In May of 2012 I brought a second cat into my home. He and the first cat, Izzie put up with each other grudgingly. In August of this year Philo walked out the door, and eluded all attempts to locate him. On Tuesday he showed up in my driveway very hungry, and fought being brought into the house.
I’ve been feeding him outside. Today I got him into a carrier and have dropped him at the vet.
For the year plus that he was with us he never showed any interest in getting outside. The other cat tries to and occasionally does make a break for it at thebeginning of every spring, but she’s always come back quickly. Given Philo’s fondness for food, and heat and lap sitting I wasn’t too worried when he darted out the door.
But also throughout those months the two cats would get into the cat equivalent of knock down drag out fights, often drawing blood. I haven’t missed that aspect.
I’m wondering if the solution is an arrangement where Philo is my cat who lives outside. Is there a way I can arrange some comfortable amenities for him outside (on my porch, I’m thinking) that won’t become a snack bar for all the stray/outdoor cats, and assorted critters of the neighborhood.
If anyone could steer me towards information that would help me enable them to both peaceably cohabit inside I’d be grateful. Philo really enjoys sitting on a lap, and I won’t be taking my lap outside much until the spring.
Is it feasible to have one indoor/outdoor cat and one indoor only? I just want everyone to be happy, warm, well fed, and unwounded.
Well, you could build a heated house (a light bulb will do) for the cat, but I would’t leave any food out there or you’ll have other residents. Outdoor cats have an average lifespan of about five years (cars, dogs, other cats, predators, infection, disease, etc.); indoor cats, it’s 15 years, so keep that in mind.
On May 13, Philo Cat was asked to remove himself from his place of residence; that request came from his mother.
Deep down, he knew she was right, but he also knew that some day he would return to her. With nowhere else to go, he appeared at the home of his childhood friend, Izzy Cat.
Several years earlier, Izzy’s mother had thrown HIM out, requesting that HE never return.
Can two shelter-saved cats share a house with a really cool Doper without driving each other crazy?
Both outdoor and indoor/outdoor cats tend to wreck havoc over their local environment. But maybe you live in an urban area. At any rate, that should be a consideration, not necessarily the most or least important to you.
To be clear. If I could wave a wand and make everything how I wanted it, they would both stay indoors and never fight. I didn’t formally adopt him through an agency or shelter, but I did agree to be responsible for Philo’s care and I take that seriously.
I’m not sure why trying to find him another new home didn’t occur to me. Perhaps it’s because that would be admitting I couldn’t make it work. Is craigslist a safe/reliable way to reach potential new homes for old cats? He’s around 5 or so, and a little battle scarred but he is very affectionate and cuddly. I think he’d be a great fit for someone older who’d like some pet companionship but doesn’t require the kitten experience.
Someone who is older is unlikely to be looking on Craigslist anyway. Wish I could help with that part. In any case, 5 years old is not old, it’s merely adult. Provide pics.
It’s ok if you can’t make it work. It doesn’t reflect badly on you. Sometimes animals just don’t get along.
Can you get in touch with a local rescue group? Maybe they could help you place him?
Trying to make cats get along when they don’t want to is pretty much impossible from my experience. My daughter’s cat NEVER got along with ours. Her cat is much happier now that they live 800 miles away…
When they were both inside we started with completely separate everything - following advice found on the internet about introducing a new cat into a home with an already established cat. Eventually we went to one litter box (it’s a two bedroom apartment), but their food bowls were in two different rooms.
I’m continuing to feed Philo outdoors while looking for a new home for him. My next intermediate step is to figure out a way to give him access to the basement laundry room where he could at least curl up by the furnace or hot water heater.
I’d just really love to know what prompted him to come back when he very clearly doesn’t want to return to the way things were.
Yeah, I think a second litter box might help a lot. Many people suggest having one litter box per cat plus one extra.
Do you have a garage? A friend of mine has adopted a feral cat who will not come inside but he leaves a door open a crack into his garage and the cat sleeps in there every night. He has a light on a timer that heats up an area for the cat when the weather is cold, but then this is Texas so it doesn’t freeze very often.
If you do decide to re-home Philo, you might use Petfinders. I found mine there. A cat rescue group is also a good idea. Hope it works out.
The most clever cat-but-few-other-species entrance consisted of 3 tall kitchen trash cans with bottoms removed, put together in telescoping manner. one end terminated at a window where a pane of glass had been removed to provide an opening. The others sloped downwards enough that water would not puddle, and ended with the the last one on a sawhorse made to the proper height.
The cat can jump up into the open tube - raccoons, opossums, snakes, etc. - not so much.
The plastic has the advantage of being both too slippery for some critters and waterproof. Concrete forms in 10 or 12" diameters may also work. I’d hang a bit of plastic screening secured at the top and weighted (slightly) at the bottom inside the inner opening - let it swing both in and out (duh). It will not stop all the bugs, but a number of the flying types will be stumped (a slot or two so they have an easy exit is advised).
I have thought it would be cool to have a dog/cat door that has a lock which is unlocked when a key fob hanging from a collar is within a few feet. Kind of a high end solution but that would make a cat’s outside space his alone. When you put it together and sell a million I’ll take a 1% royalty.
Cool - now all the bad guys are going to need to add:
Call mutt and remove collar - bribe with doggie treat.
to their "have a kid slip into the doggie door (“Mrs. Brown here locked her keys inside her house. Won’t you please help her by slipping in and opening the door?”) and open door.
This was resolved yesterday when Philo was mauled to death by the neighbors’ St. Bernard. I wish I were making that up. I’m so incredibly sad.
We built him an outdoor shelter, and I’ve been feeding him outside. I was conscious that he might find a greener (warmer) pasture and take his trade there. It didn’t occur to me to worry about him with regard to the dog because he’d been out there on his own for months, and before he came to us. I was aware that the dog had killed my downstairs neighbor’s kitten a few years ago, but that was a seriously tiny kitten, hardly bigger than my fist. Philo had street smarts.
