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Now, first off: I'm a "dog person," but I respect all creatures and this is a way to save a cat that would not really impinge on my life very much (but read on, you decide). The cat would be cared for and looked after but having him/her indoors simply would not work out, for a variety of reasons. The cats available for adoption (I do have a choice) are older and have been looked over by a vet.
The first consideration is the winter in these parts (nearby to Boston) - I do have a porch under my house and a basement if it came to that. But, how do cats generally survive in the winters on their own? Food, water and basic shelter (I can even build a little house for it) is what I am aiming to provide, but not cuddling up on the sofa by the fire.
More to the point, and to be quite pragmatic about this, I'm doing this to save a cat's life, not to gain a best friend. Can this be done while keeping the cat out of the house?
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well, outdoor cats typically have half the life expectancy, and your local shelter may not even adopt a cat out if they suspect it will be an outdoor cat. So, if it truly is a life or death thing for the kitty, and indoor is a deal-breaker, keep your mouth shut while adopting the little cat.
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Unfortunately the life of an outside cat is generally very short. Disease, dogs, wild animals, cars and nasty people greatly diminish length of life.
I'm not sure that a strictly outdoor life in the city, especially a northern city is that much of a save.
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Better a quick death from a needle than suffering the life of an outside cat. I know, we finally caught a stray off of the street after months of trying. It's been fed (sort of) by someone up the street but when we caught him after 2 years he felt light as a feather. Honestly. It was just shocking.
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>>Can this be done while keeping the cat out of the house?
I have a neighbor who does this and i agree with the above posts but so far its worked out much better for her. The main reason why I wouldn't do it is because I know i'd get way too attached to handle the day it didn't come back.
Perhaps talk it over with your vet friend. while some of the above posters feel that it would be better to simply put the animal down, i doubt the animal agrees.
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All my 'outdoor cats' came in at night at least in the Winter.
I've never known anyone who had a cat that didn't come in at night (at least when it was cold) either in the house or into a cow or horse barn with a hay loft.
Feral cats generally have short lives.
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There are feral "outside" cats but if you take one on as a sort of pet, doesn't sound like you are really committed, you will find that the cat realizes that there is and "inside" he aspires to.
And you will know no peace thereafter.
You can have a cat that goes in and out, or a cat that stays in, but an outside cat will disappear after a while—either something will kill it or it will find a more congenial home.
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[quote Stephanie]
First rule when rescuing animals - you can't save them all, no matter how much you might want to.
One main reason why it's heart-breaking to visit an animal shelter or and adoption event.
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indoor cats aren't always guaranteed a longer life
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=HPIA,HPIA:2005-32,HPIA:en&q=house+with++dozens+of+cats
there are extremes at both ends of pet care. Stay in the middle.
