This weather

Does the heat affect how long your cat/s stay out? I' haven't seen Percy since first thing and I'm getting worried. He's usually asleep upstairs when I get in from work and comes down for food but he's out and hasn't had any wet food all day. Last night I got him in about 11.30 (his usual time) and after 5 minutes he was desperate to go out again (not like him). I've called him several times and walked around the block.

Why am I such a worry wart? Argh!

I'm the same about my two as well Laura,
They are hardly in at all now, preferring the warmer weather outside, they will come in for meals and go out again for hours.
I can't wait for the weather to change so I can have my babies back.

Hi Laura,

Much the same here, especially at night, I've all but given up on Bola coming in and staying, tho' Fudge has tended to stay overnight for ages now. Neither wander far from my garden during the day, but both just use the house as a feeding station and are off out again straight after eating.

Bola is now only eating about half the amount of wet food, thank God for pouches as tinned food goes off too quickly even when kept in the fridge. Both he and Fudge are nibblers atm, a pouch between them seems to be fine whereas he'd have eaten two pouches worth by himself a few weeks ago. Surprisingly, Fudge isn't eating much dry lately, a complete turnaround for her, and neither are drinking much, that I've seen anyway.

The only ones who spend any length of time indoors here are Jimmy, Max and Dexter, and they aren't even my cats

Ian

Hasn't affected Moto at all, he's usually tucked up nice and cosy on the sofa by 7pm. Sophie on the other hand is staying out later and later, the minute she comes in, the cat flap is closed as we know she would fill herself up and disappear for the night. Lighter, warmer nights and they bcome even more like cats, welll except Moto.

Aye the heat does seem to affect them in different ways! Mine are just flopping down and laying where they drop, which includes outside! LOL!

He'll be back Laura, he just having a ball! :-)

Just to prove me a liar, Bola has only just gone out after being in the house since 11.30 this morning, which just shows he can not only read, but he can use my computer and checks up on the things I post about him here

Ian

Princey is out ALL the time, only coming in for a snack, then disappearing again. He is out most of the night too, coming back in the early hours.
Dont worry Laura, Percy is acting perfectly normal (well, as normal as cats can ever be!)

Bola and Fudge have just come back in.................tho' I think it's more a case of them wanting to avoid the new pup next door (at Jimmy, Max and Dexters home) than actually wanting to be in. It can get into my garden thro a gap in the fence and what a bundle of energy/mischief it is They're taking it in turns to peep thro' the flap to see if it's safe to go out again

Ian

Yep both Lilly and Saffy are out ALL the time now it's so nice only now Saffy has come in she has been sitting in the garden all night.

This is the second night on the trot Percy has been out all night. I saw him for half an hour yesterday between 7-8pm and he's not been back since. He's turned in to a proper outdoors cat which is fine but I do worry about the busy road etc. I guess I've got to learn to to get used to it. He usually does his 'rounds' of the living room (come in, do a circuit and go out again) but he's stopped doing that. Hopefully the rain will drive him in today!

When the weather breaks, he'll be back for his creature comforts, as for the road, I symathise there, I can't even think about it, Sophie darts across it all day. Perish the thought.

It's starting to freak me out now to be honest. He's never been out this long and I've got all sorts of horrible thoughts going through my head. The sensible part of me knows cats disappear off for ages but when it's your own it's an awful situation to deal with. He hasn't eaten anything proper for about two days (he had a bit of fish last night) so I'm starting to wonder whether he's been adopted by someone else.

After being caught in a torrential downpour, I was met with six drownded cats when I got home

In the space of ten yards coming back from shopping I'd got soaked to the skin, not hard tbh as I didn't have a jacket on, but the cats were even wetter than me. There'd been a bit of co-operation tho', 5 (inc Fudge and Jimmy ) had sheltered together under my fir tree, and there ain't a lot of room. Dexter must have drawn the short straw and been made to shelter elsewhere as he appeared from nowhere, the wettest of them all.

I think Bola can sense something in the air (a good storm?) as he's been very restless and hasn't stopped chirruping since he came in.

Ian

Aww Laura ((((hugs)))) Could you get a medical tag that says not to feed him? Or attach a note to his collar, asking for someone to call you if he's at theirs? So you know if he is eating elsewhere? If there's another house with a catflap nearby he could be sneaking in and helping himself (cheeky monkey). It is horrible just not knowing where they are! We've actually started letting Boo out less as she was getting too brave and venturing in the neighbours gardens and has been in next doors house a couple of times (they didn't know, they just have their french doors open all the time, so miss nosey had a peek in! lol). I can't imagine what you'll be going through with him, as you'll want him to be happy and have his freedom, but then you're loosing your house cat (ok I know he never really was a house cat, but he was in your house and garden) and it is a loss for you, you're bound to miss having him around as often and be worried as hell over where he is! The person to make affordable little tracking devices for collars will make a fortune as I'm sure we'd all buy them! lol
I am sure tho, that come the colder weather, wind and rain, he'll be back at yours more often as if he'd never gone out!

Thanks, Helen

He came home about 12pm but still isn't interested in food. I'm a bit concerned as he threw up a day or so ago so I'm keeping him in for a bit to check whether he gets hungry or is actually off his food. I'm a bit worried if I keep him in all day and night that he'll he so pissed off he'll disappear for even longer next time! They may be simple but they're not daft!

I'm so glad he's home now Laura it's such a worry when they go for hours on end isn't it especially when we have been use to them being house cats only.
I would not worry too much about him being sick it's probably just the weather it can effect them and I know Percy has very thick fur so maybe he was to hot?

Laura wrote:It's starting to freak me out now to be honest. He's never been out this long and I've got all sorts of horrible thoughts going through my head. The sensible part of me knows cats disappear off for ages but when it's your own it's an awful situation to deal with. He hasn't eaten anything proper for about two days (he had a bit of fish last night) so I'm starting to wonder whether he's been adopted by someone else.

Hi Laura,

Them disappearing like this is the price we have to pay for having a happy cat. Percy might have been content being a house cat, but you must know he's far happier being outside. The odds are he is getting food elsewhere, just look about the amount of visitors I feed when they call/they sneak in to steal food, but that doesn't mean he's been adopted by someone, he may well have found a open 24/7 flap like mine with food on the other side of it.

As much as I don't like Bola going on the road, RTA's with cats don't happen that often, tho' each time they do it's someones cat. Letting them have unlimited access to outdoors is a balancing act, if we think it's worth all the risks involved, we have happier cats imo, but that's countered by all the worry when they disappear. I'd rather let cats do what comes naturally, even if that means them exploring the neighbourhood.

I'd love a Maine Coon, but I wouldn't be happy keeping it indoors, not when it would see the others strolling in and out at will, but keeping it in would be down to my being selfish and thinking about the cost of getting one rather than considering the cats happiness.

Ian

I think Bola and Fudge may be staying in today, but not thro' choice.

My neighbours have got (yet) another dog, a very, very excitable puppy who can get into my garden thro' a gap in the new fence (they haven't finished yet ) and he loves chasing cats. Fudge will just sit there and stare him out when he comes bounding up to her, but Bola just legs it and the pup is very nearly as fast so it's a close call. All the pup wants to do is play, but neither cat is willing to take that chance

Speaking of excitable, this pup loves rolling on his back for a belly rub, but gets so worked up he pees all over your hand if your not careful

Ian

Speaking of excitable, this pup loves rolling on his back for a belly rub, but gets so worked up he pees all over your hand if your not careful

Oh yuk!!!! bet he's funny to watch, one day though, Fudge will just swipe him with her paw and put paid to him. Sam used to do that with my mum and dad's dog when he was a pup. Sam would sit there looking oh so non chalant until he had had enough and then he would swipe him, it was so funny. Sam won every time.

Hi Kath,

Yeah, it's very to watch, he's stupidly boisterous.

He runs up to them at 999mph (he's not quite as quick as Bola) then stops and runs away just as fast, they just don't know what to make of him................I hope I'm around to see Fudge when she says, "enough is enough" and paw swipes him

Ian

................I hope I'm around to see Fudge when she says, "enough is enough" and paw swipes him

It's worth seeing the look on the dogs face as it's so unexpected.