Another outdoor cat query

[Eve]

As per my previous post, I am building up towards letting Heathcliffe out after firework frenzy is over.

I live on a redeveloped quays site and have seen a few rats running about near the water and am now concerned about him catching one and any diseases it has or being bitten or injured.

He has a proper hunter nature in him and is incredibly fast and loves to play so am thinking it would be live ones to play with as is their nature.

He has a collar with a bell for a forewarning but anyone got any other ideas???

[Eve]

Thank you :)

Rats have never bothered me before, used to have a domestic one as a pet even, though now I have him (a slave already haha) I'm more worried.

I'll definitely check him daily once he's out. Can you use normal kinds of anticeptic on cats if he has bites or scratches? Can't use a spray as he doesn't like them so maybe a gentle one I can dab on.

He's very good with things being done while he's down, just not being picked up and held for long periods.

The Asda delivery man came earlier and I picked him up to pop him in the closed living room so he didn't escape or get scared and have a battlescarred arm to prove it :)

Argh presents, I am already preparing myself! He's a former stray and definitely has a proper tom cat hunter instinct in him (as my fluffy slippers have found out).

[Eve]

I'll definitely pick up some germolene, can use it on myself as well after his Asda freak out :)

[ruthann58]

hi jenna i wouldnt worry to much about the rats hurting him cats despach them quickly, he is more likely to have a game with a live mouse or frog ,wound powder is good for cuts etc it also has a fly repellent in so is good in the summer ,i always use salt water to bathe ours with, there is somthing poison in disenfectant so when you wash floors dont let him walk on them till they are dry as it can be absorbed though his pads. when he goes out for the first time wait till its raining hard as they dont usually stay out in the rain very long ,ours had her leg off 4 weeks ago and has not been out yet so once the fireworks have finished she can start to go out again but not till we get a day when it is hissing down !

[wolf63]

Methinks that Heathcliffe is a mummy's boy.

That said - Frankie and Princess Merlin are house cats. I live in a city centre and it wouldn't be safe for them. If I can ever afford to buy a house with a garden I will be worrying about them 24/7.

I think that rats are too much trouble for a cat to catch - but I am sure that you will be getting plenty of mice and birdies as gifts in the years to come.

[Eve]

Thank you :) he is definitely a mummy's boy haha :)

I have been toying with the idea as to whether to let him out or not but having had him around for a couple of weeks now, I think he misses the outside and wouldn't want to deprive him.

I had the sneaky idea of letting him out first when the weather was bad, felt mean but it may mean he doesn't venture too far from home at first.

I'm trying to work out if a catflap is viable, firstly if the landlord will allow it and secondly as the front door is raised (I guess maybe because there's so much water around). It'd be a bit of a leap for him but I'm sure he'll manage.

[sara3]

hey sis :o)

I know that when I took Colin to the vet, they gave him worming tablets and said it was important to keep up with them, especially if he's a hunter.

personally, I think he's a big girl's blouse and have never seem him catch more than a spider.. but I guess you never know!

[bensmum]

Hi jenna
One of mine used to catch rats but he tended to catch the younger ones - not sure if he would have tackled a full grown adult. Salt water is probably the best thing for bathing wounds - my vet recommended it in fact. Just make sure he is wormed regularly as suggested earlier. And yes, be prepared for presents, alive and dead!

[wolf63]

My last cat, George, was old when I adopted him and was previously a stray - fending for himself. He was a lousy hunter as he had a bad back and short legs and was in his teens. He was emaciated and covered in fleas, maggots and whatever when the CP found him.

But one morning he 'caught' a spider and sat on my bed (when I was trying to sleep) and crunched that spider for ages. I didn't realise that eating spiders would cause so much noise.

Do you call him Heathcliffe or do you abbreviate his name? Frankie has a bed cat name - "You little b****rd". He is never really bad, just mischievous. His sister is a bad tempered little madam - she bites.

[Jugglering]

I suspect he'll only go after young rats, mice and birds - you may need more than one bell soon ! A former neighbour of mine had to put three bells on her little huntress to stop the wee critters getting caught. As the others have said, ensure he has his worm tablets regularly and he should be ok.

Regarding the cat flap - if your door is very high above the step, you may need to build up a little step for him - this could be something as simple as a few bricks, but obviously the cat flap would need to be towards the hinge side of the door or humanoids would have to negotiate the cat step as well as the front door step !

Regarding letting him outside, if you are going to do this, not only do it when it's not very nice weather, but make sure he's not had his dinner ! He's more likely to come back when you want him to if he's hungry !

[ruthann58]

1 of ours brought in a huge cat 1 evening a couple of years ago straight into the lounge dropped it at my husbands feet then marched over to the hearth to have a wash i never saw my husband move so quick thank god it was dead, our 3 outside feral cats catch them then eat them , simon bless him had a live mouse on the settee 1 day . i keep rat traps set as the winter sets in as the cats cant get them all and once the fields are cut and ploughed they come in closer, caught or first 1 last wedensday it was a whopper

[wolf63]

Sorry - Frankie's name is his 'bad cat' name and not his 'bed cat' ...

[Eve]

Maybe I'll increase the jinglebells :)

Am going to work on the landlord, storing up points as my shower still hasn't been fixed properly and the slats on my bed have fallen down so here's hoping :)

I do call him Heathcliffe, it was the name I gave him when he was rescued. The rescue place called him Sylvester as he looks the the cartoon one of the same name and we have no idea what his original name was, being a stray.

I do call him silly names as well, "nussy pussy" being one of them :) My mum would call her cats that sometimes and it just comes out.

Letting him out the first time is going to be like a military operation haha, no food, bad weather... :)

Have sussed an easier way to get his stuff though, got a big home delivery from Asda with loads of litter, food, biccies etc... :)

[Jugglering]

Wolf - I think *bed cat* sounds a lot better though ! Wow... crunchy spiders... yep, my wee Thug (aka Chief FlyCatcherSupreme) is also rather good at catching and crunching on moths..... quite yukky when you see their wings sticking out of the side of wee Thug's mouth.....

Ruthann - do you mean *huge rat* not *huge cat*, surely? lol... I have a vision now of your darling depositing a huge cat in front of your hubby !

[ruthann58]

yes i do mean rat, better put my glasses on

[ruthann58]

if it had have been a cat i dont think he would have worried to much he would have thought it was another one i had taken in ,we had 12 at that time sadly down to 2 indoors and 3 outside feral

[Schutzengel]

Hi Jenna,
Pleased to hear all is going well with Heathcliffe. I wouldn't worry too much about Heathcliffe coping with rats, from the look of him, he'll be well able to take care of himself. And so long as you follow up the advice from all the great folks who are communicating with you, I'm sure he'll be fine. Just to give you a smile - many years ago I had a large black cat called Monty, and one evening there was such a racket going on in the garden, squeals and howls. When I went outside to see what was going on, there was Monty and a huge rat almost as big as himself, sitting up facing each other like a pair of boxers. Then with one leap Monty got the rat by the back of the neck, gave it one shake, which broke it's neck. Monty then came strutting back into the house, with not a mark on him. Any damage Heathcliffe comes home with, is much more likely to be from another tom cat, and of course all the good advice applies. By the way Heathcliffe's second photo is gorgeous.

[ruthann58]

jenna are you any better