My brother gave me his cat when he could no longer care for him. The living circumstances for this cat are not really ideal. My brother has always had the cat outdoors and that is what he is accustomed to. He is very street smart and loves to be outside. If it were my cat from the beginning, I probably would only keep him indoors as I've read that's what is best for his health. Still, I don't feel like this cat would be happy at this point living indoors only (he's 8 years old) nor would that be feasible for my family. We are allowed by our landlord to have this cat. He is helping control the rodent population that we're experiencing. We have a very wild backyard with everything from wood rats, to coyotes, to owls, to rabbits, to bobcats, to turkey vultures, to hawks, etc. Our landlord does not want an inside cat nor would that be best for my DH who has a mild allergy to cats and who has been experiencing severe breathing problems this winter (they've gotten better!! but still!)
So heres the deal. The cat lives outdoors and got into some kind of scuffle. I don't know if it was another cat or one of the larger predators that lives in my area! While we were on vacation, he managed to injure his nose. The 11yo boy that lives next door was taking care of him and thought his nose was dirty--but it was actually a giant scab--he was just too young to notice. His father noticed that our cat was not as amiable this week and said that he was quite injured a few days ago. We're home now and it still looks bad to me but my neighbor thinks it looks much, much better. His behavior is such that he is eating and active and sociable now. We're going to wait until Monday to see if it needs a vet's attention.
All of this made me wonder though if the cat really does have the best living situation with us. We LOVE this cat. My kids adore him. The neighbor kids adore him. Every time my kids are outside the cat is right there hanging out. We love that he's a great hunter. He lives out of our garage which is warm, safe, and dry but he can get outside whenever he wants to. I'm just wondering if maybe he'd be better off living in a house that he can come in at night? Or would that make a difference? I don't ever want to give up this cat, but I do want him to be happy and safe and if I can't provide that I don't want to be selfish and keep him from it. He has the world's best personality. Everyone loves our cat so much. I'm sure he could be easily adopted. I don't want to give him up but should I?