I am devastated and not sure what to do next

purple.sarah

mgdavid wrote: »

BTDT, it's not pleasant as we all daftly become so attached to our moggy masters. As you can see from the above, all shades of opinion from black to white - you can only do what seems right for you. Not knowing your personal circumstances it's impossible to say if you can give the extra care and commitment to a housebound cat, or indeed whether you can catproof your garden . But if the new one has no over-riding reason to be kept in then it should roam IMO. If you kept it indoors would you have it de-clawed?

In the UK declawing is illegal. It is regarded as animal abuse.

Catmom

Im so terribly sorry for what you've been through. My cats are my life and I can only imagine the grief you are experiencing. On the indoor/outdoor debate, I can comment from both view points. I have been owned by cats all my life, and the only way I knew was to let them roam at will, spending long, wet, dark hours on the doorstep trying to get them in at night. Then I was asked to adopt 2 of my Aunties cats as she was struggling to cope on her own with 4 Persians :eek: They had always been indoor cats, although they enjoyed a wee sit in the garden with anyone who happened to be around when the sun was shining. Sadly one of them, Ted the white Chinchilla is no longer with us, but Little Chops, who is nearly 16, is laid next to me right now and seriously couldnt be happier. My other 3, however, are in and out all day long, and they too couldnt be happier. So honestly, I dont think there is a hard and fast rule.
I hope you find peace in whatever you decide, and I also hope Ted is making your kitty welcome at the Bridge xx

hethmar

So sorry for your loss. A while ago Id have said it was against nature to keep cats indoors but Ive since experienced a few households who do this and the cats seem happy and healthy to me. Go to your rescue and explain your feelings. They may well have the ideal cat waiting

paddypaws101

There are so many ways to cat proof a garden that I am sure you would find a way to do it. This system could be installed anywhere and is not too intrusive
http://purrfectfence.co.uk/

winterwhite11

paddypaws101 wrote: »

There are so many ways to cat proof a garden that I am sure you would find a way to do it. This system could be installed anywhere and is not too intrusive
http://purrfectfence.co.uk/

i bet this cost a fortune

mico62

Sorry for your loss. One of ours got run over in November and managed to make his way home but he had to be put to sleep. We've got a young dog who used to play with Amber and she was pining so we got an older (4 month) kitten from the CP. The 2 of them are now partners in crime - sometimes we wonder if the kitten thinks he's a dog!

You'll know when the time's right to get another cat.

winterwhite11

so many peoples cats on here got run over ,mine included{though he was not an outdoor cat he escaped before i had time to finish fencing}.
including someone who lost 4..(poor thing)
i,m sure most people can pet proof their garden , i know you might have to save but i would even give up smoking (if i smoked} and save that.
smoking money would add up pretty quick as ciggs are expensive .
i used to smoke but gave up.
2 days after you stop you don,t want a cigarette
thats what i found.
i think that 75% of people could cat proof garden but would prefer to spend it on other things and just think , oh kitty will be alright,he won,t get run over,he has,nt yet
its just asking for trouble let them out on streets

Borrisx

Soo sorry to hear this. I had to have my cat put down shortly before christmas after having her in the family for 8 years. She never really ventured from house/garden as she was rather a shy/rescue cat.

Sally_A

You take different risks with different pets, by having a cat you understand they will roam, it's in their nature.

Isn't it better for the cat, to have a happy home that it's allowed to roam around the area with the small chance it may be knocked over? Many live to a ripe old age without coming to harm.

Similarly, but going off topic a bit - I'm considering taking on some ex batt chickens - yes I know they are open to fox attack - I will do everything I can to prevent this, but I have to realise that it may happen. (and because of this I will NOT get attached, and want to bring them in on the bed every night!!! - Yeah right!).

gwhizz75

I too am so sorry to hear about your loss.

Have you considered getting a pair of cats which could be kept indoors? They could at least then keep each other company and play with one another?

We have two cats which are mostly indoor - to be honest we would like them to spend more time outside but they can both take it or leave it - especially in the winter! They tend to take one look out the door and turn around, back to their beds!

I can imagine how hard it would be to keep a cat indoors which really wanted to go out though. When I was little we had a cat who used to be out for most of the day and if for any reason he had to stay in, he would just sit and cry at the door all day.