I need the opinions of fellow animal lovers please!!!?

Question

Ok heres my problem. I am a total animal lover and I try to help as many animals as I can. In the past few years Ive rescues 4 stray cats off the streets. but im slightly allergic to cats so i cant have them in the house, so I keep them outside but give them shelter in my shed with plenty of food. I also get them fixed. I keep reading articles about how cruel it is to keep pets outside, so I dont know if im doin the right thing. My cats seem very happy and healthy but would they do better at a shelter????

Oh and by the way I dont keep them locked in my shed. I leave the door open!

Answer 1

No, they do better with you. Otherwise they would go. At a shelter they'd be in cages and they would be put down due to lack of space, eventually. Feral cats survive well outside, if you can provide something like a dog houe for them will be nice. They like to be free, of course they run more risks, but if you vaccinate them and take them to the vet etc. they are very happy like that. Remember that animals have different criteria than we do. I have a cat who always stays indoors, because we live in a flat, but he really wants to get out and explore. I keep him inside to protect him, but that's not what he thinks is best!

Answer 2

Nay you don't have to worry about that as long as they haven't been declawed, they will be just fine. All farms have barn cats that stay outside all the time in the barns to catch and kill rats, mice, snakes gophers etc. You are giving them the best of both worlds. they have the shelter of the shed when it gets cold or raining, and yet they can run free and hunt. Not only that but them being outside cats they are used to the weather outside and will not be comfortable inside it will be too hot for them.
One thing you can do for when it is real cold is rig up some heat in the shed for them, and make as small kitty door for them to go in and out of. That way you will not have to leave the door open when it is real cold. Depending on how big the shed is a small oil filled electric heater will give them a place to get warm if the shed is not too big.
I had one cat that in the summer you could not drag him out of the house and away from the a/c with a 100 ton Bay City crane. But let the temperature drop to the 30's and 20's and you could not get him to say in the house.

Answer 3

It can depend on the type of shelter (is the shed well insulated and clean) and the weather you have (very cold, wet, hot, etc). I also have allergies with cats but we don't have adequate shelter outdoors so our cats go out and stay in at their leisure. There is always a chance that the cats would be put down, so keeping them with you is the most preferable idea.

When people say it's "cruel," they usually mean to leave the animal outside in all kinds of weather. If the cat has somewhere to get out of the rain, then you're fine. Our cats can go in to the attic through a hole (we need to fix this actually) or onto our neighbor's patio if it's raining. I have had people tell me I'm cruel just by letting my cats outside! I think this is a little harsh. My cats are huge and with my 2 dogs and birds, I can't always keep them in. They practically live indoors anyway. Your kitties are fine and I commend you for your concern and selflessness in care of those poor cats. Koodos to you!

Answer 4

Sorry so long but this is what i thought you would like to hear from another person who is highly allergic to cats.

Well I was told that I'm HIGHLY allergic to cats, but over many years of living with cats all i have are stuffy noses, and I've had 13 cats at once. My body has be able to tolerate it more.
NOW before you think anything about that this was a couple of years ago. 9 adults and 3 litter of kittens. All rescued all got fixed later on and found new homes. Oh I had them ALL as indoor. If one escaped out i would spend hours hunting it down. Now i turn in people who leave there small pets outdoors for ours in rain and snow. I have to look at them suffer so might as well make the owners suffer with a visit from the MP's (military Police) with a possible fine and maybe lose the pet they SEEM to love.

Try building a netted area with boards and netting to allow free but contained roaming in your yard. I have seen a few sites that make these that are 6+ feet high with inward curved tops to prevent escapes, so in case they do reach the top gravity takes affect and they fall safely to the ground.

Answer 5

i wouldnt trust any shelter besides a no-kill shelter.

other there's adoption programs all over where you keep the kitties until they get found new owners! it ecspecially helps that you get them fixed. even try craigslist.com, in your area. post an ad for cats for adoption (be sure to charge at least a 5$ fee so you know its not a tester) OR, if you love them too much to part, i think a shed is a good shelter for kitties. as long as they have a roof and walls to protect from wind and weather, plus food and water, they will be fine. think of all the homeless kitties that have nothing at all :(

anyway, good luck. i think you're a great person for helping these cats out like this. i wish there were more people like you.

also, just a question, ever consider allergy meds? theres some you can get to prevent animal allergies :)

Answer 6

If you really feel strongly about it find a no kill animal shelter. They will keep the cats until a home is found. They will never put an animal down unless it is sick, and will not recover. Just call a few in your area, and ask out right if they are a no kill shelter.
It really depends on how cold or hot it can get in your area, and if they can get into an problems. (ie busy roads ect)
You can even visit a shelter to see how they treat animals. Some are very nice with ;arge social areas for cats and dogs to spend time together. If you dont find one to your liking you can always just keep them until you find homes for them yourself.

Answer 7

You're hearing it from all over: YOU'RE AWESOME. I'm just adding to the list --- much better for the cats to have any help rather than none. I'm in nearly the same boat, though I do have some cats live inside with me. (We took one in in hopes he could join the others .... only on Operation Day we also learned he has both feline leukemia and feline AIDS so there's no good way to put him with the other cars, so he lives in the garage. HUGE space as a batchelor pad for him!)

Anyway, please - domestic animals outside are soooo disadvantaged; they need all the allies they can get. Keep up the kind work of helping 'em out, friend, for the shelters would likely have 'em put to sleep in a week or less.

We had another scary experience - there were some feral cats who spent part of the time on our front porch and part of the time on our screened porch. Fed 'em and loved 'em was building trust with 'em. The very day I had money and the opportunity to take 'em for tests and shots ... they disappeared. *sigh* I put up flyers for several weeks. MUCH later, we saw what looked like one of them - blocks away; we think a 'well meaning' person had scooped 'em up as part of a catch and release program but released 'em in the wrong area. It breaks my heart: now, they're homeless (it's not practical to go there and 'find' them to catch them). If those ***holes had not had their own agendas, they would have had better lives. *sigh* I still dream about how I'd just gotten one of the cats friendly enough to come tap the window and 'play' with me through it; now he's got no steady bed, no protection.

Please, keep your head and heart in line with the cause. They need more TLC like yours, for a day or for a year.

Answer 8

The world needs more people like you. I live in Michigan, where the temps have been -20 below. You see cats and other creatures roaming all the time. We have a local shelter, but they only take in a certain amount of pets. What you are doing is great. They are much MUCH better off with you. There is nothing cruel about what you are doing. What is cruel is people who put animals to sleep, just to get out of taking care of them. Cats are hardy creatures. They will grow extra hair. As long as they are kept out of the wind and cold....they will be fine. God bless you....

Answer 9

I think your cats are happy with what they have now. They've got food and shelter and each other for company. If I was a cat, I'd be terrified in a shelter. However, if you are considering what's best for the cats, nothing beats a nice home with a caring family, a nice windowsill to sleep on and people to fuss over you. You could still look around and put up posts for people who are willing to give them loving homes. Until then, I think they're perfectly fine where they are.

Answer 10

wow, ok well, umm,wished there were more people in the world like you !!
actually ran acrossed a gentlman in the store the other day buying tons of hot dogs - he said people dropped off stray cats to him all the time and he didnt have the heart to take them to the shelter or kill them,but he cant afford cat food,so he gets hot dogs.
I gave hime some money to buy a big bag of cat food and some canned food.
Unless you dont feel you can care for them properly - then I would say they are fine with you as long as its fairly warm out..If you dont feel you can care for them then look into a rescue group in your local area.I would over all say they are happy with you. as long as you can give them proper food and vet care,and as long as they are happy,then I dont see a problem.
If you think its cruel for them to be outside - if you have a room in your home to designate as there room - you could put them in it.
I am the same way - any stray I see I bring home. I take them to the vets and fix them,and then I eventually find homes for them,but I certantly bring home many strays of all kinds.
if you cant care for them and there isnt a rescue group - try an add in the newspaper to find them homes yourself..
there is a product on the market you can buy and use on cats - check out your local pet store - I dont know if its a shampoo or exactly what it is,but its made for people who are allergic to cats.

hope this helps