We allow Angel and Chuck to venture outside from time to time. For the first seven or eight years of their lives, they were indoors-only. Then I got the bright idea to buy a harness and leash, to give them a chance to visit the outdoors. At that time, there were no 'O' Cats in the yard.
One day, while The Hubby was on the front porch enjoying a good cup of joe (hot-as-lava, bitter-as-sin coffee) and a gorgeous morning, he opened the screen door a crack for Chucky to venture out. And some other day, Angel went out too. No harness, and a free as birds.
We decided that we cannot put the genie back in the bottle, and now they can go in and out through the cat flap installed in the front door. We monitor them constantly, and I cannot tell you how fun it is to drive up into the driveway, while a cat sits on the front steps meowing a Welcome Home!
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| "Lemme IN!" |
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| "I see you in there...what are you doing?" |
Neither cat travels very far, and they spend most time investigating our gardens or the neighbor's front gardens on either side of us. Angel is obsessed with our driveway, and around the cars (where Patty and Sweetie tend to nap). Chuck wanders to tall things: tall grass, plants like iris and daylilies. We do not use pesticides or any chemicals in the yard, (neither do our neighbors), and The Hubby is careful to not have any automobile that leaks anything. The cats are not allowed out when it's dusk, dawn or dark, and they will NOT stay out if there is: a noisy truck anywhere within a block, people walking on the sidewalk, any kind of rain or wind (or blowing leaves), lawn mowing within a block. They can hit that cat flap in a running sprint...POW!...and race right inside. Usually the first thing they do is visit the food bowls, just to make sure.
I love the comment you left on my blog about Pelicans! That was funny. And your hubby and I would get along fine (hot-as-lava, bitter-as-sin coffee). If it ain't hot it ain't worth drinking. LOL I'm hardcore take my black too.
ReplyDeleteOMCs Madi is intrigued by the cat flap. However,
we both wonder do you ever have non feline visitors?
Hugs Madi and mom
Nope, no other animal has tried the flap, not even The 'O' Cats!
DeleteAt one time, all our kitties were indoor/outdoor, but then I got tired of training them, so we had our lower deck made into a catio. Now only the oldest three have total outdoor access, but only after it gets light out in the morning, and the cat door is locked at dinner time (6:30 p.m.) The main cat door only goes to the catio. The cat door to outside is electronic and only the three can get through it. Thanks for visiting us. We hope you will come back often and join our Sunday Selfies blog hop. XOCK Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Angel Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth, Calista Jo and Cooper Murphy
ReplyDeleteWe could make a catio out of the front porch, and the balcony catio out back is now being used for The 'O' Cats.
DeleteI wish we could do this, but I don't trust our guys, and certainly not Lucy.
ReplyDeleteI was dead set against it, but I was overruled!
DeleteWe're really lucky ... we live in a condo half under ground ... the other half (the front) is surrounded by a huge retaining wall. To get to the subdivision's road take two sets of stairs ... to get to a "real" road, a huge hill. Bear only wants to go outside when I'm out there with him ... and I wouldn't feel right leaving him unattended. A year ago, I came back from the mailbox to find a pitbull on the deck above our front porch ... I make sure it's not up there before I let him out now. He doesn't go far either - just sniffs around the garden.
ReplyDeleteOh my! A dog in the yard would freak me out!
DeleteWhat fun! I don't think there will be a flap in my future.
ReplyDeleteI can imagine the parade of cats trying to use a flap at your place, Brian!
DeleteI think cat doors are great but does anything else come in the flap? A friend has one and has had a couple chipmunks come in too.
ReplyDeleteGlad your kitties seem very smart and come in at the first sign of trouble!
Take care.
Robin
No other animal has tried coming in the flap; they'd have to be very brave, because it's the front door! Also, we close up unless it's daytime.
DeleteMy cats go outside, but only under supervision.
ReplyDeleteIt started with my two boys (now passed) - They were strictly indoor cats for years, until I got harnesses and leashes for them. But my TUxie boy (aptly named Tux) learned how to houdini out of his harness - and taught his brother (Rocky) to do the same. So eventually, we gave up on the harnesses and they went out only under supervision. Eventually I had them trained to stay in the yard (The old Italian neighbour who got Tux with the hose one day helped with that!). When they died, I adopted a ginger boy named Rupert. He HATES the harness, so we've gone straight to boundary training. Luckily, he's a nervous little guy, so it's not too hard to keep him from going where he should
We had long talks with Angel and Chuck about the street and cars, and they both are fraidy cats anyhow. Thanks for commenting!
DeleteWe don't live in a suitable place for us to go outside, but we're so jealous of kittehs who do.
ReplyDeleteNo need to be jealous; inside is far safer! I'm a nervous nelly, as I'm always monitoring where Angel and Chuck are. The Hubby is much more relaxed.
Deleteguyz....thiz iz way kewl.....we iz knot a loud ta due thiz coz if we ran; de high way iz that kinda cloze two both me; tuna; & cuzin daiz' place....hay, N joy tho N roll in sum dirt for uz pleez ☺☺♥♥
ReplyDeleteBest to stay indoors, where the temperature is controlled and there aren't any dogs or cars to dodge.
DeleteThat's wonderful that they stay close to home! I have a kitty visit me from a street that runs parallel to mine and his owners just can't make him understand that the road works both ways - he can return home after visiting me, even though he doesn't. I'm thankful that Mudpie has no interest in the outdoors.
ReplyDeleteWhen I see a cat that's not one of ours across the street, The Hubby always yells, "DO NOT INVITE HIM OVER HERE!" LOL! He thinks I want to gather up every cat in the neighborhood...and he'd be RIGHT!
DeleteWow, we wish we could convince the mom to put a cat flap in. Can you make it unaccessible, like at night, so there's no chance they would go out in the middle of the night?
ReplyDeleteThe cat flap is on the storm/screen door, so when the front door is closed, no one gets in or out. It also has a locking mechanism, but once we used it and the look on Angel's face when she couldn't open the flap just broke my heart!
DeleteMaybe you will get a big surprise and Petty and Sweetie will come through the door too. :)
ReplyDeleteI would love that, but they haven't even though they've been given TONS of time to try. Once, we put a flap on The Cat Hotel, thinking the flap would keep the wind and snow from blowing in, but then no cats would use it! It came off again a few hours later.
DeleteLooks like the cats are enjoying the cat door :)
ReplyDeleteWe giggled at the part where they wait for you to open the door when you are home .
MOL!
Purrs Georgia,Julie and JJ
It's the honest truth too! They sit there and wait for us to open the door, either going in or coming out. However, I live to spoil my cats!
DeleteWe'd wait by the flap too, if we had one. We're pretty sure that's part of the Cat Contract!
ReplyDeleteYou are so right! Making humans wait on cats is the natural order.
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ReplyDeleteWhen our Z Cat was alive she was always outside when one of us were outside to keep a constant eye on her. She loved to go in the woods and sniff and scratch every fallen tree or decayed old log. She liked to "work" and she helped CH do all sorts of gardening things. And then there were the lizards! She loved to tease and play with the lizards. If she got a little too rambunctious I directed her to something else. She became a true country cat. She was always supervised and she came in when we came in. She was always happy to come back in and spend some snuggle time on the four seasons porch with me. We adopted her from our local shelter when she was 7 months old and said goodbye to her way too early when she was 8 years old. We lost her to the wet form of FIP. I still miss more that I can say.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry about Angel Z Cat; she sounds like she was a wonderful person! If we had lizards, I'm sure all of the cats would be chasing them! I love the idea of a 4-season porch. My relatives have a sleeping porch, that they use for at least 3 seasons, but Michigan gets pretty cold in January/February!
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