She's a cutie. This looked helpful: http://www.petmd.com/cat/slideshows/training/top-ten-ways-to-stop-peeing-outside-litter-box#.UowNUmSRNT4
According to this site, an outdoor cat's life span is 1-5 years, versus 12-20 for indoor cats. I know of some cats that have lived to 25 or 26 years. http://www.petco.com/Content/ArticleList/Article/13/2/181/Reasons-to-Keep-Your-Cat-Indoors.aspx This site gives a similar statistic, and indicates that Oz wants cats indoors, with some municipalities having laws regarding roaming cats. http://www.cat-world.com.au/indoor-vs-outdoor-cats
Indoor cats don't fall prey to owls. hawks, coyotes, and motor vehicles. The latter are particularly lethal to cats.
Cats are dumb animals. They don't know enough to stay out of the road, not look delicious to predators, etc. The cat I work with always attempts to get outside and when he does, he stops in awe of the great big world, making him easy to scoop up and put back inside.
Cats are not dumb creatures - they are quite intelligent, but you need to remember that they do not know what they do not know; They were never told that cars are dangerous, and since their only life experience is being domesticated with humans, it cannot be entirely their own fault that they have little knowledge to avoid predators. Cats can live a very long time if they are treated with care, and not as objects that ought to be replaced if they do not suit you. Our last cat lived to be 21 years old, and she was both indoor and outdoor and, I must admit, was uncommonly aware of keeping herself out of trouble. My best advice is to research cat and kitten care. I know its often believed cats are cold and distant as adults, but that can be entirely because of their personal temperament and also the affection they are shown as kittens, and what sort of other animals and visitors they have been exposed to. And, as a good trait to cats, they are indeed very good listeners and very good at keeping your feet warm in bed. Good luck with your kitten! They're so cute when they're all fluff and purr!
All our cats have lived for an average of 15 years, and they have been outdoor cats. But then, we don't have that many large predators in Sweden (at least not close to our societies). The survival of our cats might also have to do with the fact that I lived like 3/4 of my life in a small village on the countryside... So, to conclude, the care of the owners as well as where you live is a great factor in the survival of a cat, so saying that an outdoor cat lives for 1-5 years might be wrong depending on location/surroundings. E.g. compare living beside a forest full of wolves with a villa in a quiet town. Edit: Just to ensure I actually know what we are talking about, by outdoor cat do we mean one that lives solely outdoors, or living indoors with the ability to go out as they wish? All our cats fit in the latter of those interpretations. PS. One of our cats died aged 2 or 3, but that was due to him not coping with a vaccine he was given. We do not know this for sure, the vet only told us he had a AIDS-like disease. It is our speculations that it was triggered by the vaccine, based on the cat being of perfect health prior to the vaccination.
My cats, when they were kittens, ruined iPhone cords and headphones as well. They were like rabbits. Only declaw if there is some sort of emergency, like she's dying or something related. My cats are mostly indoor animals but they still have every claw. When my cats were kittens they pooped multiple times in the same spot, over and over. You need to completely clean the area so not even she can smell her pee there. That's what brings them back. I say let her outside in a fenced yard, with supervision, if she wants to go outside. Never force her. If she wants out, and you want to let her out, but you have no fence, get a harness and leash and train her to walk on it. Cats will sometimes rip up boxsprings and hide inside of them. Be sure to watch for this if you disapprove. Wet food is much better than dry for animals, though I feed them both. You need to be super on top of keeping her off the counters/surfaces. And don't forget to socialize her! Seriously. Socialize, socialize, socialize! And boxes. . . . They love boxes.
It's not entirely clear to me whether outdoor means allowed to roam or feral, but even if it applied to cats that were solely outdoors, it makes sense that the lifespan of a cat that straddled the two extremes would also have a lifespan between the two, which is therefore less than that of indoor-only cats. The FIV virus is similar to the HIV virus. It is something that outdoor cats are much more susceptible to acquiring, and it is not caused by a vaccine.
What sort of emergency would require declawing of a cat? What illnesses are cured by declawing? Cats climb or jump over fences. In fact, they enjoy doing so very much. They can also jump over a fence - even one 8 feet or higher. Have you seen a cat spring up from the floor to the top of a refrigerator? They have very powerful hind legs, and are quite amazing jumpers.
I can believe that. There are so many things back in Oregon that could kill an outdoor cat, like diseases, coyotes, cars, others cats, mountain lions, bigfoot, wolves, and bears.
Quality of life matters too. I've known people whose cats basically live in their garage. They didn't want them inside because of claws, and they wouldn't let them outside because of risks to them. I'm not sure why they even had cats, to be honest, but I expect that 10 or 12 years of life free to roam the woods in a quasi-natural state is a much better life for the animal than 20-22 years locked in a garage.
I dunno what emergency. That's the point I know they can jump over fences, friend. I've owned cats and lived around cats all my life. She's a kitten. Kittens can't jump over eight-foot fences.
I was responding more to Robert, who clearly meant a different breed of cougar. For that matter, I wouldn't want a Mercury Cougar in my garage either!
All cat owners have opinions about caring for a cat... I guess I'm no different I've owned a lot of cats over the years. So here's my two cents (sorry this is so long - it's been a quiet evening): Litter Training Cats will generally use the litter box without training. As has been suggested above, simply put kitty in the box a couple of times and that should do it. I have had cats not use the box and it always meant there was something wrong, either the cat was sick or angry at me for something. Accidents happen but are rare. Food Dry food or canned food is your choice. Dry food can be left out and is convenient. Canned food smells and can go mouldy. I've feed my cats both over the years. You can go from dry food to canned food but once you start canned food your cat will snub its nose at dry food. I've fed my cats cheap food and expensive food depending on what I could afford at the time - I never noticed a difference for the cat. Read the ingredients. Cats are carnivores so the more meat in the food the better. Cereal products are included as filler and for production (and financial) reasons, not because it's good for your cat so less is better. Low ash food is sometimes important, especially for older male cats. Absolutely no table food otherwise any food you leave out anywhere in the house, on the counter, in the sink, on the stove, will be considered offerings by your cat. Leave nothing tempting on the counters or tables unless you don't mind your cat walking around on the counter while you're preparing dinner. I for one would never eat at a home that permitted that - but that's me. Something I'm picky about. Because you have a very young kitten, be sure to give it kitten food for the first year or so. You don't need to give it milk if it's been weaned; only humans and cows drink cows milk. Shots Shots are absolutely required but I think kitty needs to be 6 months old. I could be wrong. In any case, I would recommend taking it to the vet just to double check that everything is OK, particularly since kitty was a foundling. Also be sure the ask the vet about when to get your cat spayed/neutered and declawed. Spay/Neuter/Declaw It should go without saying that spaying/neutering your cat is essential. Declaw is considered to optional, necessary, or cruel. I'm in the necessary category. A cat with claws will destroy your furniture and walls. It will choose several pieces of your favourite furniture and the most visible doorway and scratch it to bits. It may not do this right away. I had a cat that didn't scratch anything until she was seven years old. I've had kittens that scratched constantly. Cats will also knead pillows, cushions, blankets, comforters, your lap, anywhere they sleep and if they have claws, they will destroy those two. I had a very expensive bedspread that ended up with thousands of little threads pulled out because a cat liked sleeping on it and would chase our feet under the covers (very fun, btw). None of my declawed cats suffered for the lack of claws. Inside/Outside Outdoor cats have shorter lifespans than indoor cats on average. Cats get hit by cars and preyed upon. If you can keep your cat indoors, do so. Having said that, it can become extremely irritating to be constantly tripping over a cat that desperately wants to go out every time you open the door. I've usually given it a valiant effort but eventually give up. I do suggest limiting their time outside however. The rule I tried to keep was to let the cat out if I was out, and brought it in when I came in. I'll explain how I did that under Treat Training. Some cats will tolerate a harness and leash. If you can train your cat with it, it's a good way to take them outside from time to time, especially if you live in an apartment. Treat Training It's very handy to have your cat come when you call it. You can call it in if it's been outside, you can call it down from upstairs, up from the basement, sometimes just to see it come running, LOL. Start by giving your cat a treat (you can get a small bag of them for a couple of dollars at the grocery store) at the same time in the same place every day for about a week. Shake the bag loudly first and call it - being the creative types we are, we say "Here kitty, kitty, kitty." Only give a couple of pieces, it doesn't take much. It will soon associate your call and the bag shake with treats. Then at random times (but still once a day), call your cat to it's "treat home" and give it a treat. Be sure the cat has to go a certain distance to get the treat. Give it the treat every time it comes. If you have to go get the cat, no treat. After a few weeks of this, stop giving the treat every time but give it most times. You'll feel like you're tricking the cat, and I guess you are, but in the long run want the cat to come when you call whether or not it gets a treat. Some will train faster than others - be patient but disciplined. Our cats now come running any time we call no matter where they are. Sometimes we have to shake the bag to entice them (if we shake the bag and they come, they get a treat). Socialization Cats, especially younger cats, can be very social with their humans. Kittens are frequently dependent even. They may want to be picked up and cuddled if they're feeling insecure, they may want to sleep with you (up to you if you permit that), they may experience separation anxiety. As cats get older all this diminishes though some can be quite friendly, even cuddly into their senior years - depends on the personality. Cats will typically like one person more than another - don't take it personally though. The "liked" person simply has a preferred lap, or voice, or more comfortable arms, or tolerates being climbed on. They may also have a particular time of day they want to be picked up or want to sit in your lap. As someone said above, you don't adopt a cat, the cat adopts you. Cats tend to not like loud noises so if you have loud visitors, they'll probably take off and think all visitors are loud. They tend to not like children, some get downright ornery around kids so be wary. Some cats don't like strangers at all, some are friendly with them. In my experience, cats prefer to be friendly with people who are allergic to them or generally don't like cats... go figure. Toys Cats tend to find their own toys but often they'll have favourites to play with you. May like chasing a balled up sheet of paper or tin foil. Almost all like to play with a rope or leash. Almost all like to play with a ball of yarn (a small one, about the size of a mouse or rat depending on the size of your cat). Many cats will play fetch with a favourite toy. I had a cat that played fetch with a small chain. Ball of yarn and crumpled tin foil have been the best so far. I have tried store-bought toys and nothing has come close to home-made so I'd suggest you save your money. --------------- I know I've repeated alot of stuff already covered, but I thought it might be helpful to have it all in one place. Given all this advice, the bottom line is it's your pet - do what seems right to you. And if you find that owning a cat just isn't for you, don't feel bad about finding it another home. There's no need to keep a pet you don't really want.
I can too, well maybe not the Bigfoot . It's how lifespan records are calculated. When there is a high early childhood fatality rate, it brings the expected lifespan down but it's misleading. It's not that few people live past 40 (for example), it's that the high early childhood death rate brings the average down. So indoor cat lifespan numbers are not brought down by vehicle smashes and coyote feeding. A while back I read a study (I'm not going to hunt down the link but I'm sure other interested parties can find it) that found when coyote gut contents were analyzed, very few cat remnants were found. I live in an area however where I see more cat fur remnants (coyotes don't leave much but squirrels and rabbits don't have cat colored fur) in the woods than dead cats in the street. My brother found their cat's head, literally, on the porch where they coyote fed. He lives in Orange, a city next to Anaheim, CA. But when I was a kid, I'd say 90% of our cats ended up dead in the nearby streets. Anyway, bottom line, traumatic cat deaths bring the life expectancy numbers down, not some bizarre early aging issue.
Declawing is more than a personal choice. It is cruel and it would be like having the tips of your fingers cut off. Many cats suffer emotional trauma from it, as they feel defenseless and don't have as much leverage. Declawed cats are much more likely to bite, as they have no other defense, and they can remain constantly emotionally on edge. Many vets will not declaw unless there is some very unusual circumstance. I totally get wishing the kitty could be declawed. My precious baby destroyed my couch, even though he knew not to scratch when we were around. For our second cat, we did get one who was already declawed (and she had some mental health issues), but we would never have it done ourselves.
