Cat

[John2189 452]

My cat is a 3 year old male that has been fixed. Still has claws. When we had him fixed, we bought him inside since it was November. We also have a 12 year old fixed female. Well they never got along, the female would growl when ever he got too close. Then he would back off. Well lately he has become more aggressive and Saturday he really attacked the female. If we wouldn’t have broken it up, I think he would have killed her. I’ve never seen him this way before. So we decided to put him outside. It was late but not dark in the evening. We have 3 other cats outside and of course they hissed at each other. Anyway the next morning I was expecting to see him, but I have not seen him since. I feel really bad that I didn’t do this differently like putting him in the garage and slowly get him used to being outside again. Will his instincts for survival kick in? Since he was a small kitten when brought inside? Will ever come back? We keep calling for him hoping he will hear us.  
Sorry for the long post and thanks for listening 
John

[953 nut 55,195]

As you know cats are very possessive and territorial. He was not welcomed into the outside group (no big surprise) so may be attempting to gain favor with them. Perhaps he is just out shopping around for a new home. Over the years I have had several adult cats decide to move in with me and others have just stopped by to check things out. Pray that he is OK and finds his new home.

[WHX?? 48,815]

Put a bit of his food out and most likely he will hang around.  He will scrap with the other outside cats trying to figure out his place in the group. If he is a mouser that's a plus. 

 

[John2189 452]

I do hope he finds a home

 

i do put food out some of it gets eaten, but who knows who its it. And how would he find it? He has not been outside since he was a small kitten. He probably would not know what a mouse is. 

[WHX?? 48,815]

He will find your food.

I put a trail cam over my outside dish. More to know when I have a coon problem but does let me know how my cats are doing and of any ferals around threatening my mousers.

[John2189 452]

I think the outside cats would chase him away from where they are feed. And if I put more out after they eat, im sure the raccoons  will eat what is left.  
I put food and water in the leanto. Some of it getS eaten. I would think he would eat it all

[rmaynard 15,436]

Cats will do what they want, when they want. It seems that your cat is mad at you for putting him outside. He is going to sulk and try to make you feel bad. Job done. Taking a cat from a very comfortable environment and putting him out (especially if it is cold or hot) will cause the cat to seek accommodations elsewhere. Can you blame him? Several things that I would worry about, foxes and coyotes. They are roaming in areas that have never seen them before. When we had cats, we never let them cats outside unless they were raised to be inside/outside cats. After they were gone, our other cats never went out. 

 

Best that you can do is to leave the garage open and put a little of his favorite food out. Get a trail cam or Ring camera to monitor the bowl and see if he is coming around. If he does come back, and you can't get the two of them to get along, I would consider re-homing him to a single cat household.

 

Good luck.

[John2189 452]

I do put out food, but the other cats eat it. I guess im going to have to let it go. If he comes back ok if not hopefully he will survive. I will still call for him just in case he is close by. 

[tunahead72 2,412]

Are there any local Facebook or other social media groups that you could post to for help?  My neighbor is part of a group here that posts about lost or missing animals, she always lets us know if she hears anything, and posts whenever one of us finds a stray animal nearby.

 

You could also do things the old-fashioned way, posting flyers on utility poles.  And asking your neighbors to keep an eye out for your cat.

 

Either way might help, the more eyes looking for him the better.

 

Good luck!

 

[formariz 11,987]

John I understand your feelings of guilt and worry about him. In the stress of the moment you did what you thought best. You can post some notices to see if you can have news about him but at this point there is nothing you can do. He will do whatever comes to him. He is at a great disadvantage since he knows nothing about outside. If he comes back try to put him up for adoption. He will be fine by himself in another home. If he has never been outside before don’t be surprised if he is close. 

Edited August 9, 2022 by formariz

[John2189 452]

24 minutes ago, formariz said:

John I understand your feelings of guilt and worry about him. In the stress of the moment you did what you thought best. You can post some notices to see if you can have news about him but at this point there is nothing you can do. He will do whatever comes to him. He is at a great disadvantage since he knows nothing about outside. If he comes back try to put him up for adoption. He will be fine by himself in another home. If he has never been outside before don’t be surprised if he is close. 

The only thing he knows about the outside is what his mother taught him in his first 6 months before he was fixed and bought inside.  
 

[John2189 452]

3 hours ago, tunahead72 said:

Are there any local Facebook or other social media groups that you could post to for help?  My neighbor is part of a group here that posts about lost or missing animals, she always lets us know if she hears anything, and posts whenever one of us finds a stray animal nearby.

 

You could also do things the old-fashioned way, posting flyers on utility poles.  And asking your neighbors to keep an eye out for your cat.

 

Either way might help, the more eyes looking for him the better.

 

Good luck!

 

We are in the country with just a few neighbors. They will watch for him 

[rmaynard 15,436]

John, I did not mean to come off so brusk, but my daughter works for a vet and sees and hears about this issue all the time. Chances are your cat has found a place to hide nearby and will come out when he feels safe or gets too hungry. Like I said, if you have a trail cam or other recording device, I'd use it to see if he appears at night. I am a cat lover and hope everything turns out okay.

[John2189 452]

1 hour ago, rmaynard said:

John, I did not mean to come off so brusk, but my daughter works for a vet and sees and hears about this issue all the time. Chances are your cat has found a place to hide nearby and will come out when he feels safe or gets too hungry. Like I said, if you have a trail cam or other recording device, I'd use it to see if he appears at night. I am a cat lover and hope everything turns out okay.

No problem, you are being honest. 

[John2189 452]

Well the wife said she thought she saw  but wasn’t sure if it was him this morning going under the porch. By the time I got dressed to go look under the porch I didn’t see him.  Mabey tomorrow 

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,315]

7 hours ago, John2189 said:

Well the wife said she thought she saw  but wasn’t sure if it was him this morning going under the porch. Mabey tomorrow 

  Then start placing some food/water under the porch for him. Would hate to think he was hungry and getting dehydrated.

  Good luck! I have two of em in my house as well.

 

[John2189 452]

There is always food and water on the deck for the cats 

[John2189 452]

Tonight right before  it was getting dark, I saw him. He ran fast through the flowers then under the deck. I tried calling his name and shake the food dish to coax him out with no luck. I sat on the bench quietly but still no luck. I think the other cats hanging around keeps him scared. Plus he is still probably mad at me. At least I know he is ok.

[WHX?? 48,815]

Oh yeah he will be fine once he gets used to his new found freedom. 

[John2189 452]

I hope so. This will be his first Ohio winter out side.  

[WHX?? 48,815]

I have a couple of huts for them in the winter. One is as simple as a upside down tote lined with some insulation and a hole cut in for them to huddle up in. 

Hay bales make excellent cat huts.

This does require them to get along. Usually not a problem unless a big bully feral male moves in. He quickly gets dispatched.

Not particularly a cat lover here but I and my tractors hate mice worse. 

[John2189 452]

1 hour ago, WHX?? said:

I have a couple of huts for them in the winter. One is as simple as a upside down tote lined with some insulation and a hole cut in for them to huddle up in. 

Hay bales make excellent cat huts.

This does require them to get along. Usually not a problem unless a big bully feral male moves in. He quickly gets dispatched.

Not particularly a cat lover here but I and my tractors hate mice worse. 

Yes I have several places he can get in to

[formariz 11,987]

@John2189

I am glad you found him. I know what you are feeling like. I was sure he would be close to home and familiar scents. Try to get his trust again and get someone to adopt him. He is at a great disadvantage and in winter will be much worse. If you leave something like the garage or a side door open he will try to get back home. They are all like that if they are inside cats.

[John2189 452]

4 hours ago, formariz said:

@John2189

I am glad you found him. I know what you are feeling like. I was sure he would be close to home and familiar scents. Try to get his trust again and get someone to adopt him. He is at a great disadvantage and in winter will be much worse. If you leave something like the garage or a side door open he will try to get back home. They are all like that if they are inside cats.

Yes I am working on catching him. If he is showing himself, maybe he will be easier to catch. I really want to catch him before it gets too cold 

[John2189 452]

Ok i saw the cat again this morning sitting in front of the water bowl. He is getting braver to show himself. He looked good, looks like his hair is getting fuller 

Of course when I opened the door, he ran. I suppose he is still mad at me. 

Anyway I know he is ok and knows where the food and water is, so I am going to let him decide when to come to me. 

Thanks for listening 
John