Question on Indoor + Outdoor cats

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-07-2004
Question on Indoor + Outdoor cats
9
Thu, 10-07-2004 - 1:42pm
Kind of a strange situation here. My boyfriend and I have 2 different homes. I live in an apartment in the city during the week and drive up to his house in the country every weekend. I pretty much live in both places right now.

He has a whole passel of barn cats that live outdoors year round. They get fed twice a day and have plenty of shelter and most are human friendly. Right now he has a set of kittens that are the perfect age to find new homes and one of them adopted me. She follows me around when I am outside and she hangs out on the steps to the house when I am in it. I would like to bring her and her brother home with me to my apartment. The problem is that since I am gone every weekend I would be taking them with me back up to the farm.

What I am worried about is them living indoors during the week and outdoors on the weekends. They would not be allowed in the house at the farm.

I have not brought them to my apartment yet as I am trying to get everything set up properly before I do so. Does anyone have any advice on the best way for me to set this up so that my cats are happy to live in both places.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-01-2003
Thu, 10-07-2004 - 2:06pm
Boy I do not know,I think I would just want to keep them in,why can they not be in at the farm?

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-07-2004
Thu, 10-07-2004 - 2:18pm
At the farm there is a person with allergies who lives in the house so no cats are allowed in at all. I don't want to leave them at my apartment full time because I am at the farm at least half of the week, and I ocassionally travel and would need to leave them there while I am gone.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-01-2003
Thu, 10-07-2004 - 3:37pm
Boy I guess I just never left my cats outside before so...

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-06-2004
Thu, 10-07-2004 - 7:22pm
I would think the earlier (younger) they are when you start this, the better. I would want to be sure they are comfortable going back to the barn from the apartment and wouldn't run away thinking they are in a strange place. Your question is very unusual. Hopefully someone here has some good advice. Its great you want to take in the kittens. I hope the ferals in the barn are in the process of being fixed. Too many kitties would not be good, nor would inner breeding. donna
Avatar for cl_lcni
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 10-07-2004 - 10:07pm

Hi Faylin_d.


Photobucket

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-12-2010
Thu, 10-07-2004 - 10:32pm

Hi Faylin


I agree w/Leslie. I would leave them at the apartment. You said you're only there on weekends, right? I, & people I know, leave our cats alone w/food & water for a weekend when needed. As Leslie said, you could have somebody come in & give them fresh food if you prefer. I think they'd have a hard time understanding why they're indoors at one place, & not allowed indoors at the other.

 

 Katz

 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-07-2004
Fri, 10-08-2004 - 11:36am
The problem with leaving them at my apartment is that I am gone from friday morning when I leave for work and don't come home again until monday night afterwork. Also there isn't anyone nearby that could take care of them for me while I am gone. This also isn't an occasional weekend this is every single weekend pretty much without question. I figure that I only spend about 3 or 4 weekends a year in my apartment.
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-06-2004
Fri, 10-08-2004 - 11:56am
Your kittens would be ok Fri. through Mon. alone. Put out lots of dry food, and several bowls of water in case of spills and evaporation. It is stressful moving cats around.

donna
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-03-2004
Sat, 10-09-2004 - 1:04pm
I agree, you can get one of those self feeding food dishes and water dishes. They sell them at Walmart. They have always worked good for me. You fill them up Friday morning and they have enough food and water for the weekend. They have each other for company. they'll be fine.