Random yard cat question, pls advise

M

mar2505

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 January 2007
Messages
276
Visit site
I have finally made decision to leave yard, ended up being pushed and am going to leave as quick as poss even though i have paid cause cant trust them with my horse. Anyway I have a cat at the yard, he has been there 11 years with me, was a kitten who has only lived there. Question is they will not let hi stay so do I take him home or new yard will have him but not sure how I get him used to new enviroment as he is free to wonder whereever at moment. I do not have any pets at home but wonder how he would react to living in as live on busy road so cant guarentee him staying in garden, any cat owners who can advise pls.
 
I would not leave your cat behind, i am sure he would adapt fine if you move him to either your home or new yard. If the new yard is suitable and they are fine then take him there but if not take him home
 
Happy to take him but not sure how you make him used to his new enviroment, need advise on how to stop him returning to old place or whatever cats do. thanks
 
Someone moved to our yard with a couple of yard cats. They kept them in a large cage at the yard for a few days before they let them out. They had a bed, litter tray, food and water in each cage. This worked really well and the cats are still there!

Hope you work something out.
 
If you can move it with you to a new yard - then great. However, you will have to keep it confined for around 4 weeks, until it gets used to its new environment.

I definately wouldn't take it home with you.
 
I agree with Jumpergirl, try the cage method and lots of food and attention and your cat should settle, make sure he has some of your things near by, because having your stuff from his old home will make him feel more confident and safe
 
Please don't take him home if you live on a busy road. I live 1/4 mile away from the nearest road which is a quiet country lane and yet my cat still made it down to the road at the weekend and was run over and killed.

I would see if anyone will lend you a puppy cage and go from there. I have always found the key thing is to make sure you only let the cat out of the cage when they are really hungry. I would put a bell on him at first as well to make it harder for him to hunt so he'll be more likely to stay around the yard to be fed.
 
I have been in a similar position with a yard cat myself. I took the cat with me and thank goodness the new yard was happy to have him. It took him a few weeks to settle in with the other cats, but he soon became favourite with everybody on the yard including the other yard cats.

I did not keep my cat caged up, he would not have tolerated it. Instead I sat there at the yard with him all day and kept feeding and making a fuss of him. I gave him a comfy bed and made sure he knew where his food was. I was back up first thing in the morning to check on him and feed him and he was fine.

He knew Jake my horse was there and he knew that I would not abandon either of them and I think this helped.

Sadly, he was only there for 13 months before he became ill, but he had the best time a feral stables cat could have and he didnt suffer at the end.

Take your cat with you, keep him in a holding area if you can. If not stay with him as long as you can and feed him tasty treats and go back up to see him early the following morning.
 
We rehoused a feral cat at our yard and the advice was to keep him contained to start with. We had a garage that was secure..or if there is a spare stable that is cat escape proof that would do. You could always ring one of those type of charities for advice as they must be the experts on rehoming / resettling. Our so called feral cat was perfectly at home within 10 mins but then he is a big fat greedy pumpkin and no way fits the description of feral. If you have had yours so long he should be reasonably OK with the experience - he knows you so that is the main constant! Good luck.
 
We got some cats from one of the feral cat places (forget which one, poss Celia Hammond) for our yard last year, who had appparantly come from the Olympic site. They were contained for a few weeks, and when they were let out, we have expected never to see them again! They've all stayed around though, and while they'll never be touchy-feely pickupable cats, they aren't nervous of us or the dogs anymore, and there's definitely been an effect on the rat population (the whole purpose for getting them).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top