Cat n00b needs advice: bringing an outdoor cat in

In My Humble Opinion
1

Help!

We need to turn an outside cat into an inside cat. He’s been an outdoor cat his entire life, 10 years,* having been born to a stray in our barn.

So here’s the deal: Wolfman showed up Wednesday morning with probable dog bites on his back end. (First injury ever in 10 years!) We got him to the vet, who gave him an antibiotic and had us bring him back the next day, after fasting, for surgery/stitching. So now half of his back end is shaved, and he has stitches on both the outside of his leg and his lower inside belly. No internal damage, just lacerations and abrasions. But the vet says he’ll be pretty stiff for a while and will need “kitty rehab” to loosen up those muscles. And cold weather will probably affect him from now on too.

So he’ll have to be inside for quite a while because of the cold, and with his probable new sensitivity to cold weather, we’ve decided to make him a 100% indoor cat. Hoo boy. We always said we’d never have a house cat. Litter boxes, walking on counters, claws . . . no thanks. But I guess there’s going to be a sea change at Casa Scarlett. I’ve been doing some research, and I suppose we’ll need to buy “Cats for Dummies” or something. But I’ve also been doing some research online, and a lot of the information doesn’t seem to be very helpful to our situation. Examples:

Acclimation: They say to bring the cat in gradually, let him get used to being inside. That isn’t going to happen, obviously, because this cat is recovering from surgery. As of last Wednesday, he’s inside for good.

I’m a bit worried about his current state of being. First, obviously he’s physically recovering. He’s not getting back to eating and drinking as fast as we or the vet would like, so we’re squirting liquid food and water into him, just to keep him in calories and hydration. Thursday through Saturday he was walking around now and then, and on Sunday he even jumped up on the couch! (Bad for the stitches, I know, but we had been letting him walk around stiffly and never thought he’d get up on the couch. We’ll limit him now.)

Second, he’s always been skittish and shy around us. I would have described him as slightly to semi-feral; he’d let us pet him maybe every few months, usually wouldn’t come and get food if we were near, and was always a bitch to catch come vet time. I wonder about the right combination of giving him affection and just letting him get used to us. We have to handle him a lot to squirt food and medicine down him, so I try to spend some time each day just petting and talking to him so he doesn’t get to hate The Hands.

Third, what about just the shock/depression of suddenly being inside? Over the weekend he would meow now and then, and seemed to get up to come and find me when I left the room (I work at home, and most of the time I’ve had him here in the office with me). But yesterday and today he’s been just sitting there. Won’t take food (no matter how tempting; we’ve tried lots of things) and water; barely reacts to us; isn’t walking around as much as the last few days, in fact hardly at all; won’t clean himself. Just sits there. I know some of this may be just physically recovering from the surgery, but some of it has to be “where the heck am I??”

So there’s that. Assuming he eventually gets over this hump, then there’s the everyday stuff:

Dogs: We have two rambunctious springer spaniels. They are fine with cats; like to sniff and halfheartedly chase them, but otherwise get along and quite often will just ignore them. So once Wolfie’s healed I’m not worried about everyone getting along.

But the stuff I’ve read about indoor cats never seems to address having cats and dogs together in the house:

  • How do you keep the dogs out of the litter box? Our dogs love love love cat poop. A litter box would be like a buffet to them.

  • Ditto keeping dogs out of the cat food.

  • They say an indoor cat needs toys. OK, that’s great. Aside from wondering what sort of silly toys will amuse a cat who’s been playing with live prey for 10 years, how do we keep the dogs from destroying/swallowing the cat toys? Because they WILL – it’s just a matter of time.

Cat mobility: Ugh. This scares me the most, I think. With dogs, you just put things out of their reach. Now with a cat in the house, am I going to have to pack away everything on shelves that’s breakable? What about the Christmas tree? How do I keep him off the counters? (Usually I’m not too germ-phobic, but feet that have been in the litter box, on the counter where we put food? Ewww.)

I love the idea of having a “cat room” with all their stuff in it, but we just don’t have an extra room.

Also, would it be terribly cruel to confine him somehow at night, perhaps in the extra-large dog crate he’s currently residing in, once he’s more mobile? I shudder to think of a nocturnal animal loose in the house at night. (The dogs are in the bedroom with us, and they do get confined to their crates at night as well if they are having some sort of issue.)

Claws: I know that eventually he’ll need something to scratch on. I was thinking a hunk of tree with bark on it, to simulate what he’s used to. Yes? No? Also, I seem to recall reading good things about those Soft Paws claw caps. Yes? No? (He’d still need something to scratch on for his back claws, right?)

I think that’s all for now, and if I’ve left out some crucial piece of information, please ask. Any other tips for a new indoor cat owner who’s more tuned to dog wavelengths would be helpful. I have some dog/cat behavior books that I’ll be reading (but again, so far a lot of the advice doesn’t seem appropriate for a lifelong outdoor cat being brought inside).

Thanks very much, from both me and Wolfie!

  • Yes, I know that many people are opposed to the keeping of outdoor cats. Yes, I am aware of all the reasons and risks. Our outdoor cats have always received plenty of food, water, shelter, neutering, vet care and all shots (and the vet has always pronounced them in good health), and whatever affection they would let us give them. If you want to debate the merits of indoor vs. outdoor cats, or lambast us for ever keeping outdoor cats in the first place, please do so elsewhere, in the Pit if you like. Threadshitting here will be neither helpful nor welcome. In this thread I’m not interested in discussing how we have kept cats in the past, but rather in seeking help with keeping this one inside from now on. Thanks.
2

Confining him at night would be cruel, since cats are nocturnal animals and get most of their play/exercise at night.

You don’t necessarily have to pack up all of your breakables. You’ll just have to wait and see what his personality is like indoors. Our cats aren’t much for climbing - except to get at/near a window. Every now and then one will knock something over with their tail but that’s the exception.

As for toys, I wouldn’t spend a lot of money on them if you’re worried about the dogs chewing them up anyways. Actually, I wouldn’t spend any money at all. Crumple up a piece of paper or tin foil and ta-daa! You’ve got a cat toy. Paper or plastic bags, boxes, anything can be a cat toy. Just make sure there’s something available for him to entertain himself with.

As for handling, it sounds like you’re doing the right thing. Hold him and pick him up regularly throughout the day so he gets used to it. Make sure you touch his head, face, and his feet. Let him know that you’re the boss and you get to pick him up whenever you want. He’ll get used to it if you make it a regular thing. If you work at it and stay vigilant, you might even get him to the point where you can trim his claws. We do this with both our cats. They put up a mighty fuss at first, and we both lost some blood in the process but now it’s no big deal for them.

Good luck, I hope he recovers soon!

3

I assume he’s already found his litter box and adapted. You can get one with a cover to keep the dogs from snacking.

He needs toys; he also needs a place to hide (where you can find him if you have to). Our cats like these to be high places.

As far as toys, you can get things like a circular…thing…with a mouse that goes around it when the cat bats it. You can take the mouse out, but the cat probably can’t get it out.

Some cats are just not much into toys, but the ones I’ve owned have also really liked the little round things that come off of gallon milk jugs when you take the lids off, balls of rolled-up aluminum foil, and things with feathers. I don’t know that dogs would be much interested in any of that. I did have a situation where my cat and my dog both played with the same tennis ball. The cat batted it around. The dog brought it to a person and begged for it to be thrown.

We also have a cardboard scratching thing for them. They love that.

I would recommend not giving him a lot of attention. Cats seem to like it better when they are the ones who decide when they’re going to be petted. Obviously, cats have widely different personalities, but it’s pretty common for cats to avoid you when you want them and to pester you when you don’t. Obviously, when you’re giving medication etc. you need to handle him and talk to him but other than that I’d leave him alone.

Yes, it would be cruel to confine him at night. We have always had cats and have not had a lot of breakage, but we have heard some strange noises in the night. One of our cats likes to sleep with us (in addition to sleeping all day) so he’s either in our room or our son’s, but the other one is on the loose and prowling.

We tell them “Phfssss!” when they get on the counters. They really don’t do it much–at least when we’re looking.

4

One good way to train a cat to keep off a surface that we’ve used successfully with both our cats - tape. Scotch tape, packing tape, even post its work. Just put the tape sticky side up all over the counter, table, etc. so that when they jump up there they get stuck. Make sure you replace the tape after they’ve disturbed it. Usually only takes a couple of tries and they give up and ignore it.

The great thing about this is you don’t have to be there to provide the deterrant - it comes from the environment itself which is the best way to train.

5

Neither of my indoor cats has ever jumped up on our counters, so you may not have that problem at all.

I’ve also transitioned several outdoor only cats to indoor only (one under similar circumstances; an animal bite that required medical treatment and recovery), and they always adapted just fine.

I think you’re worrying too much, rather than enjoying the company of your new Feline Overlord.

If behavior really becomes an issue, try plugging in a Feliway diffuser, which emits a simulated version of natural cat hormones and helps calm nervous or anxious behavior.

Good luck!

6

Yup, he already knows what to do with a litter box. (The soil here is pretty sandy, so it’s not a huge transition.) When we’ve needed a stool sample for the vet, we just caught Wolfie ahead of time, then confined him in an area with a litter box until he did the deed.

Unfortunately, now I often find him just lying in the litter box after he’s peed in it. (Hasn’t pooped yet, because he hasn’t eaten enough solid food.) I suppose he wore himself out getting in there, or else it’s just comfy. I dunno. I’ve already cleaned litter off his back paws several times. Thinking of finding some nonclumping litter.

I know about the covered litter boxes, but I just picture the dogs sticking their heads right in; they’re REALLY determined. (You may have seen my thread about the dog who emptied my underwear drawer a few weeks ago.)

OK, duly noted. I hope the dogs get used to it and don’t wake us up by barking at every thump. (Could we just shut him in, say, the bathroom?) How do you sleep at night, knowing you could wake up to find the couch in shreds?

I’ve read about that . . . good to know it works.

Well, to be truthful, most of my worry right now is over his being so lethargic and not eating/drinking, especially after he was seeming to be better over the weekend. I think I’ll be much happier when he gets feisty! Right now his feistiness is in fighting me more vigorously when I stick things in his mouth.

The other possibly good sign is that this afternoon he started lying more upright (like the Sphinx), instead of always slumped over lying on his good side with his bad leg sticking out. checks Oops, he’s back to the old way. At least he’s trying new positions.

See, this is the kind of stuff I’d like to know about! The other day when Mr. S and I were at Petco picking up a “lampshade” collar in case he’d need one, we just went aisling in the cat section to see what kind of paraphernalia is out there, and what sort of things we hadn’t thought of.

As another example: I read that some cats don’t like eating out of deep dishes (because their whiskers hit), so we’ve been offering Wolfie food on flat plates (espresso saucers, actually). And also that they can be sensitive to the smell of stale food and dishwashing liquid, so plates should be washed and rinsed extra thoroughly.

This dog person is having a hard time imagining a dog refusing food because it was stale or on the wrong kind of plate. :smiley:

The vet said if Wolfie doesn’t start eating/drinking on his own in another day or two, we can bring him in to get some liquid food squirted down his throat with a little Valium mixed in. Apparently when cats are physically traumatized, sometimes they just “shut down” and refuse food and water, and the Valium triggers their brain/system to start up again. Or at least that how Mr. S says the vet explained it to him, so it’s secondhand info and I apologize if it’s garbled.

7

Damn . . . a little after 11 pm we gave him his nighttime dose of liquid antibiotic . . . and about 20 seconds later he threw up what looked like most of the liquid I managed to get into him today. Plus a little clump of hair (odd, because I haven’t observed him grooming himself) and some solid bits of what looked like food (also odd, because he’s barely eaten anything solid since we brought him in. He did pee a little earlier tonight, so some liquid is being processed.

I guess we’ll be calling the vet again in the morning . . . :frowning:

8

You can do some work to train your dogs not to do that. (Dogs, at least, are trainable.) And if it doesn’t work, well, so what – eating cat poop is not likely to hurt your dogs. A cats digestive system is so short the leavings still contain a lot of edible protein; that’s why dogs eat them. It seems disgusting to us humans, but it is unlikely to be really harmful to your dogs.

  1. I’ll deal with that when it happens. It hasn’t yet. And cats prefer regular scratching posts, so if you provide them, it’s not likely to happen.
  2. My couch isn’t that special anyway. An excuse to replace it with a new one might be welcome.
  3. There ain’t much that stops me from sleeping.
9

Good luck. It’s not easy to keep a cat inside if he doesn’t want to be, but it can be done. You may have to block him as he bolts for the door sometimes!

I have two cats who used to live outdoors, and one big dog.

To keep the dog out of the litterbox, we have one with a snap-on cover. It faces the wall, with just a little clearance for the cat to slip by. It’s jammed between the washer and the laundry sink, with a milk crate and some hefty containers of litter stacked next to it, so it’s too difficult for the dog to get around.

We had to build a shelf for the kitties to eat on. It’s at about my eye level, mounted over the dryer.

Truly, the dog did destroy our cat toys, but they still have each other, and occasionally deign to roll a dog-slobbered tennis ball. We have a scratching post for them on the porch…oh yes, the screened-in porch! If you have a place like this so the cat can be sort-of outside, that would be great.

Keep on pushing the cat off the counters when you see it, and soon he won’t do it anymore in front of you. We use a squirt bottle or make a hissing sound if we need to reprimand the cats. They used to meow at the bedroom door in the wee hours, but after being shut in the laundry room for the remainder of the night, learned not to do that anymore. Of course, the most sensible thing of all would be to let the cat sleep with you whenever it wants to.

Cats aren’t clumsy, and don’t usually knock things off shelves unless they’re fleeing from the dog. Christmas trees…well, leave the tinsel off. If it’s a fake tree, the cat may not be all that interested.

I used the Soft Paws for a while. They aren’t easy to get on, but if you have help, you can do it. As long as they stay on, they work great, but I had to give them up because one of my cats was so determined to remove his, he didn’t care how much claw went with it. Now I just nip the clawtips off carefully, and they do prefer their scratching post to our furniture anyway. Cats like tall vertical things to scratch, so they can stretch up.

I hope you and the kitty will be very happy together, and I’ll be glad to offer any advice I can!

10

I’m interested in hearing what the vet says. It sounds like he’s sicker than previously thought. He could just be very freaked out, too. It’s an adjustment.

I’ve transitioned a number of cats to 100% inside. One thing to keep in mind…don’t push the ‘physical contact’ thing. Some cats don’t grow into the petting/cuddling thing quickly, if at all. We have a couple that did just fine, but Graycie has been with us for over 2 years and she’s very picky about who touches her and when. Just let him be himself. He’ll come to you if he wants to be touched.

They are kind of bummed when they first move to 100% inside, but in the summer, they lay on the windowsills and seem to be fine with being in ‘permanent lockdown.’ I don’t have any howling kitties who are just dying to break out. In fact, they adjust to the good life pretty willingly.

Good luck. I think your boy just needs some time to recover.

11

I grabbed a feral cat once and dragged him inside. He has never, never, NEVER tried to get out. Not ever. My other two occasionally try for the door, but never Stokie - he knows what it’s like out there, and what it’s like is sucky. It’s cold and damp and you don’t get to eat unless you can kill a cockroach. Inside you get fed every single day and there are sunbeams to lie around in, and people pet you. He won’t even approach the door.

It did take him a few weeks to come out from under chairs, though.

12

The vet just called me back. We’re taking Wolfie in this afternoon to get subcutaneous fluids injected; the vet says it sounds like he’s dehydrated.

So far this morning we’ve gotten about 5 mL of fluid (combined food/water) into him, with minimal dribbling. But he’s still not much interested in anything. I brought him up on the couch with me, at my feet, thinking he might be slightly less stressed sitting higher up.

:frowning:

13

Re: scratching. Double-sided tape on the funiture and a nice big scratching post worked for our cat. I built the scratching post by wrapping sisal rope around PVC pipe and mounting it to a small wood platform. It’s about 4 feet tall and he loves to climb it.

Use a squirt bottle or a can of compressed air to keep him off counters when you’re there and tape when you’re gone.

Hope he gets better.

14

If you kind of pinch (not hard, you know, just pull some up) his skin, does it “snap back” or does it kind of stay that way? If it stays that way, he definitely is dehydrated. How did he react to being on the couch with you?

15

You can do the subcutaneous thing at home yourself, if the doc feels he might need it for a while. Save yourself a few bucks on the vet bills.

16

I thought of that, but I didn’t want to pinch him, no matter how gently, you know?

He just sits there on the couch, same as when he’s in the crate or on the floor. We’ve gotten about 15 mL of fluid food/water into him so far this morning, and so far he’s also kept half of his morning dose of antibiotic down.

17

Bingo. The vet sent us home with a bag of fluid and a syringe with needles. Fluid every 6 hours and honey every 3. (I’m glad Mr. S is off work through Thursday!) His body temp was a little low, so we put a SnuggleSafe disk under his bed. Heart sounds were good, and no gas under the skin.

Seemed a good sign that he wanted to get out of the carrier himself when we got home. And he talked all the way to the vet and all the way back, after being silent since last night.

Please send well-kitty vibes this way if you have any to spare!

18

As hard as I can.

19

Note that it is approaching 24 hours since this thread was started, and we STILL do not have any pictures!

This is a significant violation of list rules regarding cat threads. If it continues, reprimands will be in order! Spending your time caring for his ills is a mitigating circumstance, but not for much longer.

We want pictures of Wolfie!!!

20

Hmmm. Well, I don’t have any pictures of him from before we brought him in; as I mentioned, he’s normally very skittish and prefers to hide from us!

For now, just picture a plump, shiny black cat. He’s resting in his crate right now, but when we take him out again later tonight, I’ll try to get a decent picture. (Is it possible to get a good picture of a solid black cat? Most of the time it’s like he’s just a cat-shaped shadow . . .)