherine

Thank you Catherine. You are one who is always receptive to other peoples' point of view. I bet you, like me, have learned a lot from the very people whose opinions are so different from yours.

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Neutered cats tend to be less aggressive. Meaning they are less likely to get in a fight in the first place and less likely to attract aggression from other cats. A neutered male can still defend itself against other cats (and predators) just as well as an intact male.

So in the future remember, a neutered male cat is less likely to be hurt by another cat than an intact one.

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Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.

Thank you all so much. I appreciate all of the thoughts and ideas. I'm not sure what we are going to do. DH is having some allergies since we brought the cat in, so I'm not even sure we will be able to keep her. We are trying to work it out. I let her go out for about 30 minutes yesterday. She seemed happy with that.

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Kim

I'm afraid I have to agree. I don't get the feeling that you really want this cat so I hope you end up finding it a great home.

Not wanting the responsibility of caring for an animal doesn't make you a bad person

Update on the kitty situation....


We LOVE her!!!! I couldn't possibly let her live with someone else! I can't imagine being without her, which I never thought would happen. She is totally spoiled already.

We took her to the vet and he thinks she is about 6 months old. He said he does not think she is pregnant (see, I told ya'll I don't know anything about cats!), just well-fed now. She goes back in two weeks for her boosters, to get spayed, declawed and groomed.

She has the run of the house, with the exception of the kitchen counters and tables. We moved her litter box to the garage, where it will stay. DH is installing a kitty door this weekend, but for now we just let her out when she starts meowing. She has had two accidents, but I consider that my fault, so no worries. She sleeps inside, unless she wants to go out to the garage. She has a bed both inside and in the garage, so if she is comfy and doesn't get up to come to the door, I leave her out there for a little bit.

There you have it. I've become a cat person.

Thank you for all of the advice!!!

Kim

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Kim

Yay for your family and the lucky little kitty!

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Congratulation Newfun. They really do steal your heart.

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Yay for you and the kitty!

Just be very careful about the chemicals that are kept in the garage, especially anti-freeze. Anti freeze tastes good to animals and can kill them very quickly if they ingest it. There are pet safe anti freezes on the market now, might be worth looking into since kitty will be in the garage from time to time.

Good luck with your new family member!

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Wonderful news tia for sharing. Enjoy the new member of your family you will receive so much love. Peace. Catherine