Your Thoughts on an Outdoor Cat?

[marinkitty]

I've had cats most of my life. LOVE them (and I will say that most of ours have been very loving, affectionate house pets although we have had a couple of more stereotypical aloof cats who only want attention when they want it over the years). Ours have all been house cats. Two of our current cats are adopted barn cats from my brother's farm (we have four right now). One of them adjusted to indoor life and doesn't seek to go out and the other likes to go out, but we take him out on a leash with a harness. For all the reasons that others have stated, a purely outdoor cat isn't a great idea, but a rescue feral cat might be an ideal fit as those are already accustomed to outdoor life and might otherwise be destroyed. I'd want to put a bell on its neck to save the birds and other wildlife, but of course that would negate its use as rat patrol. I will say the cats on my brother's farm never live long at all (that's actually how we ended up with our two - they were about three months old and my niece begged us to rescue them as their other litter mate had already been killed and she wanted them to have a good life.)

[bisous]

Thank you for all your thoughts. I'm intrigued by the idea of working cats. That may be exactly what DH is looking for. It just underscores to me that we had the most amazing combination of effective hunter, street smart warrior, and ball of love! I truly hope animals go to heaven and I get to be with Rascal again. I love my husband more of course and would never consider an inside cat because of his allergies. But I just don't think I can have a "pet" live outside again and never allow him in.

[dogmom]

Thank you for all your thoughts. I'm intrigued by the idea of working cats. That may be exactly what DH is looking for. It just underscores to me that we had the most amazing combination of effective hunter, street smart warrior, and ball of love! I truly hope animals go to heaven and I get to be with Rascal again. I love my husband more of course and would never consider an inside cat because of his allergies. But I just don't think I can have a "pet" live outside again and never allow him in.

I will say as someone who is very allergic to cats that I have had cats and I’m not allergic to all equally. Additionally I find that if I’m away from cats by allergies are worse than when I had them. I wouldn’t recommend getting a cat in hope your DH Changes his mind. However, things may change and the cat my be able to spend some time indoors. If I had to for some reason I could live with a cat if we kept it out of my sleeping space. My mother just died, I’m not taking her elderly cats because we have one dog, one puppy on the way, and two rabbits in an open top pen area that the cats could get into. It’s just too much with my allergies and probably too stressful for them to change to such and active household. But I can imagine a scenario that I would take cats in.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I will say as someone who is very allergic to cats that I have had cats and I’m not allergic to all equally. Additionally I find that if I’m away from cats by allergies are worse than when I had them. I wouldn’t recommend getting a cat in hope your DH Changes his mind. However, things may change and the cat my be able to spend some time indoors. If I had to for some reason I could live with a cat if we kept it out of my sleeping space. My mother just died, I’m not taking her elderly cats because we have one dog, one puppy on the way, and two rabbits in an open top pen area that the cats could get into. It’s just too much with my allergies and probably too stressful for them to change to such and active household. But I can imagine a scenario that I would take cats in.

We had a magical cat that no one was allergic to. People would come to our house and when the cat would walk past they would be shocked that there was a cat. She was just a random cat; no specific breed. It's so hard to predict!

[Kestrel]

Have you heard about the new cat food that limits allergy response in people? I have no idea if it works, but I find the idea fascinating! Mayim Bialik (Big Bang Theory, Call Me Kat) was promoting it. What an interesting idea - the food limits home much of a specific protein the cat's body makes, and that protein is what people are sensitive to. Or something like that. I overheard talk about it at the vet office.

https://www.purina.com/pro-plan/cats...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

[Octobermommy]

We have cats in our area that have been outside & the shelters are advertising them as “unemployed & looking for a job “. They’ve been barn kitties & the shelters have spayed or neutered them but they aren’t going to be great for indoor family life. That might be something you could look in to or getting a cat from someone that is rehoming that has been outside.

Our cat is indoor/outside but she has been a street cat for her first 9 months of life before she walked up to our house. She would be miserable inside.