To cat or not to cat advice needed

Present your daughter with a kitten or a rescue cat as a house warming gift in her new place.

a reply to: KindraLabelle2

Just reading the title of the thread made me think yes , cat. As long as it it is not an exclusively indoor cat. Free to roam, brings "dead presents" to the doorstep, yes to that cat.

I have a deep issue with only indoor cats. I do not like them. Or maybe my issue is with the owners that keep them indoors. I believe that cats choose to be domicile, but they are also still wild and need to have the freedom to roam whenever they please.

a reply to: KindraLabelle2





This picture pretty much says it all.

originally posted by: KindraLabelle2
My 25 year old daughter is moving out of the house later this year. She is moving into an apartment and wants to take our 15 year old cat, Angel, with her. Now we bought the cat on her 10th birthday so I guess technically it's hers. But since I am caring for it, feeding it, paying for everything cat related,... I also consider the cat as mine. Ours. It's been a pet to all of us.

I get why she want's to take her. Angle has been sleeping in her bed since day one, they are best buddies.

But over here, Angel has her huge garden where she roams in all day when the weather is nice, just now she is lying under the tree in front of the house. She never wanders far away from the house, but she still has an entire cat kingdom outside where she can be free. And when it gets colder she will spend her days inside, mostly in my daughters bedroom ( which is also a cat kingdom with several fluffy cat-cushions, baskets, unlimited food, ...)

When Angel moves with my daughter to the apartment, she won't be able to go outside. She will live with her favorite person, but loose all the outdoors freedom.

What would be best for the cat?

Hi there - I rescue feral and abandoned cats where I live and have had cats all my life (50+ years). Here is my $.02 cents worth of advice.

The cat is 15 and that is aged for a cat. Moving homes could be very stressful, but she could likely adapt, what would be hard to adapt to is being trapped inside (we built an enclosed catio for our cats so they can go outside since we don't have a yard they can roam in).

Cats get a ton of stimulation by being outside and being among nature and the bugs they hunt along with other things.

The cat may be her's technically, but it the cat IS a family cat since everyone is contributing.

Your daughter is going to have her hands full moving out and adjusting herself, it might not be fair to your cat for her to do the same thing - work? school? going out with friends? that will result in a lot of alone time for the kitty who can't go outside anymore.

I'd say, see if your daughter wants to take Angel over to her apartment for the weekend and care for her and such, kind of like joint custody. See how she travels. Some cats mind travel, some do not. Angel will need to be around for her cat, because you have to be able to pay attention to a 15 year old cat and be alert for any health issues.

I have no doubt your daughter loves the cat, but the most probable thing is to leave the kitty with you and come visit more often.

If she does take the cat, she needs to take all the cats things and fill her new apt with as much of the cat's smell as possible (and your smells too - old clothes you've worn, etc.) to help make it less stressful. You should also impress o your daughter, she needs to keep a super close eye on kitty.

But I'll say it again - a cat that can go outdoors seems to do better mentally and emotionally and instinctually. It's rough to do a big change on an old cat, they may not bounce back and that's the tough reality.

Hoping for the best for the kitty and that kitty stays surrounded with love, safety and attention.

a reply to: KindraLabelle2

its YOUR DAUGHTERS CAT.
the cat wont be completely lonely ifcyou keep it,
but YES the cat will miss her greatly.
you can always keep it on weekends, or a whole week now n then.

but cats choose their owners,
no matter who you bought it for,
sounds like its HERS

a reply to: KindraLabelle2

Recommended reading.

The Silent Miaow bluejayblog.wordpress.com...

Right away, we are told to believe that the book is a sort of self-help manual for the benefit of other cats. The “author” was a cat named Cica, a feline of superior intelligence who had access to a typewriter.

You not only have the cat's happiness to consider you have their safety!

Cats who are used to going outdoors are going to try to escape from being inside. If the cat gets out in their new place, they are going to try to make it the original home. Yes, the cat loves your daughter but instinct is going to take over and they are going to try to make it home - where your daughter usually is. They don't have the concept of this is your daughter's new home - they just don't.

Most cats go missing during a move. They leave and just get lost and at your cat's age, the outcome isn't going to be good.
All it takes is for a door to be opened for just 3 seconds - that's all they need. This happens ALL the time.

If your daughter needs at little more convincing just show her all the lost cat postings that mention they are new to the area or just moved.

If that doesn't work, have her spend the weekend with the cat inside your home. Maybe after 48 hours of listening it cry (and they do cry to go out) she will change her mind. THEN ASK HER HOW SHE FELT BEING TRAPPED IN A HOUSE NEVER TO GO OUT AGAIN!

If your daughter loves this cat, she will put the cat's interest first.

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15 is old for a cat scratch on wood but she's probably got four or five more years left in her. Keeping her at home is an excuse for your daughter to come visit and company when she isn't around... If you're scared of empty nest syndrome... It's isn't cool to blame the cat even though it would be the most likely suspect.





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a reply to: KindraLabelle2
as the owner of a shy/scared cat I'm pretty sure the cat will feel miserable when moved to another place.
Let her stay in the place she knows.

a reply to: KindraLabelle2

When I was a kid, we moved from Michigan to Florida. My sister, who was going to university, took our 7-year-old cat, Fred, because my dad didn't want to take the cat with us on our move. She lived in a small apartment, about 3 weeks after we had moved, Fred disappeared, and she never saw him again. I think he tried to go back home and probably got lost. It was very haunting and disturbing as we never did find out what happened to him. Look out for the cat's best interest.

a reply to: openminded2011

Sad story. I hope Fred found a good home.

Our family had a dog go missing when I was young. Even now, I wonder what became of the dog.

Cheers