Cat question

[joefrompa]

I grew up with cats, most indoor/outdoor cats (i.e. they sometimes wandered around outside all day or through the night, but usually spent their lives inside the house). I haven't had a cat in ~10 years now, and I miss it from time to time.

My wife never had pets growing up and doesn't like them. She's a clean freak (which i support) and doesn't really want a pet.

Nonetheless, she's supportive of having a cat - as long as it lives outdoors/in a barn/in the shed.

My question is this: will the cat actually stick around if you raise it to live outside/around your house/in a shed?

I live in a 1/2 acre lot in a suburban neighborhood. I have a shed and a decent sized yard. I could install a "cat door" in the shed and make a living area for it.

I've seen farm cats, but they typically live on alot of land. I've never seen outdoor-based neighborhood cats, and I'm wondering if anyone knows whether this works or if they'll run-away?

Joe

P.s. I had a cat when I was pretty young that was an in-house/outdoor cat. When another cat moved in it didn't get along with, we started keeping my cat in the garage and outside. It ran away shortly after.

 

[smokinj]

Feed it and, it will stick around!

 

[lukem]

An outdoor Tom (un-neutered male) will probably run away in search of lovin. Get a spayed female...they seem to be the best mousers and will stick around.

 

[mayhem]

Keep it fed, sheltered and pay it attention and it'll stick around.

I for one do not endorse keeping cats outdoors, lifespan shortens by about 75% or so.

 

[smokinj]

My 2 cats seem to be on split shifts. When one wants in the other goes out. Even seem to rotate the grave yard shift.

 

[thinkxingu]

1. Why would you want a pet that only lived "outdoors/in a barn/in the shed"? Might as well get a porcelain statue and put it by the door.
2. Wouldn't you be freaked out when you heard mid-winter scratching on the window only to find it looking in on you and your homies playing Scrabble by the stove?!
3. Think about dealing with the betrayed and angered cat in scenario #3. Cats are the devil incarnate.
4. If you still want one, you need a specific breed: a dog.

This was probably completely unhelpful. Unless you get a porcelain cat or live dog.

S

PS Drive around the nearest city for a while and, if it's anything like Boston, you'll find a ton o' kitties in no time!

 

[fishingpol]

Outdoor cats just crap in other peoples yards, including mine.

When I lived at home, the neighbor had two indoor cats that went outside during the day. They would stop over and visit and sun themselves on the deck. They were nice to have around and went home at night. We never had to feed them, so it was pretty easy. One evening one of them was attacked and killed by a few coyotes. The other one never went out again. There are so many feral cats with diseases, I would not risk it around my home, not to mention fleas and ticks that are brought in.

The "cat door" in the shed will then become a raccoon door, squirrel door, etc...

 

[Dix]

Sounds like you want a "barn cat". We've got 4. A 4 YO male, who came in at about 6 months old. 3 sisters who came in at about 10 weeks old (they're 2 now). All feral rescues, free neutering, shots, etc. Their ears are notched to show That they were ferals.

It took some time with each ( and some longer than others), but they've all turned into love bugs. They were crated for about 1 month before being set loose in the barn. They all stayed.

Your local Petfinders or cat rescue might get you started. Some might not want their cats to be outdoors, how ever.

 

[fireview2788]

Check you ordinances, most cities won't allow it.


fv

 

[firefighterjake]

Random thoughts . . . from a self-admitted cat lover.

You're talking about a barn cat . . . as long as you provide food, water, a warm place to stay and a little bit of love they should stay and be rather happy.

That said, while my cats enjoy spending the bulk of their time outside napping, chasing things, napping, chasing more things, napping, etc. they also enjoy being inside when it gets cold outside . . . while I could make a warm place for them in the garage I would still feel bad when I'm enjoying 70+ degree temps and sitting around in my boxer shorts when it is 22 degrees outside and snowing an inch every hour. Plus, while they can be messy with tufts of fur on the couch and sometimes the cat boxes stink when I've neglected to change them . . . when you have a cat curl up in your lap after a long, hard day and it starts snoozing or purring away all is forgiven . . . and there is just something about seeing a cat curled up on a warm hearth that just looks so inviting.

Cats are cats . . . they all have different traits and different personalities. Some are aloof . . . some love nothing more than to be snuggled continually. Some are messy . . . and some are neat freaks. I have had some cats that have acted like dogs or even human beings -- including one presently that I have caught sitting in the chair at the kitchen table as if I was going to serve him a plate of food . . . and this is the same cat who enjoys eating people food -- including vegetables, pasta, etc.

Not every cat poops outside. I have one cat that will "hold" it all day long and then let go when he gets inside . . . and another cat that I had was just the opposite . . . most will go either outdoors or indoors.

 

[jimbom]

...
2. Wouldn't you be freaked out when you heard mid-winter scratching on the window only to find it looking in on you and your homies playing Scrabble by the stove?!
...

This freaks me with my kids. Their little faces get so red.

 

[smokinj]

For the record I am not much of a Cat Person, but they do there jobs well if they didnt they would not make it at my place. They will go out in sub zero weather but they want back in berfore dark! ;-) And neither is the pit bull but the cats get the best of her everytime! :lol:

 

[billb3]

When there were farms around me and feed and mice there were plenty of barn cats.
Some would come in the house in the Winter at night, but most of those that were born in the barn pretty much stayed in the barn.
I've had cats that never went out and almost never came in that lived to he same ages, so I don't buy the longer lives thing, although it makes for fun statistical projections.
I've seen very few feral cats have long lives, even the ones that got some medical care.
and the ones we've tried to domesticate rarely lived long, either.

I don't think a barn cat qualifies as a pet. It's more of a livestock entity at that point, which, if that's what you want .....It's gotta be a better life than feral.
Most of those barn cats we had years ago were fairly friendly.
They knew what they knew.

 

[tcassavaugh]

silly me, i thought it was a thread about a catalytic combustor.

its a Love - Hate relationship with cats....hate having to keep them indoors. Love it when they are downstairs in the basement.

cass

 

[gpcollen1]

My cats are pets and are indoors/outdoors. i don't need a litter box but there are some hair issues seasonally. The cats are great mousers and barely stay inside during the warmer six months a year. I don't understand the 'outside' only cat unless you live in a very rural area. Around other houses and neighbors, those cats will just bother them.

Tell your wife to suck it up...once my buddy dropped off my newest cat and left there was nothing she could do. And as a kitten, they fall in love with it quickly. i tried ot get 2 from the same litter so they would cause mischief with each other instead of on my furniture but I could only get one...

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Outdoor cats in the burbs between here and Boston are also known as "Coyote chow". I'm unclear on how much of a pet this is if it stays outside all the time and cannot come in even on cold nights. Sure they can survive, but I mean it gets damn cold out there.

I have strong feelings against keeping an outdoor cat, unless it's for rodent control in a barn/farm setting, but I will not proselytize and get this off track.

 

[Delta-T]

just feed the squirrels, call them cats, and dont worry about it.

 

[Danno77]

We had barn cats growing up on the farm. Animals live outside, people inside. I hate visiting people that have cat and/or dog hair on virtually everything, even the food. Some people hate visiting me because I leave Snoopy outside in the cold (with a doghouse electric heater) oh well. You gotta do what feels right for you.

I do hate neighborhood cats, though. They crap in the yard that my 2 year old likes to play in. I have to cover the sandbox to prevent it from being a litter box, and they dig in my trash cans. Quite gross and annoying if you ask me.

 

[snowleopard]

Isn't the dog/cat thing supposed to be covered in the pre-nup? While we like to think that a sweet kitten will entice someone to love them, there are some folks who just hate cats and don't change. And a lil' kitten as an outdoor pet with no other cats around to show it the ropes and look out for it is probably not going to last real long.

We got adopted by a young cat this summer. She hung around for several days scoping us out, then came up to get acquainted, then started coming indoors for some food, and then became willing to be picked up, held, petted, groomed. She made it her responsibility to study the residents and forge relationships with each one: plays with my son, keeps a watchful eye on dog, sleeps at the foot of my bed, accepts attention with great appreciation, but is not aggressive about insisting upon it. I was not ready to commit to a full-time indoor cat, nor the litter-box thing, and she's been good about going outside for that. She'd overnight outside for the most part, but now that the weather is turning colder, she's liking the indoors better and I'm starting to read the kitty-litter boxes at the grocery store. She's a short-hair, and so far, I'm not seeing a cat-hair-everywhere problem. I knew a cat that loved to be vaccuumed, but I don't think this one will go for that. Darn it--makes them very glossy.

Couldn't ask for a better cat--although, now that i think about it, I didn't ask for a cat. Anyway, she's got a sweet temperament, is intelligent, quick-learner--took about a week to convince her I was serious about staying off the kitchen counters, but other than that she figures things out really quick--I assume that's why she survived out there. She's figured out that if we're inside and she's out, she has to seek us out at whatever window and make her intentions known. Seems to be grateful for the food, warmth, attention--good communicator, able to explain her needs pretty easily. She's a fabulous hunter--I've seen her casually kill shrews and voles, and flick them over her shoulder in the bushes in less time than it took me to type this sentence, so she can't just be coming around for the food. I think she likes being a part of the family.

She may have been someone else's outdoor cat, but came by requesting hospitality, which was extended, and she stayed. I did my best to see if she belonged with any of the neighbors, asked around at the convenience store, checked bulletin boards and called the animal shelter. Will take her in for a vet visit soon, and see if there's a microchip--if there is, we'll call the former owner and suck it up, even though we'll miss her. If not, we'll see if she's had surgery, get her shots, etc., taken care of, and figure that we've got ourselves a cat, with all the rights and responsibilities that come with that.

You've heard the saying, "Dogs have owners, cats have staff"? Your outdoor cat might not realize that you own her, and may seek out other accommodations.