It's times like this....

leandygandy

....that I wish I had a garden.

The weather is lovely today and I've got the windows ajar as far as poss (got two house cats in a first floor flat so never have them fully open as the thought of one of them falling out scares me to death). I always thought that the cats had a good life, they seem very content.

However, there are lots of birds in the tree outside today and my youngest cat is sat at the window watching them with a sad look on his face . I've never seen him look like that before, and now I think 'if only I had a garden he could go out and chase them'

Poor little Charlie cat...

missmontana

You wouldn't be saying that when they start bringing you the nice little birdies in to look at!
But yes, cats do love to be outside where they can run about and play, they are at heart wild animals, all mine love to be outside even more so in this weather when they can find a sunny spot to snooze in.

leandygandy

missmontana wrote: »

You wouldn't be saying that when they start bringing you the nice little birdies in to look at!
But yes, cats do love to be outside where they can run about and play, they are at heart wild animals, all mine love to be outside even more so in this weather when they can find a sunny spot to snooze in.

:rotfl:I suspect not!

I think my older cat would be too scared to go outside anyway - on the few occasions he has escaped into the hallway he's made it down the first flight of stairs, realised he has no idea where he is, and then dashed back inside! We took him in my mum's garden on a lead once, and he really couldn't have cared less about being outside.

The younger one though I suspect feels a bit like he is missing out (may also have something to do with the downstairs neighbour having an outdoor female...)

Ah well, only another year or so before we sell up and buy a house, at which point we'll innoculate them and put in a cat flap so they can make the choice as to whether to go out or not.

It is funny though, to see them fight for the nice sunny spots by the window, oh how they love to lay on their backs and have a little catnap!:)

gettingready

I do nto have my own garden either - from the 4 I got, 2 like to go out (boys) and the other 2 do not (girls).

I take the boys down to a communal garden which is rather big and well fenced off and let them have a run for an hour or so after which time they miauuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu to be taken back in.

Saying that I have not taken them out for the past few days as waiting for delivery of flea/ticks thingy - last time Fred came home with a few ticks on him.... grrrr

rising_from_the_ashes

I rehomed my last cat and he'd never been out (one of the reasons I picked him as I lived in a flat in the city).

We were "together" for 6 years when I moved into a cottage on a farm - for the 1st year he would just lie in the open kitchen doorway but he eventually braved the outside.

His last year was spent wandering around the garden, climbing onto next door's roof and having great fun - but he never ventured far.

I'm glad he had the chance to experience the outside - lost him 4 years ago today and still miss him like crazy.

The 2 I've got now are funny - one used to go outside all day (always in at night - have spent many an hour looking for him at dusk) but there was a big fight last year and he now only goes out for 1/2 an hour here & there (very, very occasionally stays out a couple of hours). The wee one (I adore her before you read this next bit) is the stupidist cat that ever lived - she gets in so much trouble when she's out - stuck on house roof's, fences, garage roof's, in plants etc - she can't be left out unless I'm there to retrieve her from wherever she's got stuck. She doesn't actually seem that bothered and doesn't usually stay out more than 1/2 an hour too.

They're both really funny - they go out after I've taken the dog for a walk in the morning and both dutifully turn up when I give them a yell a short while later - same when I get home at night. I'm hoping the big one may start to stay out a bit more during the day now the weather's getting better but TBH he doesn't seem that bothered about going out anymore.

I do get regular "presents" - the big one is a prolific mouser and can still manage to catch several in the short time he's out. The wee one is a nightmare as she just brings them in the house (alive)!

Do your windows open upwards or outwards? I also worry about them falling out (more as they chase each other and jump onto the window sill) and have put a latch/hook onto the windows to hopefully stop this! If yours open upwards, try jamming a mini-door stop in to stop the window moving.

missmontana

One of my friends did have a cat that was agoraphobic. You took him anywhere near the back door and he would dig his claws in the door frame then run off and hide :rotfl:

Buttonmoons

I've got 2 indoor cats, never been outside, but the female always trys to run out the front door and and explore, the male that was raised in a stable, is petrified!! I once pushed him out the front door into the landing and he was jumping up at the door handle howling to get back in :rotfl: He's a big wuss! Annoying though as he is mental and has loads of energy and I'd totally take him out on a lead if it meant he'd stop eating my house, He wouldn't even let me show a neighbour him at the door, he put his claws in me and sprang off and hid in a cupboard for 3 hours.

chris_n_tj

MY Sister in law trained the little rescue cat to walk with a harness on. It was a funny sight watching them both go for a walk, they both enjoyed it once kitty got used to it.

Maybe worth giving it a go, but you need to be patient and take it very slowly.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

My male cat refused to come downstairs for the first week after we moved into a house from a top floor flat. When accidentally shut out in the landing when he wandered down one level to investigate when we still lived in the flat, he would howl like a wolf to be let straight back in.

The scaredy female never exhibited any interest in leaving the flat, other than watching the blue tits or other cats downstairs.

Despite this, when we moved, she was out in the back garden with me the following afternoon whilst he was still cowering under the bed.

Now, 6 months after moving in, he will take himself off all night (so and so is probably just over the wall, but won't come back) and last night, as we were packing up the barbeque, was nestled in a tussock of long grass, falling asleep. He has needed to learn to climb, jump, land without damaging himself, interact with other cats and - best of all in his mind - that there are small furry things living under the shed that are fun to chase (he hasn't worked out they are edible yet, or that I might like a present of half of one on the doorstep, thankfully).

Madam races DD to escape out the front door at 7 every morning, and heads straight for the garages down the road.

The fuzzy Ginger Ninja just sort of tags along. She loves the back garden, and is trying to mow the lawn for me, blade by blade, but isn't that impressed with out the front. She fell off the steps from the back door into the garden today as she rolled around on them, then followed it up with her first ever dust bath.

They're all unconscious in patches of sunshine indoors now.


I think they have to learn to enjoy the outdoors, but they don't suffer if they don't have it in the first place.

viktory

I do think it is very sad for cats not to have access to the big wide world. There is so much fun to be had, running, jumping, chasing, climbing trees...

leandygandy

Just a little update from us -

We opened the door last Sunday and have allowed the boys out each day for up to 20 minutes at a time.

Eddie, the older one (3), isn't bothered about going out, but will happily sit at the open door and enjoy the sunshine and the breeze.

Charlie (1) is out at soon as the door is open. So far he's only made it about 10 metres away but he's getting more adventurous by the day and comes back on command.