Does anyone leave their cats out all day?

birduk

Hi, I wonder if anyone here can help. I have two perfect little (and large) mousers. Great for hunting all sorts of things- bunnies, rats, squirrels, mice, voles. Lovely as they are, I am getting a bit fed up with walking upstairs to find just the face of a vole/full rat/baby bunny staring at me. They leave them all round the house.

Unfortunately there are no doors that close properly in my house (certainly not to downstairs), and there is no option of sorting is as house is rented. I am very lucky in that we have a cat flap. I keep them in all night and they come and go as they please in the daytime.

I was wondeirng if a solution to the morgue question may be to keep them out during the daytime? So they can't bring them in? Does anyone do this? I get a guilt trip thinking about this, but wonder if it might be OK? What do you lovely pet lovers think? Thank you!

vervin

Yes i do , i got them a little house each from pet store . Put a nice fleese in there they are nice and warm. At night i turn the opening to the wall so i get no one getting free B&B

homeworkgirl

Well I wouldn't leave mine out all day as I would be worried that something was going to happen to them but one alternative would be to give them access to something like an outside shed I suppose so they can shelter from bad weather etc. You could put a couple of cushions and a blanket in there to make it a bit comfy for them......you might have to deal with the prey in there instead....but it's got to be better than in the house!

confusedroast

We have a top floor flat and two cats - I let them out onto the roof terrace first thing in the morning after breakfast (6.30am) and unless its raining they stay out there most of the day

cinderellacomplex

I have four cats, three 2 year olds and one who is nearly 10. We don't have a cat flap for that exact reason.. it's fun enough getting it on your doorstep! The cats stay outside during the day when we are out, they have a greenhouse which has beds in it for them but half of the time they are happy to lie under bushes etc. We only really let them stay indoors during the day when the weather is awful and they seem pretty happy with the arrangement.

Fire_Fox

birduk wrote: »

Unfortunately there are no doors that close properly in my house (certainly not to downstairs), and there is no option of sorting is as house is rented. I am very lucky in that we have a cat flap. I keep them in all night and they come and go as they please in the daytime.

I was wondeirng if a solution to the morgue question may be to keep them out during the daytime? So they can't bring them in? Does anyone do this? I get a guilt trip thinking about this, but wonder if it might be OK? What do you lovely pet lovers think? Thank you!

Sorry if the following sounds preachy, sometimes I am a bit rubbish at wording stuff tactfully! You have a legal responsibility (RSPCA five freedoms) to provide adequate shelter and comfort - this could be in the form of a shed with a cat flap, bedding and food, but you would need to consider heating in the cooler weather.

Some cats take fairly well to being locked out during the day, others will simply find a gullible soul and move in with them! How would you feel about that? When I had outdoor cats I never minded getting presents, but then I always received whole ones ....

Pixiechic

Personally, I wouldn't leave my cat outside all day, I would worry too much. Even a small house outside doesn't seem adequate if being chased by a wandering dog. My friends cat got killed that way, awful.
My cat was outdoor before we moved and he had to be indoors and he would often bring in dead and live animals. I had quite a knack for rescuing scared mice from behind the settee with a nice warm dark ugg boot for them to run and hide in.I then took it back outside All done whilst a very proud and over excited kitty salivated and stayed in! I do understand the difficulty...........
I had looked at this before, apparently it is a lot safer for a cat to go in, I considered it for mine just somewhere to run to quickly and be safe when outside as I didn't have a cat flap as was renting. He never waited long to come in but I worry
http://www.petsathome.com/shop/outdoor-plastic-cat-house-by-katkabin-13622?DisplayProductList=true

Tigsteroonie

Our cats can spend all day outside, if we are out all day. We have no cat-flap, if they appear and cannot get in, they go and shelter under bushes in the garden or under the bike covers. It doesn't seem to bother them.

paddypaws101

I suppose what worries me is the CHANGE for the cats...they just wont understand being locked out....and as FF says a disgruntled cat can go house hunting!
( As for heating in outside areas....sorry but that just makes me laugh, RSPCA or not! )
Cats grow out of the hunting game...give it a year or so and they will be too lazy to bother.

Fire_Fox

paddypaws101 wrote: »

I suppose what worries me is the CHANGE for the cats...they just wont understand being locked out....and as FF says a disgruntled cat can go house hunting!
( As for heating in outside areas....sorry but that just makes me laugh, RSPCA or not! )
Cats grow out of the hunting game...give it a year or so and they will be too lazy to bother.

RSPCA didn't specify heating I did, although IIRC there are minimum temperatures for outdoor catteries. I mean if/ when it snows or is frosty all day like it has been so much this winter. I know cats can survive it (Noah was a stray in the February 2009 snow ) but I don't think they should have to: if a small animal gets wet and then cold they could go downhill very quickly. Only needs to be enough to keep the chill off, not full blast central heating!!

Did you see this story?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1255625/Cat-survives-weeks-eating-frozen-peas-chilled-warehouse.html

Wine_of_the_World

Would you not be better fitting some kind of collar that could stop your cats hunting (and killing wildlife like our lovely birds). My friend has a collar that can sence when the cats are about to pounse which beebs or something, putting the cat off.