Kitty On the Window
Short report now, more later as the day goes on.
Patches is not happy in the sunroom. The vet suggested I keep him confined for about ten days. So he's in the sunroom for now--hiding under the couch. When I first let him out of the cat carrier, he lept up on the back of the couch and proceeded to climb up one of the windows--not good for the woodwork. I plucked him off and cuddled him for a while. He was fine for that, but as soon as I let him go again, he started prowling for a hidey hole.
That was the last I've seen of him without kneeling down myself to peer under the sofa.
However, in the middle of the night, there was a lot of noise from the room which again sounded as if Patches was attempting once more to climb the windows to get out. Thunks, scratches, clawing noises, etc. I got up too late to see him, as by then the poor little guy had given up.
I guess ten days will be enough to see if he is going to adjust to being indoors. When I had Mommycat spayed a couple years ago, I thought she might decide that inside was nice. It was a very cold winter, so I kept her in longer than needed for full recovery, but she never did acclimate. I'm not keen about keeping any outdoor cats here as the road is SO dangerous, but if being in is too stressful, then outdoors it is. Mommy is living down at my next door neighbor's house and she shows up here once in a while. If Patches decides he wants to be outside, I will honor his needs.
It's not the best place for him to be, but I won't torture him with confinement if he can't tolerate it.
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I have to commend you for thinking of the true welfare of the cat - it's so often when a cat grows up strictly inside or outside, they become fearful and stressed in the opposite environment, and it's so nice that you are thinking of his happiness.
ReplyDeleteSome of the cats that we were able to handle as kittens that were born in feral litters don't mind going in or out, being taken inside and played with as kittens (but of course we didn't get them TOO used to it, because we have taken on so many...almost 20 now). But the ones who grew up strictly outdoors sometimes get caught in the sunroom and they just panic and lose it. Likewise, we took our indoor cats out to do a flea bomb in the house before, and Spyro was absolutely terrified and kept crouched in the corner of the kennel we put them in, and Garfield went balistic on the way being carried out and bit a hole to the bone in Jessie's finger in a total panic to get away, and he hid for a few days after we let them back inside...
even domesticated cats, in my experience, don't like a closed door...
ReplyDeleteit's very hard with a cat that normally has free access to force them to stay in, and with this sort it'll be even harder
if he don't like it, not a lot you can do save let him out .. and again, it's not as if its the major abdominal surgery a female would have had
mind, nessie only had to stay in 3 days! not 10!
He doesn't sound too happy but maybe he will adjust. If not you've already got a plan in place.
ReplyDeleteYears ago a mama cat had kittens and they lived outside. We had a very cold winter and I felt sorry for them and brought them in. Big mistake. After I extracted them from the kitchen curtains, I let them live outside.
Sounds that your little guy is an outdoor cat. I would keep him in three days as Claire suggested, then I would let him go. it must be really stressful for him. Animals handle better pain than emotional stress.
ReplyDeleteI am sure he would stay around your house anyhow.
Still not in my normal routine of reading and commenting on blogs so just read yesterday's and today's blog. How responsible of you to pay to have this cat neutered and examined. So expensive! We have always had a dog but with the unpredictable expenses of a horse I think we will pass on a dog. If he can't adjust to living inside, hopefully he is wise in the ways of the busy road next to you.
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