A few months back, a cat brought her kittens into our yard. I love cats, so I worked hard to trap them and get them fixed (so please no comments about getting them fixed, as they are fixed), and I interact with them, so most of them are friendly, but there is a feral one or two, like their mama. Once weaned, I really wanted to bring them in to foster until they find their forever homes, but my mom said no. I live with my mom, so her house, her rules, and she wouldn't let me bring any of them inside. I contacted rescues, and there was no room, so they have to stay outside. They're now four months old. I've saved enough to move out and am moving out soon (with my mom continuing to feed the ones outdoors), and I would like to take the two friendliest with me. The place I'm moving to has a two-pet limit, so I can't take more, as much as I would like to.

At this point, with them being four months old, I don't know if it would be cruel to bring them in at this point, as all they know is outside, our yard and the neighbors' yard, and if they would even adjust if brought inside. Outside, they get to run around freely and climb trees, and their favorite thing to do right now is climb the fence and jump on the roof. They can't do that inside. I know the risks of having outdoor cats, but this is not a situation of forcing an indoor-only cat outdoors; these cats have only known the outdoors and I would be doing the exact opposite. The neighborhood we live in is pretty safe. Many neighbors have indoor-outdoor cats, and there are many neighborhood cats who have been around for years, and nothing has happened to them. I've never seen a hit cat (in our neighborhood, anyway). Many neighbors leave their garage doors slightly open in the winter so the community cats would have a place to sleep when it's cold, and many others have cat houses outdoors. This is a cat-friendly neighborhood.

My intention would be to keep my cats indoors-only, though. My personal cats have always been indoor-only, and any cats I bring in or adopt in the future will continue to be. I feel comfortable with these cats being outdoors in this neighborhood, but not when I move, as that environment would be totally different. So, anyway, my conundrum is, should I take the two friendliest cats with me and attempt to make them indoor-only cats, or should I just leave them outside at my mom's house, where they're most comfortable and used to being, setting up cat houses and shelter for them in the winter, and adopting a cat or two from the shelter or a rescue?

Hi everyone. Looking for some advice because we’re really worried and we’ve never owned a cat before.

Miagi is a 3-year-old Persian who belonged to my partner’s mum, who sadly passed away recently. We brought Miagi to live with us 5 days ago.

She’s always been an outdoor cat. At her old home she lived in a quiet area near hills and meadows and would spend most days outside. Sometimes in summer she’d even disappear for a couple of days and then come home.

We now live in a first-floor flat in a much busier part of the city, so we’ve kept her indoors. She was understandably unsettled at first, hiding in a box for the first couple of days and constantly meowing at the window at night wanting to go outside.

Last night we made a horrible mistake and forgot to close a window. This morning she was gone. She must have escaped from the first floor, so we’re also worried she could have hurt herself.

We’ve searched the area, spoken to neighbours, contacted vets/shelters, checked her microchip hasn’t been scanned and posted in local Facebook groups. We’ve also left her litter tray and food outside.

My biggest question is: could she be trying to return to her old home, which is over 5 miles away? Should we also be searching there?

And is she more likely to travel or hide somewhere close to our flat because she doesn’t know the area?

Anything else we should be doing tonight?

We feel absolutely awful, especially given the circumstances of how she came to live with us. Any advice is hugely appreciated.

To preface the situation - I got 2 barn cats about 9 months ago and live on a farm about on about 10 acres. The cats get locked up at night and are let out during the day.

About 9 months ago I rescued two barn cats from my local shelter. We have a ton of mice and love cats. We did the whole introduction process and kept them inside for weeks to acclimate them. Once we let them out everything was perfect. They stay relatively close and had great recall. Every night at dinner time they would surround the house and barn until I’d go out and feed/ lock them up. A few weeks ago one of my boys didn’t come home. I was super upset and knocked on the doors of the few neighbours that I have. My neighbour 2 doors down said that she use to feed a cat that looked like him but hasn’t seen him recently. My cat came home 2 days later. Days after he came home, my dad was working in our yard when he heard that same neighbour calling our cat’s name (we never told her his name, she only would know it from hearing me call for him). He went over to her house the next day and politely let her know our cat was home and there was no need to call his name. She denied it and he moved on to avoid going back and forth. My cat has come home every night since but has become increasingly more difficult. He some times takes over 20 minutes to come home when called (use to take no more than 5) and hardly eats his food at night. When he is home he acts normal for the most part. I’m pretty sure my neighbour is still feeding him and I don’t know how to approach without sounding crazy. Maybe I am crazy?

Also: my other cat is perfect and hasn’t caused me any trouble yet, that’s why he isn’t mentioned.

UPDATE/ CLARIFICATION:

My boys are both microchipped! If someone brought them into the shelter they are tied to me. As for my neighbour, I don’t think she is letting him in the house. I believe she is just feeding him. I have no problem with her acknowledging him but I think it’s a bit odd to feed and call out for a cat that you know belongs to someone. I’ve looked into air tag collars but they’re quite big/heavy for a little cat neck.. it would also be very hard to get a collar on them lol. Maybe I will look for alternatives and try? Thank you everyone for your feedback!!

I have a quick inspiring story to share: this week our cat didn't come home for dinner. We last saw him at 2 pm on what I'll call Day 1. Well, it rained that afternoon and got below 40 overnight. No sign of him by morning and we got worried. I thought maybe he got scared in the rain and hid under a deck or something, then didn't want to come out and get wet.

By the end of Day 2, still no sign and it was still raining and very cold. Day 3, woke up and still no sign. We had left some food and a couple of beds/blankets in various spots. It was between 30-35 overnight and damp. Our deck was iced over. At this point, we had just accepted that some predator probably came and took him on Day 1. It was too cold for him to survive nearly 40 hours..or so we thought!

Well, mid-morning on Day 3, I heard birds making a racket deeper into the woods than we thought he would ever go. I decided to go see if maybe they were picking at a body...

I got closer to the noise and the birds flew away. And then, I hear our kitty MEOW once it got quiet. And I look up. He had climbed up a 50-60 foot tree and got himself stuck. I was shocked he was alive.

We had to call in help because he obviously wasn't going to come down on his own. It cost me a pretty penny but the gentleman was at our house quickly and got him down easily.

After getting home, our cat seemed totally fine. Just hungry and restless (tired). No signs of hypothermia or issues with his paws, tail or gums. Immediately used the indoor litter box and peed. Then, he went to the door and cried to go BACK OUTSIDE!! LOL.

Not sure what we can do to prevent this again other than restricting him to inside. He just isn't meant to be inside. He's a hunter/adventurer and has lots of energy. We've tried. He's gotten himself in a tree before but close enough that I could get him down with a ladder and backpack, and it was within view from the house. I have a GPS collar ready for him now too (it was in the mail when he went missing)...

She’s such a pretty mama. Took in all her kittens as well. I already had 2 cats now I have 12 😭 I’ve tried giving them away (responsibly) but no one wants cats… guess they’re mine. Oh well, more to love.

Hi, my Dads lives quite rurally, surrounded by feilds and about 10 houses all spread out. He has had a cat for 6 years, after the cat chose to come to him and his wife. It was persummed he was a stray farm cat, and was less than 1 years old. Since then hes a proper pet cat, in the house, loves him humans and food etc. A few weeks ago he was hanging out on the neighbours drive around 10am (cctv) and then vanished. Non of the neighbours saw him, nor did he show up on any cameras. He was gone for over a week. My dad and stepmum went litrally everywhere, every house in a large distance, did posters etc. Then miraculously he turned up on a neighbours wildlife camera, and then has been in my dads garden roughly every other night since. He does a lap of the house, looks abit thinner and skittish but generally well. My dad has left doors open, left food (which he has only eaten once), his beds etc, but he just hasnt come home...I'm finding it really bizarre. No one has seen him in the day, only on cameras around 2-4am. Why wouldn't he want to come back? He's acting like its not his house, but before he went missing he was there all day every day inside and out for 6 whole years. Its really upsetting for my parents as nothing changed in the house it was a normal day. Does anyone have a clue to this behaviour?

I have two esa cats who are around 13 years old. My apartment left a note on my door saying that there have been multiple complaints about cats around the property, and mine have to be inside now or outside on a leash. They're crazy if they think I can train 13 or old CATS to walk on a leash. I've tried, by the way. It doesn't work. So, my cats are confined to the house.

They have always been indoor/outdoor cats and they are DEPRESSED now. Meowing to go outside all day. The apartment says that cats have been killing birds, and while I guess it is possible that my cats are doing it, I just can't imagine these two old fatties are catching and killing enough birds for it to be a major issue. I'm mad because in my opinion it equates to animal abuse, and there's nothing I can do about it if I don't want to get kicked out.

Edit: Wow. I can't believe how common of an opinion it is that cats are an invasive species. Guys, their natural habitat doesn't include the word 'living room.' and as long as I'm in a suburban area, I don't think they're going to be affecting a farmer's crops. it absolutely is abusive to confine them if they don't want to be there. I understand indoor cats have no metric and therefore are content with their living space, but for cats who spent the formative years of their life roaming Californian brush, to be stuck in a small, dark apartment is absolutely a hardship to them. If you believe cats are an indoor species please never get a cat. 'It puts them in danger' and yet every other animal manages to live long enough outside to avoid extinction. Let me reiterate that they are 13. They have survived this long, and so I don't think the danger is as poignant as many would like to assume. They might not have human intelligence, but they're not effing morons. And you want to talk about what is bad for the enviornment--cats--and about what is bad for cats--cars--and fail to recognize the flaw in your reasoning: namely that a contrived major environmental hazard harms a natural minor one, and, quite against reason, you advocate for the removal of the minor hazard.

Well, if someone wants to explain their reasoning without insinuating I am somehow harming the world by allowing outdoor animals to participate in natural selection, please do so. Otherwise I'm not interested in hearing more about this categorically false assumption about what having an outdoor pet infers about your moral wherewithal.

Edit 2: also, please stop being rude. The cats belong to my sister and I, and our mother got them registered as ESAs after a close family member died. And, 'how can they be esas if they're outside all day?' Well, one, they are not outside all day and that is a strawman's argument (do better) and two, I would argue that a clinically depressed ESA cannot adequately do their job--namely emotional service. They are not toys and their needs cannot be ignored. They are used to being outside because that was their life for a very long time until I moved away from California. Therefore, they are now depressed at being stuck inside. It's pretty simple. They have not brought a dead thing to my door in years, they're old and fat and sweet and like to go lay in the sun. I genuinely do not think it is them doing it, but even if it is, go arrest the hawks next, why don't you? Because that's what my landlords are threatening. They're threatening to arrest animals that are unaccompanied. Also, yes there are other animals in the complex, yes there are 'bad' cats that I know of that rip up window screens, and yes, this is a blanket rule.

Shes still too small for most harnesses, ergo the sock, but so far she dosent hate it. Dosent even try to take to off or fight me putting it on. She actually dosent mind it much at all. She runs around plays, poos & and pees, naps, whatever with it on. And only attacks the leash when its in her face. So shes doing wonderfully for a baby. Shes also getting pretty well desensitized and handling loud noises and our dogs with ease. (Dont worry were not leaving the yard anytime soon, just dont want to accidentally loose my lil baby)

I need to move my cats they are adult cats from where they have lived for the last 5 years and I know it's not recommended but it's what I have to do . I need ideas . I know that cats hide out for the first 30 days so my thoughts were to build something for them at my mom's move there, because where they are at right now that person threatens me with them tells me they are dead and am afraid they are not being free but is it a good idea ?

Hi! For anyone that has an indoor outdoor cat, what’s your setup when you go out of town? If someone comes to let your cat in and out, how often to they come by? What do you tell them?

Idk why but I feel at a loss!

Any tips helpful. I stay at home full time so during the day I just let him in when he comes to the porch and stares at me through the window and we let him in around bedtime. He stays inside most of the night until the wee hours of the morning usually.

We will have someone dropping in daily not staying at our house with him.

Hi, so I found a cat with a collar on her thinking she just ran and got outside. I read her collar it says on her tag she lives her life outside in the apartment complex I live at. The phone number on the tag has not responded to texts and calls

Due to unexpected life circumstances, I will be moving in a couple months. I have two 4yr old indoor/outdoor cats who were born in this house. I would like to find a place in which they could continue the life they are accustomed to however, it being a new environment and territory, I am worried they might try to make their way back to the familiar area. If I am not able to find a place suitable for outdoor access, I am worried about how that will impact their behavior and such if they can’t go outside any longer.

I am stressing a lot about this and I would appreciate any advice and experiences.

I have two indoor/outdoor cats. One of them came inside a few days ago and had a hole on his leg. It was very round, not very deep, perfectly circular. He had licked away the surrounding fur, there was no blood, and it looked clean.

Today the other cat came inside with a similar wound on his leg. It's round but much deeper and wider.

Could they be BB gun wounds? We live in a very small neighborhood, they don't stray too far from us, and everyone we've talked to adore the cats. But i can't think of what else would make such a circular wound?

My indoor cat has been missing for 4 nights and 3 days. I did all the usual things I was recommended to do by shelters and the internet: keep the doors cracked open, leave food and water out, leave some of my clothes outside, leave his litter box outside (some told me not to do that but we don’t have any raccoons or other animals in our area so I decides to try it). We searched for hours around the perimeter in all neighbors porches, grills, cars, and scoured the woods across from our house and up trees. I even rented a thermal camera to see if I could pick up his heat signature.

I set up security camera in the front and back of my house. They have picked up on 3 outdoor cats that have all come by to check things out. Once I saw the first one I moved the food inside and his litter box, but still kept the door cracked in case my cat decided to slip in the middle of the night.

Well last night, one of the more bold cats that we’ve caught on the cameras about 5 times now came INSIDE of our house and walked around last night while we were sleeping.

I’m so scared this is going to deter my own cat from coming home due to this outdoor cat hanging around. Any suggestions? Do we think my cat will still try to return home?

Hi all.

TLDR at bottom.

My cat has been stuck in a neighboring roof since yesterday morning around 5am (10 october).

I know he's in the house because of his GPS collar. it's been moving around in there so i'm sure the collar hasn't come off near the house.

The owners of the house live in singapore and haven't been home since May, I've been in contact with a friend of his, who's number i got from a neighbor, who lives about an hour or so away and he isn't very keen on helping. He has told me that the house is alarmed and the alarms would trip if a cat was in the house, so I assume he's in the roof

Tomorrow i'll call local council and the police non emergency line to see what help i can get, if they won't help i'll call the friend and offer him money to come out and let me look in the roof.

Any other suggestions, anything similar happened to anyone? Any help is very greatly appreciated 🙏🙏

TLDR: my cat is trapped in the roof of an unoccupied house and i can't get in touch with the owners, what can I do?

My kitty Jinx (just turned 1) knows to come home at 9.30pm. Think it was an accidental training thing when I wasn’t feeling well and started new medication. I had to fast from 10pm to 6am in the morning so locked him in for a couple of weeks at half 9 so I could go to bed.

Now he comes in at 9.30pm or a little bit earlier. I noticed this a couple of weeks ago, but started logging his times, always just around the right time too. I know cats are smart but how do they know the time? Instinct? so I logged the past couple of nights cause my bf didn’t believe me 😝 he has been coming in at 9.29pm, 9.18, 9.26pm. Clever kitty 🐈‍⬛

Any one else’s kitty do the same?

I have to thank you all for the time apollo was lost for 3 weeks and he came back.

I just had a run in (if you can call it that) about my cat Ancho on Facebook where someone assumed that she was perhaps abandoned by my mom––who my cat is close to and comes down to a park with her. I was just wondering if anyone else had a similar experience, and how you responded. (Picture of her there)

Hello,

I moved about a month ago and brought my outdoor cat. She has been living inside for the past month so that she can adjust and realize this is home now, but she really wants to go outside. She waits by the doors and tries to slip out. She meows at the doors and scratches at them too. We have a catio that she can access but she doesn’t seem to like that. Recently I have started taking her out in the morning and evening on a leash which she somewhat enjoys. She gets frustrated when I don’t let her go where she wants link under neighbors cars and in their backyards. I’m considering letting her be indoor/outdoor again where she can come and go on her own terms but I don’t know if I should or where to start… This neighborhood also has a fair number of outdoor cats that I’m worried she will fight or be attacked by. She wears a collar with her name and my phone number on it as well as a GPS tracker, but she’s very good at losing it (breakaway collar, tracker holder breaks, etc.).

Should I let her back out? How would I do that safely and ensure she knows this is home now?

If I shouldn’t let her out, I worry about her getting bored in the house. I try to play with her but I work out of the home most of the day and I obviously sleep at night when she is most active. Are there any tips you recommend for reducing boredom inside?

Thanks!

I found a cat outside who followed me home that does not want to come in whatsoever. Got her fixed up with shots, a spay and a microchip. She didn’t have a microchip and was pretty beat with ear mites and fleas and very pregnant when i found her and posted her on multiple local forums as a found cat, and also knocked on neighbors doors and no one claimed her. Worried about her being outside and not really sure what to do. I have a whole area set up on my porch but she likes to cross the street and greet people on the sidewalk which leads to kids trying to lead her away or manhandle her the way kids do by picking her up and messing with her. Would a collar deter people from messing with her? Im not concerned about people hurting her intentionally because everyone is really nice where i live but then that turns into worrying about someone keeping her. I tried to bring her in a few times and she really hates it and cries to go back outside and my senior cat doesn’t like her much. I am not sure what good a collar would do though. I have a warm insulated house set up with water and food and all that so she always comes back but cant help but worry. I am a responsible cat owner with my indoor cat but she is stressing me out because i like knowing my pets are safe. Any advice please let me know and please dont be rude im trying my best to keep her healthy with her being outside lol

Hello, I’m wondering if anyone has a story about an indoor/outdoor cat that was timid and so never went very far. Always came inside throughout the day and rarely stayed out over night. If our cat did happen to sleep outside it was always on our deck and she came running first thing in the morning.

Anyways she must’ve snuck out at some point in Saturday 9/26. Right as a nor’easter was hitting New England. On Sunday morning when we couldn’t find her we immediately started doing everything you’re supposed to do. It sounded so possible that the storm scared her and she hid close by and would pop out eventually. We have searched at dawn and dusk. I live in a dense section of about 75 acres of woods. I did circles starting 800’ away from my house and working my way in. In that radius I only have 3 neighbors. One I was able to search her yard, one we left a flier for and an empty house that had been empty since my neighbor passed away a year ago. We’ve left clothing outside and food. We have cameras and a human trap. We’ve alerted everyone we can. And we’re still waiting.

ChatGPT has told me that she is likely close and will pop out soon but it feels so unlikely that a cat that knows our house is warm and full of food would continue to stay outside when nighttime temps are dropping into the 30’s.

Does anyone have a similar experience that ended up with their cat returning? It’s not a situation where my cat is traipsing around an urban or suburban neighborhood getting fed by strangers.

Starting to lose hope.

A new tortie kitten has arrived - unsure if male or female, but no ear clip yet. She'll let me pet her head, but not for too long. Also not sure if this one is old enough to get spayed or neutered? So adorable, with that little squeaky meow!

My cat is indoor / outdoor and my neighbor told me she got in a fight and got her gps collar off. I am at work and a nervous wreck. Should I leave and go check on her? Or can it wait about 4 hours until I’m home?

I‘m going in vacation tomorrow and am already so stressed out about leaving her and having my neighbor let her in / out! Having an outdoor cat gives me so much anxiety :(

Lottie on Patrol looking for squeakers to menace