Speaking of kitties... how do I...

[silkhope]

Transition them to indoor/outdoor cats? They're six months old, getting spayed soon and will need to go outside as they are driving DH crazy (he doesn't walk well and they constantly run under and around his feet during the day).

I'm so afraid of them running off, getting into another neighbors yard and getting hurt by another dog (our dogs are friendly with them), etc. How do I know they'll stay around the house?

Any suggestions?? Anything I haven't thought of? We never used to worry about this growing up, our cats just always stayed around the house... but I'm worried these two won't.

 

[Kaneke]

keep them inside until after their incisions have healed, but of course you'd do that !

most cats will stay pretty close to where the food is ...

(or where things-to-play-with are ... )

especially after they have been altered

but yes, if they are outside cats, you always have the possibility of losing them to one thing or another

now, you CAN put them outside in a fenced run attached to the house, if that would ease your mind ...

however, cats once outside, my experience, will dig or jump until they have full freedom ...

also depends on what hazards you have in your neighborhood and how large your property is

inside cats live longer, are healthier by and large, in many ways it is a kinder environment

have DH hiss at them when they get too close ! they will learn --- or have him give them a quick squirt with a bottle of water

am sure you can come up with a scheme to limit their activities so your DH doesn't have to contend with them

 

[silkiechicken]

Good luck! I only have outdoor cats and they are almost always around the house. The one that showed up 15 years ago is still going strong. However, being able to keep them at home is going to be tough if you have a small lot. I am "landlocked" on 7 acres so the cats, even if they wandered... dont go that far away. Good luck! It is a very dangerous world outside for cats, I've seen alot of them on the edge of the highway.

 

[silkhope]

My cats are insane, they love water, so the water bottle doesn't work. They just want more

Any time I brush my teeth, run a bath, rinse dishes, etc. They are right there, in it.

I was hoping there was some magic routine to keep them around. We only have an acre and a half but we're off the main highway a good bit.

Ugh, so hard. I'm afraid DH is going to fall. One of them loves to roll around on his feet...

 

[Kaneke]

hissing and spitting works ..."HHHCHHHH" like another cat --- you may not speak fluent Feline but they get the idea

the Dog Whisperer's "ssst" will work too

so also does deliberately stepping on them a time or two ... when you can control what's being stepped on (so as to injure only their pride ... )

my kittens learned quickly that I can NOT see in the dark !

I don't want to hurt them ... but if it's dark and I MUST get up, they gotta get out of the way

 

[Kaneke]

also, sprayed water, as from a well-washed Windex bottle, the "long stream spray" kind not the old fashioned mist kind, seems to be seen as a different kettle of fish, from running water ... possibly because the stream of water is accompanied by a high pitched noise ...

 

[thechickman04]

i got two new kittens on christmas...and to tell you the truth my dad hated them because it turned out he was allergic...so about two weeks ago i put them outside and they havnt left.... so if they know where they get fed they wont leave

 

[gritsar]

I read once where the average lifespan of an outside cat (living in town) is 2 years. Killer Kitty doesn't like the indoors, but we're blessed in that we live so far out she rarely even sees a car, besides ours and the mail carriers. To my knowledge the only other cat she has ever seen is the bobcat hybrid and he's scared of her. Having grown up mainly around myself and my SO she freaks when she sees another human. My biggest fear for her is that a stray dog that's not cat friendly will wander up here someday. She adores dogs, since Charlie reared her from age 3 weeks; making it impossible for me to instill in her a fear of dogs.
Those would be my 3 fears for putting kittens outside...cars, other stronger cats, and dogs.
If they were my kittens I would start out by putting them out during the daytime hours, check on them often, and then gradually introduce them to the nighttime spent outdoors.

 

[silkiechicken]

Yep, average life of a feral cat is only about 2 years, often less. So that's why I'm so glad my cat is still alive after so long. The major highway that runs from Canada to Mexico is at the end of my drive way, and the cat will only get to about 100 ft of the mailbox at the end.

 

[silkhope]

Thanks for the suggestions and words of wisdom! My dogs come in anytime they want, so I would hope they would too. I don't know, I might not be able to bring myself to actually doing it!

Cursing and fussing (LOUDLY

) doesn't hinder them so I'll tell DH to make the sounds when they get under his feet!!!