There’s no enclosed outside space, but this is a significantly large building. I can count 12 rooms, mostly large, It is a big house. The cats will only ever get access to under half of those, it’s sort of a large inter-connected house/2x flat complex and they will not be flat-cats, there are only so many roons I want to search when they go missing.
They have learnt about the great outdoors through the windows where I have a grapevine which attracts birds and squirrels. One more reason to be inside!
Another is that iit is on a small river bank but that lets the cats (if loose) several kilometers of wild space to play.
Seeing as Cat 1 could not find his way out of the toilet room… probably not ideal
He is sitting on my lap, gently purring. His sister is doing something probably related to stealing treats - I cant see her on the dark but I can hear where she is
And since they’ve never known that existence, they won’t miss it.
ETA: I’ve had many cats over the years, from various backgrounds, and they’ve all been happy as indoors only. I have four floors (townhouse condo) so everyone can have his/her own space, litter box, feeding area, and so on.
Apparently cardboard boxes are so passé for modern cats - large delivery paper bags are the in thing, I give them cardboarx boxes of course. I am just not hip enough to young cat style.
And my need to buy a vacuum cleaner increases. The two of them, mostly the girl, have shedded a 10 litre paper bag all over the room.
Shredded. It all started as fun with one cat in the bag, and one outside, but it progressed to clawing through the bag, then play flighting through the new hole in the bag, to basically destroy the bag and carrying parts around the room and shred those.
Your kittens appear to be related to my young dog; although his preferred material to cover the house in shreds of is sticks and kindling out of the firewood collection.
It would take a shop vac to get anywhere with the results; a broom works better. Except the floor only stays swept for about ten minutes, or ten minutes after whenever the dog comes back inside.
I also have two children, age 6 and 8. The combination of cats and kids is phenomenal. So much mess, all the time.
I mean, the cats move lego blocks agound. The children are incapable of cleaning up lego. So there is this total death trap of lego all over the house. Not a single night walk to, say, get some water or use the loo is safe.
I try to pick it up but the cats are worse than the children.
Probably wouldn’t do you much good, but when I had toy-crazed young cats, not the sedate oldsters living with me now, I used to keep a low-sided basket in the living room and would toss all their toys into it. When one of them wanted a toy, they’d dig down into the basket to get the particular one they liked. This of course would leave a ring of tossed aside toys around the basket but it did help to reduce the housewide clutter.
I don’t think that would work in our case; our Delenn drags toys from wherever they happen to be to wherever I happen to be when she wants me to play with her. Still worth a try to see if it works for you.
I have not seen cat 2 ( the beautiful girl ) since 5 am yesterday… I am terrified. She is socialised to the point where I let her attack my toes, and even on occasion she licks them.
But I have decided to give them more space, and open the rooms out, and I was unpacking groceries.
With the front door open.
She is really good at hiding,
She disappeared. I have been monitoring the amout of shit in the litter trays. And the food levels
All signs point to her going outside, and getting lost. I have left snacks, water and sardines at the door (thanks to whoever made that sardine suggestion)
Fuck.
My task tomorrow will be printimg pictures of “Lost Cat” and going to the local vet, to ask them about local strays. She is microchipped but no collar because she refuses to be touched.
She’s not catchable for people without a net, and if she is scared of me, who she realises is the food and treat supplier - she’s not going to get captured by anyone else.
Try spreading the used cat litter a bit further out, along the fences will be right. She may smell it and recognize the house. She will probably come home in the end. It may take a week or so, even for a tame cat who knows her way around.
Oh, and don’t let the other cat get out.
I guess so. That is the advice I got when I got my new cat from a rescue. If I let him outside, spread his litter around the house, so he can smell his home.
It worked but unluckily he fights too much and gets chewed up if he goes outside.
She is really timid. And young. And fortunately spayed.
I had a cat for a short time, named “Basil”.
He was great until he started to go out and fight. I bought a huge water gun so I could defend him. Every time I heard cats fighting I leapt out of bed, gun at the ready.
So I defended his honour… until “he” started getting overweight and it was clear she was pregnant.
Do you have or can you borrow/buy a wildlife camera? (Or any outdoor camera, really) You could train it on the food and see who is eating it, and if you can get a wide enough shot of the yard and hiding places, you might be able to pinpoint the area she’s hiding in.
I’d also see about getting a trap; you can often borrow one from local shelters or TNR groups. The camera will help you see who’s out there, and if it’s her you can start putting food in the trap while it’s locked open. Let her acclimate to eating in there, and then once she’s comfortable with it you can get her.
The trick is going to be keeping neighbor cat out, especially if he’s a bully.
Good luck. I hope you find that she’s just gone to ground inside the house for some reason.
He’s a nice cat. They have met though the window, and he’s been making those sweet “chirriups” that cats make when they are curious and want to be friendly.
I have left out water, food, and sardines. The sardines are inside.
I hate the idea of leaving the door open, not that I have much to steal and it is a really safe neighborhood, but that she will come in and eat and run out again while I sleep.
I asked the neighborhood cat’s owners to keep him inside tonight, so he doesn’t eat the food.
Cat 1 is stuck in my bedroom. He’s got food, water, a litter box etc.
Cat 2, if she does come in will find me sleeping in the lounge, sonething she is used to and hopefully reassuring (not so great for me, though) and just tuck into one of her normal hiding places.
I’ll judge her presence or absence by the amout of food and water consumed.