Cat question?

Question

So im watching my friends cat for the next 2 weeks while they are away on vacation... only I know nothing about cats at all (only have dogs) They wanted to keep him in the basement because he was hurt a few weeks ago( cant let him roam the house or he will ruin everything, as they have tried this before), so when i went over to feed him today, he came out of the basement and I couldnt get him back down, he wanted to go outside and would bite me when i tried to put him in the basement. I called the owners and they told me to keep the garage a few inches open and put his food in the garage and lock the doors to the house. Just a few questions since I am used to dogs, who are not this independent!
What if it snows? will he be okay?
Where will he sleep?
Should I put the litter box out in the garage as well or will he just go outside?


Any cat advice would be nice.

Answer 1

The cat should be fine outside, as long as it still has its claws, and its been outside before. You shouldnt need to put the litterbox outside, because the cat will relieve itself while outside. Definately go with the food in the garage and leave the door cracked, if it gets to cold for the cat outside, he/she will come back in (Plus cats have the fur to produce body heat in inclimate weather conditions). The cat is probably just scared because it is in an unknown enviornment and it might even try and find its way home. Hope I helped! Merry Christmas

Answer 2

Okay, so if your friends wanted to keep the cat in the basement because he'd been hurt, it doesn't seem to me like a good idea to let him run around from the garage to the outside. If there's any way that you can get him back into the basement, that's the best solution here. Can you call another friend who has more cat experience? Someone who has more experience with cats may have other tricks to get the cat back into the basement. (Or may just not mind the occasional cat bite...!)

BUT--if you do go with the garage plan: since your friends suggested it, I assume that the cat is relatively used to being outside. If it snows, he should have enough sense to come into the garage, at least. For a short period of time, he should be fine. If the temperature drops quite a bit, then you'll need to think about a way to make sure he can keep warm. (If it's at a temperature where it might snow, this might not be a bad idea anyway.) You can do something as simple as getting a gooseneck lamp with a regular lightbulb, and training the bulb on a box that has a blanket or some other cozy surface. That gives him a nice warm place to sleep. As far as the litter box goes, it certainly wouldn't hurt to put it in the garage. He may choose not to use it (and just go outside), but he'll at least have the option.

Good luck!

Answer 3

you should put the cat into the garage so he doesent get hurt good luck babysitting the cat