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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Pending cat problem


So Spring has sprung here and the air conditioning has now sprung into life. It won’t be long and I will be able to switch the system to cooling.

I have already had to turn on the separate cooling system in my study upstairs because it is so hot – because of  all the skylights. We have learned to live with the vagaries of the systems in this apartment.

The cats are now officially registered with the Global Pet Register so theoretically cannot get lost. However I am now starting to worry about how we keep them inside when we are in a house in Indianapolis.

They are OK in the apartment here and can go outside the front door into the entrance foyer because there is nowhere else to go. Sissi often waits at the door and dives out when I come home - but she just has a look around – and sometimes goes down one level – before coming back inside.

Monika is very meek and does not cause problems.

In Indianapolis we will be in a house and – unless it has an entrance foyer – there will be nothing to stop Sissi from running out of the house onto the road.

We are not going to let them become outside cats for all sorts of reasons – including that Sissi will certainly get run over.

I have been racking my brains to try to think of a solution to this but have so far come up short.

Perhaps when we go out we have to lock the cats in a separate part of the house? 

10 comments:

  1. Interesting problem. I always say goodbye to Cooper right at the front door so he has learned to not come outside, and that has only failed once. Luckily Tamie and my son got him to go back inside, as he was notorious for wanting to eXplore if he got loose when he was much younger. I think there is a definite need for a foyer. I just thought of a good name for it. Just like space craft have an 'airlock' for going n and out of the craft while in outerspace, you could think of the foyer as a 'catlock'.

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  2. Hmmm. People don't even chain dogs up these days. Not sure how you can deal with your cats. But the pickle factory next door has a covered open balcony area - fitted with cat-proof netting, to prevent a recurrence of the cat-running-across-balcony-and-roof-and-into-space, only to land in our back garden... and Jim announced to concerned neighbours, "It's only a cat!"

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  3. I was wondering if you were still moving out this way! I have three cats and they are also indoor kitties. They will occasionally run outside, but never venture far. They hang out on the porch for a it and then want back in. My vet told me that indoor cats consider the house their 'territory' and therefore are not comfortable outside, seeing as they are out of their territory and into that of another animals.

    I've always had cats, they've always been indoor cats with occasional forays into the outside world, and none of them have ever ventured far. I really don't think you need to worry about them running into the street. Mine would never consider it!

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  4. Poor babies will be too traumatised for a while to venture far and by then you may have sorted out something, like Annie's suggestion. Which reminds me of the time in Jakarta when one of our cats went onto the roof to explore and fell right through into the lap of the man next door, who happened to be on the toilet. Both took a while to recover from that!

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  5. I was wondering about you getting a house which will include the associated keeping growing things growing.

    At his foster home Sammy was no problem to go outside and do his business and come right back in, it was a rather sterile area. Here although a subdivision is it an older area with many trees and critters and he could not be trusted without a lead. You may have to keep them in a specific area for at least awhile so they can't get out and explore.

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  6. esbboston: I like catlock. I just have to work out how to do it.

    Annie: I need to work out how to adapt a cat net - it depends on our house.

    Wanderlust: See you on 1 May. Unfortunately Sissi is an adventurer.

    Sandy: Yes they will need some TLC to get sorted.

    fmcgmccllc: All those plants to kill!

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  7. Oh YOu will be close to me.. sorta! I can help from afar!
    Trina
    Who used to live around the corner from you in Vienna!

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  8. Trina: Hi - yes we will practically be next door. I really want to see your part of America.

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  9. P,
    This part of American is fun.. Looking forward to reading about your adventures! Good luck with moving Kitties!

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  10. I hope your cat problem comes to a speedy resolution in the coming days.

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