Outside-cat owners?

Question

A pregnant cat (we think she's feral) has moved into my family's garden. About a month ago, she had 3 kittens. We're thinking of adopting one, but keeping it as an "outside" cat. Owners of outside cats, what vaccnations do you give.your cat, how do you feed it, and just overall care? Please help!

Answer 1

Definitely have them altered. You'd also want to get them vaccinated for Feline Leukemia which they could catch from other outdoor cats.
We had outdoor cats when I was growing up. None of them made it past the age of 4 without being killed by something. My neighbors get a new cat every year because something always gets it.
My neighbors feed their cat on their porch, but, then they had raccoons, skunks and stray cats on their porch. They scared their cat away and they had to catch it a few doors down cause it was too scared to come home.
You'll definitely want to let your vet know you intend to keep them outdoors so that he/she knows to give it every vaccine known to man.
The other hard part is that if they get sick, they'll frequently just hide somewhere. We didn't find my sisters cat till she was almost dead.
Of course, I advocate keeping cats indoors. It's just easier all the way around. You don't have to worry about attracting strays and wildlife to your home by feeding them outside, if they get sick you can tell right away instead of having to find them first. They don't get hit by cars that way or beat up by other cats. It just works out better in the long run.

Answer 2

Well first, I am supposing you are feeding the mama

A big responsiblity of (an outdoor pet owner) is to get them fixed so you don't have 3 or 4 more in 4 months then 12 more etc

Take it to the vet and get all the shots recommended for outdoor cats

Feed an outdoor cat on a schedule so he knows when to come around to see you, 2-3 times a day when convienant to you so you keep doing it regularly but normally at least in the morning once and at night once at least. Cats don't have big stomachs and a cat will suffer on only 1 meal a day.

Always feed an outdoor cat wet food as dry food attracts other cats and critters and cats get dehydrated and can have health issues unless they get moisture from somewhere

You can put out fresh water daily if they or he will drink it

Pet it and make good friends, they really appreciate it

Good luck are for good hearts

Answer 3

I'm so glad he's ok. scary stuff. My oldest cat used to be a stray then was an indoor/outdoor cat (before becoming mine). Even after he was fixed he was getting in lots of fights, needing lots of vet care, and he smelled pretty bad. At one point two of his legs were pretty injured and he couldn't get up the stairs without being carried. After I made him indoor only he healed, he stopped being stinky, and he became a sweet and playful kitty. It's been over 7 years since he became indoor only and he's still healthier than he was when he could go outside. My parents' first cat was allowed outside and someone actually drove off the road in order to hit him. The stray my boyfriend's parents had fed for a couple years died several months ago, apparently poisoned. He was less than 3 years old. I have 6 cats now. 4 came from the outside. They are all indoor only and they deal with that just fine. They have entertainment - each other, toys, windows, a big cat tree, lots of things to scratch, and people who love them very much. Years ago my mother and I built a cat fence for their cats on top of the existing fence. It wasn't very hard and it allowed their cats to go outside safely - they could not get out and they had family dogs to make sure other animals didn't get in. I think it's great if they can go out safely but that has to be worked out very carefully to make sure they can't get out of bounds. They don't need to go out. They aren't wild and the environment outside is generally not nature. Wild animals routinely die from disease and predators, is that ok for a pet? Personally I don't think so. I will do what I need to do to keep them safe.

Answer 4

ALL vaccinations that are offered--feline leukemia, feline AIDS, everything!! Keeping a cat outside is not advised, though. There are many outside dangers, such as the risk of getting poisoned (intentionally or not) and getting hit by a car. If you leave food outside, you're also asking for other cats to come to your house (who will see you as an open restaurant), as well as opossums (they like cat food, too, but are rather vicious and will fight cats over food). You want to make sure that kitty will come to you so you can take it for shots as needed and emergency care (illness and accidents), so I would not advise letting the "outdoor" kitty continue to be feral. You will need to work with it in letting you pick it up and handle it.

I don't know how Mama Kitty acts, but she could also be a housecat who either got lost from her home or was dumped by someone who couldn't handle her. (My Sheba was dumped; we never found her kittens; she had an intense fear of water so we think perhaps her kittens had been drowned and her previous owner might have tried to drown her, too; once she got over her fear of us, Sheba was a great cat for the 10 years we had her.)

Good luck!

Answer 5

We have 2 outside cats and all we do with them is feed and play with them. My advice is if it's a female feed and tame her and get her where she hangs around home and then get her fixed and get her rabies shot. If you live in a city keep her feed in back so she won't have as big of a chance to get ran over. Our Mama cat's Mama got fixed and then ran over and she hung around front. Sothen we began feeding then out back on the deck.Oh and we feed ours in like the morning and afternoon. In the winter here in Texas they stay outside but sometimeswe letthem soakup someheat inside. If it's real cold block of aroom with an outside door and keep itcracked so theycancome inside andwarm up too. Youcan even make them a bed outside too.

Answer 6

Fecvrp boosters (at least 3), FeLV series, rabies vaccine, flea/heartworm/dewormer monthly like Advantage Multi--will also prevent ear mites. Spay or neuter of course. FYI, outdoor cats are susceptible to injury from cat fights, dogs, predators, can be hit by cars, get diseases, become stolen and used for dog fighting, etc. The average lifespan of outdoor cats is 2-4 years. Indoor cats typically live into their teens.

Answer 7

as far as vaccinations go, the vet will know what to give the cat. any outside cat that we've ever had slept, and ate inside the house. we had a litter box, but they usually pottied outside. an outside cat is just a cat that goes outside a lot. they don't live outside all the time (at least i've never heard of that).

Answer 8

My cats get all their Vaccinations. They were also fixed so they would not get pregnant. They will be more content if you keep two of them. I have two sisters i raised from babies and they love each other.I hope you find the ones you don't keep a good home.

Answer 9

The outside is deadly for cats - and especially kittens. If you don't want to take this mother and her kittens in please call a local shelter that can come pick them up and find homes for them. Outside cat = dead cat. Please don't let those poor kittens die out there. http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=indoorsoroutdoors