Advice please (cat related)
Discussion
Hi all.
About 5 months ago we rescued 2 cats, brother and sister, both two years old. They had been kept indoors but were desperate to go out exploring in the wide world. We already had a flap and it seemed cruel to force them to stay in.
Sadly the girl Muffit was just too inquisitive and managed to go through our side gate and out onto the road whereby, not being streetwise she got run over. This was new to us as we have had up to 5 cats here over the last twenty years, all rescue and none of which had ever ventured near the road, and all lived to late teens, early twenties.
We were devastated. I now have two questions....
Firstly, we thought the male "Merlin" aka "Pit Stop Billy" might be lonely. Is it wise to find him a companion? He seems ok on his own, but we also miss having two or more.
Secondly, what would you advise to block the gate without it looking crap? Its wrought iron and temporarily my oh has just put an unsightly piece of wood across the bottom half which has deterred Merlin from following his sisters example, but he too has started showing an unhealthy interest as to where this passage might lead. Can't bear the thought of him going the same way as we adore him so much. We think we need something that can be threaded, lattice like between the uprights but are struggling to think what to use and where to get it from.
Any ideas, gratefully received.
Thanks
About 5 months ago we rescued 2 cats, brother and sister, both two years old. They had been kept indoors but were desperate to go out exploring in the wide world. We already had a flap and it seemed cruel to force them to stay in.
Sadly the girl Muffit was just too inquisitive and managed to go through our side gate and out onto the road whereby, not being streetwise she got run over. This was new to us as we have had up to 5 cats here over the last twenty years, all rescue and none of which had ever ventured near the road, and all lived to late teens, early twenties.
We were devastated. I now have two questions....
Firstly, we thought the male "Merlin" aka "Pit Stop Billy" might be lonely. Is it wise to find him a companion? He seems ok on his own, but we also miss having two or more.
Secondly, what would you advise to block the gate without it looking crap? Its wrought iron and temporarily my oh has just put an unsightly piece of wood across the bottom half which has deterred Merlin from following his sisters example, but he too has started showing an unhealthy interest as to where this passage might lead. Can't bear the thought of him going the same way as we adore him so much. We think we need something that can be threaded, lattice like between the uprights but are struggling to think what to use and where to get it from.
Any ideas, gratefully received.
Thanks
Sorry to hear this.I do know how you feel.
We had two Brothers, Ronnie & Reggie and lost Ronnie at just over a year old to our not especially busy road to the front of the house a few months ago.I still hurt.We let Reggie see the body of Ronnie as suggested, then, to keep him company during the day (they stay in when we are at work), got a female rescue cat.I just couldn't bear the fact Reggie would have no other interaction.This was despite being told that they are quite resilient and could easily adapt as solitary animals.He kept looking for his Brother in various places and it broke our hearts, so we took a chance.
Apparently, trying to introduce two girls can cause issues but as Reggie was a boy, we were told a kitten or grown male or female cat should be fine.I'm glad we did.It took some time for Allie/Alley (she was found with her litter in an alley) to get used to her surroundings and for a few weeks, she just hid in any corner available! I actually took some time off work to play with them both and keep an eye on the hissing fits etc and it all came good in the end.
We still let them out as we decided a life behind closed doors isn't one we want for our cats and were also told that if a cat survives their first year, they will often be streetwise enough to see out their lives.We have some lovely wooded areas around here and fortunately, Reggie almost always appears after a while when called.Allie, on the other hand, can vanish for a day or two! If anything, Ronnies death prepared us in some small way for what can happen if you are prepared to let your pets roam free.We believe it's worth the risk, although it doesn't make our loss any easier as we are and always will be concerned.
A recent image says it all for us..
We had two Brothers, Ronnie & Reggie and lost Ronnie at just over a year old to our not especially busy road to the front of the house a few months ago.I still hurt.We let Reggie see the body of Ronnie as suggested, then, to keep him company during the day (they stay in when we are at work), got a female rescue cat.I just couldn't bear the fact Reggie would have no other interaction.This was despite being told that they are quite resilient and could easily adapt as solitary animals.He kept looking for his Brother in various places and it broke our hearts, so we took a chance.
Apparently, trying to introduce two girls can cause issues but as Reggie was a boy, we were told a kitten or grown male or female cat should be fine.I'm glad we did.It took some time for Allie/Alley (she was found with her litter in an alley) to get used to her surroundings and for a few weeks, she just hid in any corner available! I actually took some time off work to play with them both and keep an eye on the hissing fits etc and it all came good in the end.
We still let them out as we decided a life behind closed doors isn't one we want for our cats and were also told that if a cat survives their first year, they will often be streetwise enough to see out their lives.We have some lovely wooded areas around here and fortunately, Reggie almost always appears after a while when called.Allie, on the other hand, can vanish for a day or two! If anything, Ronnies death prepared us in some small way for what can happen if you are prepared to let your pets roam free.We believe it's worth the risk, although it doesn't make our loss any easier as we are and always will be concerned.
A recent image says it all for us..
Digby said:
Sorry to hear this.I do know how you feel.
We had two Brothers, Ronnie & Reggie and lost Ronnie at just over a year old to our not especially busy road to the front of the house a few months ago.I still hurt.We let Reggie see the body of Ronnie as suggested, then, to keep him company during the day (they stay in when we are at work), got a female rescue cat.I just couldn't bear the fact Reggie would have no other interaction.This was despite being told that they are quite resilient and could easily adapt as solitary animals.He kept looking for his Brother in various places and it broke our hearts, so we took a chance.
Apparently, trying to introduce two girls can cause issues but as Reggie was a boy, we were told a kitten or grown male or female cat should be fine.I'm glad we did.It took some time for Allie/Alley (she was found with her litter in an alley) to get used to her surroundings and for a few weeks, she just hid in any corner available! I actually took some time off work to play with them both and keep an eye on the hissing fits etc and it all came good in the end.
We still let them out as we decided a life behind closed doors isn't one we want for our cats and were also told that if a cat survives their first year, they will often be streetwise enough to see out their lives.We have some lovely wooded areas around here and fortunately, Reggie almost always appears after a while when called.Allie, on the other hand, can vanish for a day or two! If anything, Ronnies death prepared us in some small way for what can happen if you are prepared to let your pets roam free.We believe it's worth the risk, although it doesn't make our loss any easier as we are and always will be concerned.
A recent image says it all for us..
Thank you for that Digby, too many times on this site in other forums you just get abuse and told to MTFU. A lovely post, much appreciated.We had two Brothers, Ronnie & Reggie and lost Ronnie at just over a year old to our not especially busy road to the front of the house a few months ago.I still hurt.We let Reggie see the body of Ronnie as suggested, then, to keep him company during the day (they stay in when we are at work), got a female rescue cat.I just couldn't bear the fact Reggie would have no other interaction.This was despite being told that they are quite resilient and could easily adapt as solitary animals.He kept looking for his Brother in various places and it broke our hearts, so we took a chance.
Apparently, trying to introduce two girls can cause issues but as Reggie was a boy, we were told a kitten or grown male or female cat should be fine.I'm glad we did.It took some time for Allie/Alley (she was found with her litter in an alley) to get used to her surroundings and for a few weeks, she just hid in any corner available! I actually took some time off work to play with them both and keep an eye on the hissing fits etc and it all came good in the end.
We still let them out as we decided a life behind closed doors isn't one we want for our cats and were also told that if a cat survives their first year, they will often be streetwise enough to see out their lives.We have some lovely wooded areas around here and fortunately, Reggie almost always appears after a while when called.Allie, on the other hand, can vanish for a day or two! If anything, Ronnies death prepared us in some small way for what can happen if you are prepared to let your pets roam free.We believe it's worth the risk, although it doesn't make our loss any easier as we are and always will be concerned.
A recent image says it all for us..
Di
lady topaz said:
Digby said:
Sorry to hear this.I do know how you feel.
We had two Brothers, Ronnie & Reggie and lost Ronnie at just over a year old to our not especially busy road to the front of the house a few months ago.I still hurt.We let Reggie see the body of Ronnie as suggested, then, to keep him company during the day (they stay in when we are at work), got a female rescue cat.I just couldn't bear the fact Reggie would have no other interaction.This was despite being told that they are quite resilient and could easily adapt as solitary animals.He kept looking for his Brother in various places and it broke our hearts, so we took a chance.
Apparently, trying to introduce two girls can cause issues but as Reggie was a boy, we were told a kitten or grown male or female cat should be fine.I'm glad we did.It took some time for Allie/Alley (she was found with her litter in an alley) to get used to her surroundings and for a few weeks, she just hid in any corner available! I actually took some time off work to play with them both and keep an eye on the hissing fits etc and it all came good in the end.
We still let them out as we decided a life behind closed doors isn't one we want for our cats and were also told that if a cat survives their first year, they will often be streetwise enough to see out their lives.We have some lovely wooded areas around here and fortunately, Reggie almost always appears after a while when called.Allie, on the other hand, can vanish for a day or two! If anything, Ronnies death prepared us in some small way for what can happen if you are prepared to let your pets roam free.We believe it's worth the risk, although it doesn't make our loss any easier as we are and always will be concerned.
A recent image says it all for us..
Thank you for that Digby, too many times on this site in other forums you just get abuse and told to MTFU. A lovely post, much appreciated.We had two Brothers, Ronnie & Reggie and lost Ronnie at just over a year old to our not especially busy road to the front of the house a few months ago.I still hurt.We let Reggie see the body of Ronnie as suggested, then, to keep him company during the day (they stay in when we are at work), got a female rescue cat.I just couldn't bear the fact Reggie would have no other interaction.This was despite being told that they are quite resilient and could easily adapt as solitary animals.He kept looking for his Brother in various places and it broke our hearts, so we took a chance.
Apparently, trying to introduce two girls can cause issues but as Reggie was a boy, we were told a kitten or grown male or female cat should be fine.I'm glad we did.It took some time for Allie/Alley (she was found with her litter in an alley) to get used to her surroundings and for a few weeks, she just hid in any corner available! I actually took some time off work to play with them both and keep an eye on the hissing fits etc and it all came good in the end.
We still let them out as we decided a life behind closed doors isn't one we want for our cats and were also told that if a cat survives their first year, they will often be streetwise enough to see out their lives.We have some lovely wooded areas around here and fortunately, Reggie almost always appears after a while when called.Allie, on the other hand, can vanish for a day or two! If anything, Ronnies death prepared us in some small way for what can happen if you are prepared to let your pets roam free.We believe it's worth the risk, although it doesn't make our loss any easier as we are and always will be concerned.
A recent image says it all for us..
Di
firstly RIP to Muffitt what a terrible way to lose a pet.potentially you could weave some willow sticks between the bars, have seen this done before like this: http://www.jaydavey.co.uk/galleryimages/bespoke/ga...
is very easy for a beginner to do and better looking than a bit of wood imho.
is very easy for a beginner to do and better looking than a bit of wood imho.
I don't mind admitting I was in pieces.I don't remember the last time I cried, but I did when Ronnie left my lap and was dead in a box only a few hours later.I would never blame anyone for keeping their pets indoors and I still ask myself "why us?" when I travel around London and see obviously far older cats running around on streets with thousands of cars using them daily.Others posted similar tales of their cats being killed in roads where there was hardly any traffic.I guess all it takes is one noisy car and one scared cat running for home from underneath a parked car or hedgerow etc.Curiosity killed the cat, huh? :/
It's not really possible for us to cat-proof our garden due to the layout and bordering gardens.We have also seen Reggie scale ten foot tall brick walls with ease, so I believe we would have to turn it into a prison to keep them in! I'm not sure which products you could use for your gate, but I understand you wanting to and hope things work out for you if you decide to get another.There was a time I thought ours would never get along and have no doubt some never will, but with some time, effort and patience, we now feel at least a little happier with our situation.Allie absolutely adores Reggie and watching them play near the wooded area to the rear of the house takes quite a lot of our pain away.
It's not really possible for us to cat-proof our garden due to the layout and bordering gardens.We have also seen Reggie scale ten foot tall brick walls with ease, so I believe we would have to turn it into a prison to keep them in! I'm not sure which products you could use for your gate, but I understand you wanting to and hope things work out for you if you decide to get another.There was a time I thought ours would never get along and have no doubt some never will, but with some time, effort and patience, we now feel at least a little happier with our situation.Allie absolutely adores Reggie and watching them play near the wooded area to the rear of the house takes quite a lot of our pain away.
NotSoSuper said:
firstly RIP to Muffitt what a terrible way to lose a pet.potentially you could weave some willow sticks between the bars, have seen this done before like this: http://www.jaydavey.co.uk/galleryimages/bespoke/ga...
is very easy for a beginner to do and better looking than a bit of wood imho.
Brilliant idea is very easy for a beginner to do and better looking than a bit of wood imho.
Thanks a lot 
now need to find where to get some from. A garden centre I presume.Loving this forum. To add a bit of spice, the two we got were rescued from a Cannabis farm fire. I'm sure we offered them a better, if not perhaps a less chilled out home. So miss Muffet will try and post pics later
Di
lady topaz said:
Hi all.
About 5 months ago we rescued 2 cats, brother and sister, both two years old. They had been kept indoors but were desperate to go out exploring in the wide world. We already had a flap and it seemed cruel to force them to stay in.
Sadly the girl Muffit was just too inquisitive and managed to go through our side gate and out onto the road whereby, not being streetwise she got run over. This was new to us as we have had up to 5 cats here over the last twenty years, all rescue and none of which had ever ventured near the road, and all lived to late teens, early twenties.
We were devastated. I now have two questions....
Firstly, we thought the male "Merlin" aka "Pit Stop Billy" might be lonely. Is it wise to find him a companion? He seems ok on his own, but we also miss having two or more.
Secondly, what would you advise to block the gate without it looking crap? Its wrought iron and temporarily my oh has just put an unsightly piece of wood across the bottom half which has deterred Merlin from following his sisters example, but he too has started showing an unhealthy interest as to where this passage might lead. Can't bear the thought of him going the same way as we adore him so much. We think we need something that can be threaded, lattice like between the uprights but are struggling to think what to use and where to get it from.
Any ideas, gratefully received.
Thanks
You probably won't like the idea of this, but friends who had two cats squashed within a comparatively short space of time (in a cul-de-sac, but the cats in question weren't particularly street-wise) bought an electric cat fence from Amazon (US).About 5 months ago we rescued 2 cats, brother and sister, both two years old. They had been kept indoors but were desperate to go out exploring in the wide world. We already had a flap and it seemed cruel to force them to stay in.
Sadly the girl Muffit was just too inquisitive and managed to go through our side gate and out onto the road whereby, not being streetwise she got run over. This was new to us as we have had up to 5 cats here over the last twenty years, all rescue and none of which had ever ventured near the road, and all lived to late teens, early twenties.
We were devastated. I now have two questions....
Firstly, we thought the male "Merlin" aka "Pit Stop Billy" might be lonely. Is it wise to find him a companion? He seems ok on his own, but we also miss having two or more.
Secondly, what would you advise to block the gate without it looking crap? Its wrought iron and temporarily my oh has just put an unsightly piece of wood across the bottom half which has deterred Merlin from following his sisters example, but he too has started showing an unhealthy interest as to where this passage might lead. Can't bear the thought of him going the same way as we adore him so much. We think we need something that can be threaded, lattice like between the uprights but are struggling to think what to use and where to get it from.
Any ideas, gratefully received.
Thanks
I'm not entirely sure I approve, but I could see it as a solution in certain circumstances.
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