When we first adopted Tigger, he had been a stray. He was a young cat and we had him neutered before bringing him home from the shelter.

At our old house we had a doggie door and none of the cats expressed any interest in it, including him. Now at our new house, all of a sudden, he wants to go outside.

He has sneaked out the doggie door a handful of times and we always chase him back inside. He looks very guilty, so he knows it's not allowed.

However, tonight he peed on the doggie door and I'm thinking we're in for some unpleasant times if we don't let him out.

The problem is, he's my 12 year old son's cat. His first cat died just 2 weeks after we adopted him and he grieved for a couple of years. I don't want him to go through that again if Tigger never comes home.

I don't know what to do. My husband can't stand cat pee accidents, and he really wants us to let Tigger be an indoor/outdoor cat.

I need to get Tigger chipped and find a collar that, hopefully, he can't remove.

Any suggestions for handling this? I mostly want Tigger to be safe and that's nothing I can guarantee once he starts going outside.(Of course, something could happen to him indoors as well.) 

don't do it- bigger unfixed males will beat him up, he could be run over, get diseases, don't do it- 

I don't want to, DTD, but if he continues to pee, my husband is going to have a fit. 

Once you start letting him outside you can forget it. His life expectancy drops to almost nothing. Not only will he get beat up by other cats, there are threads here in KU of people intentionally shooting cats and dumping bodies. It seems mean to me but it is what it is and people are never going to be happy about another personas animal roaming their property. If you love the cat, make it work inside somehow. He will not live long outside, period. 

What about coyotes? 

Make sure you let your son say goodbye to him. 

"Fresh Meat" is exactly what the Ally Cats are gonna say when they see him.


Why not make your kitty his own "kitty house" with a doggie door? You could even get a cardboard box and cut out a swinging door. Just a thought? He may be more interested in going through the door and less interested in actually going outside. 

I hope you aren't one of my neighbors. I don't take lightly to roaming cats. It will be trapped and taken to the pound. I'll warn you first though if I know its yours. :) 

We have an outdoor cat...she is fixed and hangs out around our house. Occasionally she goes to visit her boyfriend across the street and he comes over to our house...its a hoot.

All of our neighbors know who she belongs too and they never complain. 90% of the time she is in our yard...

She was a feral cat and we have tamed her all that she will be tamed. We managed to cage her when we moved from Spring and let her out here so that we could feed her etc....this was 9 years ago. She is healthy and a little on the fat side. lol 

Yah, I have to agree with winning on this one. I can't stand all of the stray cats. Being woken up at night by screaming, fighting cats in your yard is infuriating...especially when you don't even have a cat. Keep your pets on your own property. 

Having outside animals is irresponsible. 

Cat owners who allow their pets to wander the streets are the worst kind of pet owners.

I want to water board them with antifreeze. 

Try to solve the peeing problem. This may mean a visit to the vet to make sure your cat doesn't have a medical condition.

There are things that you can do, like making sure you keep the litter box clean. Check the web for other ideas to stop the peeing problem so you can keep your cat indoors. 

I want to water board them with antifreeze.?


lol 

...get rid of the doggie door.

You didn't adopt a wild animal. Keep being a responsible pet owner and keep him inside. 

My sister had a cat like yours. He would not only cry to go out but he would sneak out past anyone that would open a door and escape. The vet told her that because he was neutered as a full grown cat that he will still want to go out and hunt and do whatever it is that Tom cats do. They were never able to cure him of it.

The problem is, I think, the more he gets to go outside, the more the will resist staying inside.

How many litter boxes do you have? I know with multiple cats you need more litter boxes and maybe he just needs his own. I would also do what others suggested and either get rid of the doggie door or block it.

Also he may be marking his territory because you have other cats. I thinks some cats do better in a group than others. He might be one of those that wants to be an "only child". 

Having outside animals is irresponsible.

Have you ever tried to keep a feral cat indoors? We fixed her... 

Please keep your cats indoors. I hate when I see a cat wondering the streets because you never know if its a stray or belongs to someone. At least if you see a dog you know it's lost.

A couple years ago I was driving on Woodland Hills and a cat literally ran into the side of my car. I guess something spooked it or was chasing it and it ran into the back door.

I was driving in the left lane. I turned around at Tree Lane to go back and unfortunately someone hit it in the right lane before it got to the other side of the street. My DD was so upset because it hit the door next to were she was sitting.

Even without claws cats can still jump as high as any fence and get out of your yard. You can not contain a cat unless you have a dome over your yard. 

Have you ever tried to keep a feral cat indoors? We fixed her...?


I wouldn't have a feral cat. I would have had it put to sleep. Wondering cats carry and spread diseases and some end up being killed violently. Better to have them humanely put to sleep. 

If it wants to go outside, then let it. You're practically holding it prisoner. It's like living in a large cell its whole life. Cats are meant to be outside. It will come indoors when it wants to. How would you feel if it was you? 

If it wants to go outside, then let it. You're practically holding it prisoner. It's like living in a large cell its whole life. Cats are meant to be outside. It will come indoors when it wants to. How would you feel if it was you?


And if it's killed it will be because they didn't make the best choice for their pet. Do you also practice that carefree attitude with your toddlers? 

cats were meant to be outside on large pieces of land, where they can roam on their own property- of course, they stand a change of being killed by bigger predators- in a subdivison, unless your animal stays on your property, it's irresponsible and unneighborly to allow your cat to roam- especially a male, who is way more likely to stray- don't do it- clean up the pee and spray it with a special cleaner that kills the odor- do you have cat trees, or something to keep him entertained? they like to climb and look out windows- if you clean up the pee, your dd doesn't even have to know- 

and have one litter box per cat- clean it everyday- 

also a thought- he may want to go back to the other house- give him time- you said he peed once- not such a big deal- 

It's not a person, it's a cat. You sound real smart comparing two completely different things. Just because you love it doesn't mean keeping it locked up is what's best for your pet. What's best is to love it and be there for it when it needs you. Not try and force an animal to a life that nobody wants lives. 

Its irresponsible.

Don't come on here crying when you find your kitty shot in the head. Maybe check a few of the threads here for more info about that. I will say I told I told you so in advance. 

Wow - this is a tough room. I guess I'm an irresponsible pet owner. I've always allowed my cat to go in and out. She is spayed and up to date on her shots, and she always stay close to home. 

Carpet >>>>>> Cat.

I don't see what the big deal is. It's not like we're talking about dog here ;) 

public, there's a lot of people on KU who would get really unhappy with you for leaving your animals outside- I'm not one of them, but I'm not the norm- she really needs to consider her neighbors- 

Some people make it their mission in life to constantly keep a cat trap in their yard. Once they trap your cat on their property the city will come pick them up and put them to sleep. Others shoot strays will bb and pellet guns or let their dogs have them. Really, it is not a good idea to let cats roam. On top of the obvious dangers of people, cars and other animals there is the issue of disease. If they fight, and they will, they can catch all kinds of illnesses from other cats, dogs and wild animals.

Raccoons, coyotes, snakes, dogs, hawks, bobcats, wild hogs, possum all kill cats and some eat them. I would not be surprised if river rats could do it, too. They get huge! We have them all here! 

and those things happen all the time- especially catching diseases from feral cats that attack them- my friend had that happen to her male cat on her property- he was really sick, and needs a lot of medical attention- 

If your cat is roaming the neighborhood, then it's not YOUR cat... If it's in MY yard, then it's MINE... and I'll give it to the county. (They have a pretty quick response time.)

If you want to have a cat that roams, then you shouldn't be living in Kingwood (or anywhere within Houston city limits) ... both city ordinance and KW deed restrictions require your pets to be on a leash ANY time they are off your property. If you can't do that, then you shouldn't have a pet here. 

Just because you love it doesn't mean keeping it locked up is what's best for your pet. What's best is to love it and be there for it when it needs you. Not try and force an animal to a life that nobody wants lives


That would be fine if you lived on a large piece of land. Otherwise, it is rude, irresponsible, and very upsetting to others who don't have cats...and to some of us who hate cats! How would you like me to deposit my dogs on your front porch every night??? Its the same thing. It is not about what is best for the cat...it is about the law and all the other people who live around you who don't want your animals on their property. 

We always let our cats out when we had them. They stayed in the house most of the time, but when they wanted out, we let them go. All the neighbors knew who it belonged to. We are in a new neighborhood now and I see two cats in my backyard three or four times a week, usually walking along the top of the fence. I think keeping them in is cruel. 

Why not get an out door covered dog run and set it up for your cats? Then if they want to go out you can walk them over on leash and put them in to play for several hours. They would be safe from injury, disease and would also not be infringing on your neighbors. 

Just let your pu##y run wild and free. 

I would never let him out now.

I have an indoor cat and another one who I adopted that was dumped after being someone's outdoor only cat. He came in and out at will. He's neutered and had his shots but he still got into fights. Last month he became very ill. After several days in the hospital and $665.00 later, he's ok now. But I have not let him out since this happened. It's been hell for him but he's getting use to it. It's very hard to convert an outdoor cat to indoor only life. But I'm doing it now.

I very strongly suspect the cat is having issues from the major life event of moving. It's hard on animals. Him only peeing once isn't an issue yet. It could be purely stress from having a new home and moving.

There are lots of things that can happen when they go out and none of them are good. Cats are very territorial. They fight over intruders and mating issues even when neutered.

If you really want him to go out, get a long leash and give supervised outdoor time. I do that with my other cat. It works very well and you can be in control that way. I let her come out with me while she's on a long leash while I garden and she stays under my watchful eye. Works great.