Did this older cat come home for good?

Question

14 years ago my mother in law's cat had a litter of kittens. She kept 2 of the litter. One of them left at about 5 months old and returned 3 months later. MIL had her spayed and she left again. For the past 13 years this cat has left and returned a few months later always looking well. A month ago she returned again but looked very tired and run down. She's been inside this go around but MIL says she's acting antzy like she's ready to leave again. She wants to keep her inside because she's afraid she won't come back again. The vet found no obvious health problems other than bad teeth which she had cleaned. We don't think she has another family because MIL asked around the first few times she left and nobody had seen her for miles. Should she let her go since this has been her way of life for so long? She stayed longer this time than any other before wanting to leave.

Answer 1

I'd keep her inside from here on out.  She'll adjust in time.  My guess?  She's been living semi-feral and hanging out and eating the food of someone else's cat who keeps food outside or has barn cats and keeps a feeder out all the time.   That person may have moved away this last time or no longer has cats.

Answer 2

I think maybe you should let it go because cats live upto atleast 15 years and I think maybe its time for the cat to pass on.  It would be better if you dont see it rather then having it die in your own house.  

Answer 3

I would say if she has always come back then she is fine outside. it might shorten her lifespan a little bit but she will be happy. If I were MIL I would put food and water outside for her, have her micro chipped and give her free range. This is the beauty of cats. we live with them, not the other way around.

Answer 4

As I live in the UK outdoor cats are the norm here so that is no issue for me.

Though I can understand your MIL's issues here as I wouldn't like an older cat disappearing off for months especially if this time it has come home looking unwell.

If it were me I would take it to the vet (it sounds like this has already been done) get her chipped and booster jabbed, flead and wormed and make sure she is well fed and back up to good health and then let her out again.

I know a lot of people on here will think this is cruel, maybe including yourself, but personally with her having done this all her life I would find it hard and unfair to keep her locked inside. She may well have another family she does this with but her age is now affecting the way she lives her life.

So long as your MIL takes the best care of her when she does come home, unfortunately some cats are like this and can never get used to be confined into a home.

I hope everything works out!

Answer 5

If it was my cat, I would not want it to die on the streets alone. I too have a 14 y/o cat, that was once an indoor/outdoor cat but as his age is advancing I decided to keep him strictly indoors. As a parent to an older cat good medical care and safety should be your chief concerns, and from what I read you do seem to do that. I do also understand the need for some people to want the cat to be free and to live a life like a wild cat. However, we (humans) have domesticated cats and as such have a responsibility to them.They are not wild even if they do live on the streets. Keep the cat indoors. If you want the cat to have sometime outdoors consider a cat run. Good luck to you and MIL.

Answer 6

Well... this is a hard decision based on the cat's age and history... but I'm going to go with inside and safe. She's 14. There can't be that much out there left for her to explore. *shrug*

Answer 7

I'm not sure.  

If that was my cat she'd be inside.  I can't stand the thought of not knowing where mine are.  One of mine has been at the vet for a little over a day and it really upsets me that he isn't at home (he should be fine but needs them watching him to be safe).  I would be a complete wreck if I couldn't identify where my cats were.

But I never would have let her out to begin with.

Now that it's her life for so long she won't understand being kept in.  I do think she could learn but that would be tough on everyone.  I had a horrible time converting my oldest when he switched from being my roommate's cat to being my cat and he was only outside for a few years.

She's gone so long that it's standard for everyone.  I don't think it's the worst thing to let her roam but your MIL would obviously have to accept the fact that she might never come back and most likely no one would ever know what happened to her.  

Personally I would take on the challenge of trying to convert her to being an inside cat, but at this point in her life it might be virtually impossible for her to be even reasonably happy indoors.  If she was completely miserable after working with her for a long time then I guess I would give up.  But I would be very upset about it.

Answer 8

In my opinion I would keep her inside at home. :)