Bringing An Outdoor Cat Inside

 I have been doing lots of  internet searches  research on bringing an outdoor cat inside, what cats do at night and lots of other cat related things.  Big Daddy and I both grew up with outside cats that were strays that had wondered up and stayed around because they were fed and given attention to.  Once we realized that Rainbow was getting injured in fights, we wanted to keep him safe.  Research states that having a male cat neutered should reduce fighting and wandering by about 90%.  Of course, it also helps control the pet population and it breaks my heart to see stray animals.  The best way to protect them from predators, is by having them inside.  Since I saw a fairly large coyote right across the street from our house last Friday, Big Daddy and I decided that we HAD to keep him inside at night.

When we took Rainbow to the vet for his shots, we scheduled the appointment to have him neutered.  He would have to be at the office around 7am and would need to be inside ALL the time for a minimum of 48 hours.  We gave him the litter box a week before surgery and hoped that he would sleep well in the house on the night before surgery.  We wanted to make sure that Rainbow didn't have anything to eat after midnight and decided that bringing him in for the night would be the easiest way.  He went to sleep well and then was up meowing at all of the bedroom doors around 4am.  I sat up with him and he was happy just having one of his people around!  Big Daddy left for work around 7am and took Rainbow by the vet on his way.  The doctor called around 12:00 to let me know that he tolerated the procedure well, but had an upset tummy.  I went to pick him up around 4:00 and he seemed excited to see his family.  The tech warned me that he had been a little aggressive and even growling at them.

I decided to have Maggie and Ellie play in their rooms while I took Rainbow, still in his crate, into the laundry room.  When I opened the door he went straight to the litter box.  After that, he prowled around the house like a tiger looking for a person to eat.  He jumped on everything!  The kitchen table, the dining room table, all of the beds and the couch.  After a couple of hours, he crashed!  Sweet boy went to sleep and woke up around 4am.  He was once again, meowing at the bedroom doors.  Big Daddy and I decided that we would try to leave our bedroom door opened the next night.  He seems to enjoy just being in the room with us, even if we're asleep.

And things have been great ever since!

Rainbow sleeps most of the night.  We do not hear him meow, but can sometimes hear the kuh-thump of him chasing his toys in the living room on the hardwood floors.  I have gotten up during the night to use the bathroom and he will be asleep in our bedroom floor.  We are super- thrilled with how well things have been going.  On Monday, we decided to let him out in the morning and he has been staying out for a few hours before coming home...to nap.  He loves looking outside during the day and has several perches that we have given him so that he can enjoy the views.

Much to my surprise, I have done surprisingly well with both the cleanliness issues and my asthma and allergies.  I have found more of my hair (and our new American Girl, Caroline) on the floors than  I have cat hairs.  I dust mop daily (except for Sunday) and generally keep the house quite clean.  From what I've read this is probably why my allergy to cats seems to be under control.  If I carry him or rub my eyes before I have washed my hands, I will get itchy and watery eyes and a little sniffle.  I comb Rainbow (which he loves) daily, but that doesn't seem to pull off a lot of hair.  I guess we'll see how much he sheds when warm weather comes!  I clean out the litter box daily and we haven't had any odor issues except for right after he potties.

2012- The Year I Became A Crazy Cat Lady

I couldn't think of a better title for this post!  Of all the things that happened in 2012, one of the most unexpected (and happiest) things was that we became cat "owners".

When our hamster Olivia died (somewhat prematurely) I never planned on getting a cat or dog.  We had thought about it, but didn't want an indoor pet because of my asthma, allergies and the fact that I like a clean house and didn't need anyone else to clean up after.  For the past 12 years I have had horrible asthma issues and most pets just didn't seem like a possibility.  I have always thought indoor pets were fine for other people, but that it wouldn't happen for us.

And then Rainbow happened.

I need a shirt that says "Let me tell you about my cat".  I LOVE this boy.  I say at least three times a day, "You really are an exceptional cat".  He is well-behaved, loves the girls and just seems so happy here with us.  Of course, he adopted us, so I like to think that he loves the people that he lives with.

The first week of December we started having issues with Rainbow having injuries.  Our boy was getting in fights.  We discussed his place in our family and decided that we would talk about having him "fixed" and we discussed the idea of him living inside.  I admit, I panicked.  I would wake up at night and worry about everything that comes with having an indoor pet and I prayed a lot.

One morning when I went out to feed him, he didn't come.  After a few minutes, I realized he was in his (dog) house and he was hurt.  I saw a few drops of blood and realized that he had a deep gash all the way to the bone in his tail.  It broke my heart.  A couple of days later, he was waiting on me with a bloody ear that had a little rip in it.  Big Daddy and I decided to take him to the vet for his shots and to discuss having him neutered.

So...Rainbow took his shots like a big boy and the vet examined his injuries.  She said that something (another cat or possibly a coyote) had grabbed his tail and that it had been ripped while he was running away.  The doctor cleaned his injured ear and gave him a shot of antibiotics.  She also examined his crooked smile and said that earlier in his life...his jaw had been broken.  I think Big Daddy and I both gasped when she said that he had most likely been hit by a car.  I had thought hoped that his tooth was just one of those sweet things that made him special.  The doctor estimated his age at much older than we had expected.  she said that he was probably so small and had grown so much in the past three months because he was suffering from being malnourished when he came to our house.

Anyway...Rainbow will go to the doctor tomorrow to be neutered.  He has been spending LOTS of time in the house in preparation for his recovery period.  He stays in all day and goes to the door when he wants out to potty or prowl.  He has also used the litter box that I placed in the laundry room.  (HUGE step for me!)  We are planning to let him be an indoor/outdoor cat.  We only let him stay in the house when we are home and we do not let him get on any of the furniture.  He will be sleeping inside at night while he recovers from his surgery and we'll see what  he wants to do we decide after that.

My heart has changed and I do not want to imagine our house without Rainbow around.  He is a nice addition to our family.
I pet him and wash my hands immediately and haven't had anything more than watery eyes for a few minutes- even after holding him on the way to and from the vet.  Several of my friends have told me that he probably won't bother my allergies since I keep the house so clean. We'll see,