Tiawamutu

The two most important reasons to me why I don't let my cats out are A) for the safety of my cats, and B) for the safety of the wildlife

killamarsh

safe from what?

NikiL

I'm the same - my 2 boys are indoor cats and will stay as indoor cats until we can get them a run built. The safety is from things like cars - mine are bengals, a breed which has absolutely no road sense whatsoever. I wouldn't want them hunting local fauna though which is why I am more than happy keeping them in.

Hell of a pair of spider catchers though

Wilpurina

I think the same issues as here from the perspective of the cat's safety. Cars, catching diseases from fighting other cats (particularly FIV which mother-inlaw's cat died from after picking it up in a fight), and an outside possibility of being killed by someone's dog. Not foxes by the way - I've seen cats chasing urban foxes more than once in the wee hours. Where we're going in Melbourne I'd worry about our cats being run over more than anything else. Been in that situation twice before - not nice, even though the second time the cat was lucky and survived (probably used up three or four lives though). I'm not really too concerned about venomous Aussie nasties getting in the enclosure and saying hi to the cats, partly as I can't think of any way of stopping 'em and partly because if it was a serious danger then Australia surely wouldn't have the feral cat / dog problems that it has.

As far as protecting native wildlife from our cats, that's something I always taken seriously. Every cat I've owned has had a bell on its collar to warn anything it approaches, though this is not 100% reliable. The tortie has still managed to take two birds despite the bell and being a bit fat and lazy (must have sat still in a tree with her mouth full of twigs pretending to be a nest), and my mother's cat managed to get her collar off while I was cat sitting one weekend and trotted off to the field next door for the night - I felt like throwing up when I found a dozen or so dead mice in the garden the next morning. And that's animals that should be wise to the idea of predators after how ever many thousands of years together. I imagine small Australian animals might mistake a cat for a weird looking possum until it's too late, so I think the enclosure is a necessity.

That said, we're hoping to make the enclosure a decent size and they've got used to being inside since we decided to migrate, and long term we will consider cat proofing the whole garden when we're settled. It's extra hassle and expense, and more than likely not the right choice for everyone, but we felt re-homing our cats was a bit cruel as we're their third set of owners. Poor little b****ers have already been re-homed due to children and divorces, and it doesn't seem fair to do it to them again. So plane ride it is, and after spending a month in quarantine I expect the garden enclosure will seem like the Moggie Marriot. Any idea how far your cat likes to wander, killamarsh? And any thoughts on cat proofing the garden and how big a garden you might have? If you're planning on going somewhere more rural where you might have a large cat proofable garden she might adjust quite well. I think it will also depend on how attached she is to human company, particularly yours. I think the previous re-homing experiences have made ours pretty needy, but one cat I used to have treated humans as very tall can openers and probably wouldn't have minded being re-homed as long as he had a cat flap and the new staff knew what food he liked.

Wilpurina's hubby.

killamarsh

We have seen our cat everywhere apart from in our backyard and our neighbors. At night she goes over for a walk around the bush/woods whatever it's called, across the road and down the road. We have a bit of 'uncultivated' land nearby. She is also an avid hunter, hence the bell she wears. I hate the constant tinkle of the bell but if it helps avoid her bringing in stuff then good. She has been with me since she left her mum and I simply don't know what to do. If she is left in during the day and the cat trap isn't open she is all hugs and kisses as soon as we get in then wants to go out after about 10 mins. As for cats in oz. Things have changed since I left and since my oz cat died a few years ago at my parents. They never had to keep the oz cat in and was a wanderer also. Don't know what to do.:curse::curse::curse::curse: I am also worried about re-homing her and then realising Iv'e made a big mistake or that I never realised that I take her for granted and miss her desperately. The whole cat run thing, for me, just doesn't feel natural at all. I am sure everyones cats are fine, but it just doesn't feel right for me. ahhhh

Wilpurina

Hmm. How old is she?

Edit: Have a look at Catmax. The cat netting they do looks like it would do a whole garden. Cats of Australia have got all sorts of stuff I haven't had a chance to look at yet and might help you decide which is best. Maybe even ask your vet what they reckon is best for her.

killamarsh

Do you know I have been sitting here since posting and thinking about it while stroking my princess ( the cat) ( with four legs). I was thinking about talking to the vet - thanks for the suggestion. I realise this sounds a little drastic but thought of putting my cat in a local cattery for a few days to see how I feel without here. That is my biggest worry apart from the whole no space opportunity thing - is not realising how much I care about our cat. I adore her but can I live without her when it has never been a reality? A reality is only when you have re-homed them. Perhaps the answer is in my indecision. To think about something so much must mean I care deeply and the decision is starting me in the face. God I'm getting teary now as I have come to this realisation. I simply don't feel that urge to bring her with us and am simply thinking of her future not how I will necesarily feel. When I left my 2yr old cat in oz it took months to get over that. My princess is 11 now.

Wilpurina

Another factor to consider then: an 11 year old cat might be harder to re-home than a younger one. I'd ask the advice of Blue Cross and Cats Protection people about this, but I suspect that people being people prospective owners all go AHHHHH at the cute wittle kittens and most of 'em get scooped up straight away. Then it's the semi-mature cats, young adults and so on with older cats at the back of the queue for a new home. Before we adopted our mob no one had been interested in the older pair and one of the younger two had been described as a bit ugly (can't see it myself, though her coat is an unusual biscuit mix sort of colour).

Sounds like you care a lot about what's best for your cat, which I think is the right way to come to a decision. What's best for her? If she stays behind then maybe she's re-homed straight away and maybe not. She might end up having even more freedom to roam than she has now, but equally could end up in an area with loads of other cats with established territories and feel unable to go as far as she's used to. If you take her with you then the flight and quarantine will probably upset her, but after that she'll be back to people and furniture she'll recognise. Either way she'll need to adjust to a new home and lifestyle. Personally I could leave a cat behind if I knew it was best for the cat and that s/he'd be going to a new home, though it'd be tough on us, but I'd struggle to leave one without being certain of it or knowing the people they were going to.

Our situation is a bit different, but in your shoes I'd be inclined to bring the cat due to her age unless I could find a friend or family member to provide a home for her. Otherwise we'd end up phoning the rescue centre/RSPCA/CPL/Blue Cross/whatever every other day to see if anyone had adopted the cat. And then going and getting the cat back a fortnight before we left if no one had.

Yeah, I'm a big soppy b*****d, I know. Maybe if we had kids I could look at it as 'sod it, it's just a cat'. But...

NikiL

rehoming older cats is difficult, like you say everyone goes aaaah at kittens, but everyone wants the cute factor. Hence why I ended up with 2 x 5 year old last time I got cats....

I couldn't leave my boys, they're part of my family and having been without cats for a year I hated it, missed having furry friends too much. Sad moo that I am

killamarsh

I wasn't looking at re-homing through anywhere but people I know around the country. You are totally right about the difficulty for older cats. I have been looking out for someone for about a year now and have asked a close work colleague in Newcastle to consider whether she will take my little one. She is really into cats, dosen't have any at the moment and views a pet as part of the family - plus she dosen't live anywehre near where I live or a main road. I'm really not enjoying having to make this decision.

emmyjc1

hi found this link about keeping cats indoors in oz http://www.awlqld.com.au/rehoming_ne...omekittens.htm
i try to keep mine in although he can escape with the dogs sometimes!

killamarsh

I just re-read the title of this thread. How many people are taking their wild cat's? Could just hear the conversation ' yeh I was going to take the bob cat but the leopard had him for lunch because I lost the key to the cage'

Pat & Jo

Hi,
I've been reading posts on here for a while, but not posted much. Having read all the comments on here about the cats, I totally understand where everyone is coming from. We are looking to move out Sept 08 and will be bringing 2 cats and a dog. I have to be honest and say I am more worried about them than us! Whether we are doing the right thing or not, but they are our family and they are coming anyway, even though they will be at a cost but they will be worth it. I don't think I could settle without them.
I work at an RSPCA centre and can tell you that older cats definately take a lot longer that the younger cats to rehome. Our centre has a non destruct policy, so we keep all the animals as long as it takes to get a home. Some other places don't have this luxury, if they need space, they will look at which cat has been there the longest and pts it to make the space for the younger cat. I know this may seem silly to some people, but it can also depend on what colour the cat is as to how quickly it can be rehomed. We find we have lots of black and black/white cats, which take longer to rehome as everyone wants the gingers, tabbys and torties! I would say to the lady with the 11yr old cat, if the cat is healthy, take her if you can, or if you can't maybe try and rehome her to someone in the family if that is possible?
Both of our cats are coming up to 8 years old, so should be ok with the move although I am sure they will be stressed to the max when the time comes (me included)
For anyone sending their cats / dogs to the Perth quarantine station, we were over there last month. I wanted to go and see where my animals will be going before I send them. The guy there, Wayne, showed us all around the place and answered my many questions. He put my mind at ease and I have to say (knowing what kenneled animals can be like) that the animals in there, all seemed happy and healthy. I was worried about one of my cats being on a special diet as he has struvite crystals, he said they feel prescription diets to many cats in there, so it won't be a problem.
I know there have been other threads on here regarding which company people used to ship their animals, but I haven't started looking into it too much yet, but will do soon. Has anyone here got any good companys they can recommend??
sorry to ramble on, but I am glad other people are as concerned about their animals as I am. So many other people have said to me to 'get rid of the animals' and come over on our own! :curse:
Jo