Hi All - first post on the forum - nice to find you.

I have just lost one of my little babies - Crystal my little 15 month old cat and feeling pretty pants to be honest. Thankfully I still have her sister Sparkle (very girly names but very girly cute white fluffy cats...and yes with pink collars!). Crystal was killed instantly on the road - I was away and friends were spending time with them. I got the call fri night and my friends here were great - doing all the necessaries. I asked them to let sparkle see her body and apparently she got in the box and washed her a few times then got out and left her alone so she's done her goodbyes and thankfully no signs of pining for her or searching. Its heartbreaking and I am in a real dilemma what to do about Sparkle - my instincts are now telling me to have her as a house cat and make the necessary changes to give her a happy indoor life but something feels wrong about it even though she has not once gone to the catflap or tried to get out of a window. I have done lots of research and I feel better about that option after doing it but I guess just wanted to hear from others too. I just want to protect her and also make sure she has a happy and hopefully long life.

I moved 4 months ago in my village and the road is awful - my old house was the other side further down and it never seemed so bad there but further up here is so different. I did all the usual things to stop them from going back to old house but they still seemed to like running over the road even tho they never wnt near the old house - you wouldn't believe my cottage backs on to miles of fields but no, they run over the road into a garden and set of garages. The garden is a tiny couryeard so a run isn't practical. My move was necessary but still feel so guilty. I lost both my cats of 16 years last year (one had to be put down and the other died suddenly in my friends arms again when I was away - honest I don't go away a lot, just awful timing). I finally got over that and got the new girls and now this - I can't bear to lose another one or have her in harms way and its just us two so really don't want to have her rehomed somewhere quieter.

My thinking is (which has chopped and changed over the last 48 hours)... keep her as a house cat - have the right things in the home to stimulate her, get one of those feeding balls, get other toys and do the necessaries to keep them interesting to her, get a grass tray ...and lastly maybe think about getting another cat so she has a playmate and friend.

What does anyone else think? - I know I'll be judged by some around here (and maybe out there?!) that cats should be left to roam freely but something in me tells me this isn't fair when there is clear danger to her. I work from home so she has company.

Please, thoughts welcome but be gentle as feelings still quite raw. Sorry for long post - I just needed to get it all out.

Thank you x

Hello welcome to the forum and sorry for the loss of your kitty.

My mums cat Cookie was run over a few years ago on a busy main road and she was devastated, she already had another cat, Missy, so she decided to turn her into a house cat as like you, she didn't want her to suffer the same fate. Also Missy didn't seem to want to go out, after a few months though, she started trying to escape through the door (my mum has no cat flap) so my mum decided to let her out again and now she is out for a few hours a day. That's not to say she no longer worries.

My mum decided to rescue a cat, Felix, as a playmate for Missy they get along like a house on fire! definately the right thing to do, in fact she went and rescued another cat, Pips and now there like the 3 stooges (kind of went off track there huh?!)

Hi & welcome to the PF sorry you have found us under such sad circumstances

My lot used to be outdoor cats but since haveing to move to this house I have not let them roam, they can get out into the yard but not out of that & they are all happy if you have a garden maybe cat proof it so she cant get out or build a run, as long as you have plenty of things for entertainment Im sure Sparkle will be very happy & safe

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All my children have paws!

Hello and welcome, if you post this in the cat section you will get alot more reply's. Sorry to hear about your loss though.

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siggie by Dawn............Smudge'smummy

Glitter Text Maker

Hi Tina,

Sorry to hear about Crystal unfortunately rta's are one of the risks in letting cats roam freely. I lost the fabulous and still much missed Beckett at only 18 months old to a local cat hater (suspected poisoning) but even if I could go back in time I'd still let him have 24/7 access to the flap. About a year back a semi adoptee, Buddy, went out one Friday night never to be seen again, tho' I think he was a rta victim. Like Beckett, he loved being outside too much to stop them doing it.

I reckon the jury's still out here on indoor/outdoor cats, it's a question without a definite answer imo. All mine are still free to come and go as they like, tho' I've no doubt they'd be equally happy as indoor cats given time to adjust, but my inclination is to let them come and go as they please with my fully understanding the potential dangers involved.

A lot of members have indoor cats that are perfectly happy that way, others like me are willing to accept the risks in having outdoor cats.

Another cat may be a good idea, tho' there's no guarantee they'll get on, in which case tolerating each other could be as much as you could hope for. As Sparkle is still so young, perhaps get a kitten, she's probably more likely to accept one rather than a older cat.

You might want to copy and paste your post and put it in the Cat forums as you're likely to get more views/responses there.

Ian

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RIP Black Tom and Beckett, not just cats, they were my cats and the best ever.

Thank you everyone for your quick replies. I post on a completely unrelated forum elsewhere as an expert for my work but never been on the receiving end of the support and its lovely, thank you.

I'll copy it across (if I can work out how to do that!) onto the cat chat forum.

Have a good evening all :-)