Easy Outdoor Cat House Plans

Daniel asks…

We’re moving! What should I do to make this easy on my two cats?

In a few months we plan on moving, and I was wondering how to make the move easy on my two cats. They’re indoor/outdoor kitties, and they dislike each other. One mostly stays outdoors and one mostly stays indoors, but they’re still both mine.

I’ve heard that you shouldn’t let them leave the new house for up to a month. Is that true? What else should I do to make the move easier on them?

admin answers:

We have 8 cats. 6 of them were trapped wild and tamed – and we have moved them 4 times since then.
Keep in mind that cats bond to places before they bond to people, and when moved, they immediately try to run away home, so you definitely don’t want to let them outside right away. Instead, put them in a crate for the move, and when you get them to the new location, put them in a room for about 2 weeks, with the litter on one side of the room and the food and water on the other side of the room (Rule of thumb: Cats hate to eat where they “go” and hate to “go” where they eat). Put the bed somewhere in the middle, and provide some toys, such as golf balls or furry mice for them to play with. If there is a window, a ladder or table high enough for the kittys to look out the window will be a plus.
Put a little butter on their paws so that they can “mark” the area with their paws and bond to your home that much faster.
After about two weeks, introduce them to the outside gradually. Let them explore the house first (making sure the door to the litterbox – her “safety area” is always open and accessable at that point) and then gradually let them outside, a few minutes at a time, always walking with them, and keeping the door open (if you can) so that they can run back inside if they feels they need to. Eventually, you can move some kitty food next to the door so that they know where that food is, and you will be able to leave them out, knowing that yhey will come back.

Carol asks…

Stray cat just had kittens. Any advice/help would be appreciated.?

The person I work for has been feeding the strays that her neighbor lets have run of their barn. The two that usually come for the food are pregnant. This morning one gave birth to 5 kittens, in the rain, out in the middle of a lawn of wet grass. My boss got a cardboard box, covered it with a trash bag to keep the rain out (over the whole box not just draped over the top), and put in a fluffy towel she was willing to sacrifice. She put the box under her porch and she got me (she was scared of getting attacked) to move the babies into the box and once all the kittens were in they stopped crying and the mother fallowed them in. They are still there and now safe from the rain but there is more issue than that.

I was asked to put out a bowl of milk and there is some leftover cooked ground beef in the bowl too. The milk is right outside the box and mother basically wolfed it down the second it was down. There is only a bit of meat left. What I’m worried about is that the other pregnant cat is poking around and each time she gets near the mom starts growling but the to be mom doesn’t seem to care. I put out some milk away from the momma cat and the to be mother went to that and drank it down pretty quick and is now poking around the mother again. I do not have permission to put out more food. I was told not to since my employer doesn’t want it to go to waste and the possum that roams around getting it. On top of that there are other cats.

Also. Bringing the cats into the house isn’t an option since one of the children that live there is allergic. I don’t think I would be able to convince my boss to take the cats somewhere else since the kid with the allergy is hoping to start getting shots so they can keep one since he has always wanted a pet and hasn’t had one (he is 12). None of the cats that come around are pets. Until a few weeks ago if a person came within 10 feet of them they darted off. They let you close enough to sniff your hand now but that is it. And momma is tolerating me and the boss being around but she doesn’t want us any nearer then a few feet. Even if they don’t end up keeping one of the kittens my boss is planning on finding homes for all of them but not the momma. She is planning on letting the momma stay as her outdoor stay pet.

Any advice about feeding or care or providing shelter would be much appreciated! Any advice for my employer’s plans on making the kittens indoor pets without traumatizing them or their mother would be awesome. I’d like to day though the she is stubborn and she isn’t going to listen to me about changing any of the plans she has already made. I’m just hoping I can make it easier on these animals. Thanks!

admin answers:

First, stop the milk. Most cats, once weaned, are lactose intolerant so she could get diarrhea. If you insist on milk, get the lactose free milk sold in supermarkets. She probably drank it because she is very hungry.

Not having any food out after dark should help with any wild animals. Possums usually come out at night, as do other wildlife for eating.

Once the kittens are weaned, it is critical to get the momma cat spayed. Otherwise, the cycle will continue. Work with a rescue group for that. If you are in the US or Canada, use petfinder to find groups near you.

And since the kittens are feral, you do need to know how to tame them. That is not difficult, but the sooner you learn, the better. You can start once the kittens are moving around. Before that, under the circumstances, the mother may simply relocate the kittens where you won’t find them. They will be moving around fairly confidently by the fifth week.

Making the kittens indoor only is not really an issue. They will easily adapt, once tamed. When the kittens are eight weeks or perhaps ten, the mother will be wanting to chase them away anyway, so she can raise another litter.

Mary asks…

What breed of dog should I get?

Hi, my family is planning to get a dog soon, but I was wondering which breed. Doesn’t matter if mixed or pure bred. Wouldn’t shed too much, would be indoor/outdoor. We also have a cat in our house and we have owned dogs before. Not too hyper, but still playful. Also would be sort of a guard dog and easy to train. Would be comfortable in rainy/warm/and snowy weather. We have a large backyard and would like either a medium sized dog to a large sized dog. It might be alone at home a few or more hours. But most of the time accompanied.

Thanks

admin answers:

A German Spitz.
We had one she was the most well behaved and caring dog we have ever had or meet, she was great with EVERYTHING whether it b cats, children even birds.
They are a wonderful breed and i would reckon mend them to every one, 1st time dog owner or experienced

this was my dearest Sharni