Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Please keep your cats safe inside at night
The following is useful advice from www.scratchingpost.co.uk
It understandable that we all want to give our cats more freedom to enjoy the great outdoor as the days become longer and the temperatures heat up, but please keep your cat safe by still bringing him or her indoors at night.
More cats go missing overnight than at any other time. Some are involved in accidents, and others just disappear without a trace, leaving a heartbroken owner behind to search over weeks for their beloved pet.
A lot of people ask whether foxes are a danger to their cat. It is likely that a fox won't attack a cat, as they have good defence mechanisms (i.e. sharp claws). However, a young vixen with a litter of babies to feed will take more risks to provide food for her family, and kittens and older cats are especially at risk. I often hear people say that it's impossible to persuade their cat of the merits of staying in at night, but there are ways to assist you. A 4 way-locking cat flat that can be set to 'in-only'. Once your cat comes in, lock up your cat flap. I find the cats understand that it's bed-time if I place an item in front of the flap, so they can see that it is 'closed' and don't scratch away at it trying to get out, in their confusion. There's no sleep so sound as one in the knowledge that your cats are safely tucked in for the night….and the local wildlife population will thank you for this too!
Ensure your cat has proper identification - a microchip is the best way and always get your cat neutered.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Philip on
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I think cat owners might remember that if your cat is not in your garden, they are probably in someone else's....without their permission, using it as a toilet and scaring away the birds.
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Permalink Reply by tulips on
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I enjoy garden birds too. We have lots in our garden and the cats don't bother them. We have bird feeders on poles so the birds are safe from cats. Lots of sparrows, blue tits etc. Sunflower hearts are their favourite and the sparrows particularly love canadian canary seed.
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my neighbours cat perches on the shed roof and has to be shooed away as it scares the birds. also birds should be free to feed on the ground, which is in their nature. The point is valid.....my garden is not for your pet.
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You have my sympathy - it is clearly annoying for you to have cats in your garden, use it as a toilet and to have birds affected, I can understand that. All I can say is I try to be a responsible cat owner. If it makes you feel any better, I often see my cats in my garden come inside to use their litter trays and go back outside again, not that I've trained them to do that! My cats aren't outside from dusk until about 8am so that helps wildlife. They have bells on their collars which reduces wildlife deaths. You're right, some birds like blackbirds and robins prefer ground feeding, but they also feed from bird tables and hanging containers and fat balls - that's what they do in my garden. Maybe there's less birds in your garden because they're all in mine, as we seem to spend more than we can afford on bird food! Every year we have more and more birds as we do the RSPB garden birdwatch every year and count them. I can't control where my cats go and I note that they don't have your permission to go in your garden. My cats usually stay in my garden as they tend to be bullied if they go beyond that. I also try to reduce the number of stray homeless cats by getting them rescued.
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Yes Philip my garden seems to be particularly attractive to cats who also scare the squirrels away. Good advice original poster.
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Permalink Reply by tigha on
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I totally understand your concern justine, and I was planning to discuss this with my vet, when I take my cats for their yearly jabs soon. But mine are 8y almost 9years and i suspect they are alright having access to the garden at night for another couple of years or so- i think it really depends on the cats= Mine were indoors for the 1st years of life so have a tendency to linger indoors when im around, or else just in the garden, as they hate other cats so now get chased or attacked if they venture into other peoples gardens
although if Im away i know my boy has tendency to wander
- my little girl will sit and watch the foxes, whilst my big boy hides under the bed- they dont bring birds in, only alive garden mice which i then have to rescue
But my little girl will spend hours just sitting outside by the catflap watching the world go by and has pulled the cat flap off the wall when i have tried to keep her in, so i feel i have to let them be and let them do what they are happiest at. My first couple of years here, everytime I woke up and they werent at the end of my bed, i would go out the garden to always find them both sitting there, so have now just chilled- i have to let them do what they like doing best and just hope they dont go out the front onto the road
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Thanks for replying Tigha. I respect your opinion and I know from this site that you care about animals and are knowledgeable about animal welfare. I'm certain you know what's best for your own cats and they have a great home with you.
The advice in my post is from the Scratching Post cat charity, not me, but I follow their general advice. Every year there's a big increase in cats going missing in the warmer months of the year, such as June, July, August. In this area, over 30 cats were lost in June/July and that's just the ones reported to Animal Search, so there's many more than that. I see the same pattern every year and I think there's a reason for it. If a cat's free to go outside at night, it's more likely to do so in the warmer months and wander further. You only have to speak to a vet to know that cats are more likely to get injured by a car at night. They are also more likely to get into a fight or get lost. Plus it's often better for wildlife if cats aren't outside at night or at dawn.
If anyone loses a cat, it's not the owner's fault, it could happen to anyone, day or night. I just think you reduce the risk of it happening by keeping them inside at night. We have 6 rescue cats and have had cats for about 15 years and luckily we've never lost any so far, but we could lose a cat tomorrow. They are aged between 4 and 18. The majority are over 10 years old. Most of the cats we've had over the years were originally unneutered male street cats. So we always got them neutered and microchipped. When I first give any cat a home, they ask to go out through the cat flap the first few nights, so I initially block it with a cat litter tray, and then they easily get used to the routine of staying in at night. They all go off to their beds quite happily and none of them have banged at the cat flap to go out at night for years so they're not unhappy or bothered. (I expect you know Lauren, she has met our cats - one sadly died last week aged 18). I find that cats like routine. In a 24 hour period, the reality is that cats like to sleep for at least half that time. During the day they have 12 hours to come and go through the cat flap into the garden. I never let them outside my front door so they don't have access to a road. I feel sorry for cats without cat flaps as they're the ones you see crying outside for hours as they can't get inside when their owners are out or asleep.
Every year, I notice that cats go missing for other common reasons. Someone moves or gets a new cat - best to keep your cat inside for 2 weeks and then let them outside when hungry for short periods initially and feed on return - otherwise they get lost. Someone drops off their cat at a friend's house to look after - cat escapes through ajar door or window and lost. Someone goes on holiday - cat fed by friend, and cat may be more likely to wander off if it's free to go outside at night. Someone has a kitten - they escape through an open window. Some people even go on holiday and their cat is left outside with no cat flap, no shelter and no food. (There's also the classic "I've got a mouse problem" and instead of dealing with the mice, someone gets a cat thinking that's the answer, not realising that a cat is an animal that needs a home for 18 years and looking after, when they have no idea or interest in caring for a pet, but that's another topic...)
That's my personal experience, I'm no expert. I just feel sorry for someone who loses their pet. I feel annoyed if someone loses an unneutered cat (or dog) as I think it's irresponsible to let a cat outside without neutering it first - that's why there are so many homeless cats and kittens and rescue places are inundated. (It would be such a help to rescue places if more people gave a rescue cat or dog a home, instead of buying one or allowing their pet to have kittens or puppies). I think everyone should microchip their pet. Over the years, I've taken many unneutered injured cats to be scanned and none of them were microchipped or claimed from posters or lost pet websites so I got them vet treatment, chipped, neutered and homed. I had the experience this weekend of taking a found dog to be scanned and was delighted that it was microchipped so I could experience for the first time reuniting a microchipped pet with their happy owner!
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Hi justine
A delayed response
But it is such a tricky call I think, and as you say depends on the cat etc
Interstingly I have kept my cats in the last couple of days as one of them has been vomiting and they have both been fine- I actually think with the massive fox problem here now, they dont really want to go out and my 2 are now grown up at 9years old, so even more at home- actually im lucky as they have both always both been in when ever I have got home whatever time of day and night- SO I think if I ever came home and found one of them wasnt i woiuld be so upset
But that is just my cats, I agree cats shouldnt be let out if not vaccinated, microchipped etc, nd yes I also feel for the poor cats without a catflap- as I know in the summer mine love to sit outside the back door for hours
But my next cat (hopefully not for a lot of years yet) may love exploring the big outside world and as you say much more fun at night. But i believe as long as all the normal precautions are taken including collar, bell etc- then we have to leave them to do what they so love, rather than keep them caged in. yes your right, more cats get killed during this time, and yes cats are the cruelest of animals- (even the buddhist philosophy) believes this-and they kill birds(thankfully mine are too stupid for that) - but that is evolution- i hope if my next cat does like to roam, I can have the courage to give him his freedom
I adopted a cat from someone a few years ago , as he wasnt being looked after properly, but my cats hated him so took him up to my family in scotland to be looked after- as they lived in a really rural area, next to a golf course- he used to be out all night, put on weight as he was really skinny when I got him, I got him neutured, vaccinated, microchipped etc before he went. He had a catflap but just loved the big out door life at night- but unfortunately he found his way to the one road alongside the golf course when the one car came along during the night- he was killed instantly #
very sad and very young. he was only about 3yeasrs old, my step mum was distraught but I felt that it had still been the right decision to let him move up there and let him roam at night- he prob had the best time for the year he was up there
i dont know how i would feel i say again if one of my furry babies wanted to roam like him, but I hope as I said i can let him free- but yes I would be devastated if anything happened to either of them
as for cats sleeping about 12hours, well mine are middle age, and just about mange to stay awake for about 3hours a day- and thats just long enough to make sure I attend all their needs as their worthy servant
My question is, if you keep them in at night, when you go away, do you get someone in twice daily to open and close the catflap- I go away quite a lot so usually say once is fine
As you say, there are so many ignorant irresponsible owners, it really upsets me
I know Lauren as she adopted one "Big Boy",one of the cats from my best friend, whom fosters from irresponsible owners
i also know you are a particularly caring, helpful person around cats in particular often coming to the help of people on here
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Hi Tigha. Yes my cats sleep a lot as well! To answer your question, we don't go away much, we can't afford to as we spend too much on elderly cats! If we go away, I'm too embarrassed to ask a neighbour to feed our cats - 6 cats are too much for most people plus some of our cats are on daily medication, which a neighbour would find too much of a bother! So we're lucky, I get my mother in law to stay here to look after the cats if we're away. If anyone out there needs a cat feeder, I recommend Vicky http://www.happydogsandcats.co.uk/work-me/cat-sitting/ and she feeds a lot of cats locally. My preference would be for a cat feeder to feed the cats at night and lock the cat flap on in only and then feed the cats in the morning and open the cat flap. (By the way, I've also seen recommended on here Steve who does free house sitting http://www.coolforcats.webeden.co.uk/).
However, a microchip cat flap is a good solution - as they have the option of a curfew mode or night mode which means your cats can come and go during the day and be safe inside at night so you don't have to worry if you're away or out at night as the cat flap controls everything for you. I hear the Sureflap ones are best and they do various models. For example, the Sureflap http://www.sureflap.co.uk/products/details/19-microchip-pet-door (and there's also the Pet Porte Smart Flap http://www.staywell.co.uk/Intl/UK/Products/Pet-Porte-Smart-Flap/Mic...).They're expensive - I don't have one myself, but when my old magnet cat flap which has lasted for years breaks, I shall invest in a Sureflap microchip cat flap.
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Thats brilliant advice about the cat flaps, thankyou
Interestingly I have kept my cats mostly in last few days, as both have had tummy probs, asside from when im home and opened doors. And my boy is the most chilled I have seen for months, so might do it on a regular basis
Look im really happy to catfeed for you, I mean that sincerlely.im assuming you live local, but I couldnt always do twice daily.im also very used to giving cats pills, my old cat was easy but my cat sitters own cat is a challenge. So please please let me know, I can ask you to feed my babies then
Karen
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