Need Advice for my Cat

zoober_beth

zoober_beth

I believe in faeries
Jul 18, 2007
414
0
#1
I have a 3 year old cat named Louis. He is very independent and not too keen on cuddling or being petted. He bites, hisses and swats at you if you try to touch him. He likes to play with cat toys- but has A.D.D. (I swear!) and loses interest after about 5 minutes. He really enjoys being outdoors, so I have him vaccinated and let him be an indoor/outdoor kitty. He is however very dominant and has quite the attitude. I have heard him fight with other neighborhood kitties more than once- cat fights are not fun to break up let me tell you. I do my best to check him over when he comes in to make sure he doesn't have any wounds because I know he doesn't get along with alot of other cats. A couple months ago I noticed he had a large lump on his chest and took him to the vet right away and it was an infection from a fight he had gotten in. We had it drained and I gave him antibotics. I kept him in for a couple of weeks but he was begging to be let out all the time. I felt bad because he is used to being able to go out so I broke down and let him out. Everything has been going fine and then Monday I noticed he had a lump under his jaw and I looked it over and there were no wounds. We went to vet yesterday and he had another infection from a wound-my guess cat fight. I know he will be okay again but it costs like $250 everytime we have to go through this. I know he will not be happy being an indoor only cat and I feel like I can't make him stay in because he's used to going out. I have tried to give him more indoor stimulus- but he doesn't seem to like toys for very long. I have also tried putting a harness on him and being outside with him-but he doesn't enjoy that at all and it takes a good 45 mins for me to get the harness on him. He is most uncooperative. I am just wondering if anyone has ideas for me and how to avoid any more costly infections?
 
#2
I went through this with a cat I used to have, he gave me the hardest time, he was used to going outside his whole life, then I moved to an apartment and I tried to keep him inside, he would moan at the patio door so I gave in , luckily he never got into any fights, but one day he never came back, I was so sick, same thing happened to my other cat, so now, no more outside!!! I think the only thing that would work would be to deal with the moaning and meowing, might take a few weeks, but he will get over it. He will probally hide and not want any affection , but hopefully he will come around, you have to ride it out. Good luck
 
#3
He obviously is not going to live very long if you allow him to go outside. First question, is he neutered? Neutering helps a lot with that attitude problem. He could also have a thyroid problem. If his thyroid is off it can cause aggression or he might just be an alpa dominant male cat. Either way you are going to either have to build him an outdoor enclosure or keep him in and train him to stay away from the doors. A squirt bottle as he approaches the door will usually do the trick. The only crappy part is you have to put up with his whining until he gets over wanting to go outside. It usually take 2-4 weeks. Good luck. I have been through this quite a few times.
 
#4
Yes he is neutuered. I think he is just an Alpha Male-wish you could tell when they are all cute cuddly kittens. Anyways I am lucky it's getting colder out-it's easier to get him to stay in. I have used the spray bottle on him before- I guess I will just need to toughen up and not let him walk all over me anymore.
 
#6
One of my parent's neighbor's cat's is like this, and our cat sometimes tags along with him now and I'm nervous. My poor cat is so timid and only goes out 2x a day for a walk around the house (she meows at the door, Mom lets her out, she takes a walk, comes back, and meows at the door). But I tell you, the other cat is a bad influence! My parents always see him fighting with other cats and it gets loud and scary sounding! That cat and our cat often stare at each other but it hasn't turned into a fight...maybe because our cat is a girl and spayed. I think the owner has a hard time keeping his cat inside (guilt, all that meowing, lol!) so I have no idea how to fix it either, lol!
 
#8
Please bring your poor kitty inside, it's not good letting a cat be an indoor/outdoor cat, there are so many dangers out there, including cars, diseases, people, the list goes on. Also, if your cat were to bite someone, you are in a mess. And of course the cat fights. I know you said your cat doesn't like not going outside, he's so used to it, but he'll get used to staying inside and safe. His life span is cut so much by being an indoor/outdoor cat. One day he might not even come home. Please make the change of keeping him strictly indoors. Frankly, and I know a lot of people don't seem to realize this, but it's one of the most irresponsible things to let your pet run outdoors.
The only way to avoid the costly infections is to keep your cat away from the source of the infections, which is to keep him indoors strictly.
He will get used to it over time and he'll get the idea. Cats are smart, he will realize that you are trying to help him.
Also, when you make that transition to keeping your kitty strictly indoors, I highly recommend getting pet insurance, it costs a little each month(I pay almost $25 a month for my kitty), and it covers everything. It's worth looking into. :smile:
 
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