We’re contemplating a move to the big city from a small, rural town. I wonder how the kitties would take to having their freedom taken away.
They really do enjoy their outside time. The don’t go far, and just for a few hours in the evening. But it does seem really important to them. How do you keep them down on the farm after they’ve seen paree?
Maybe the shock of moving will be enough to keep them in. I can see how it would be different in the big city- many more hazards.
We have one cat who remains super cheap despite being the oldest of our critters - she’s 13, goes in and out at will (through the Great Dane’s dog door rather than the cat door). She was a rescue and has always been half wild, and she will not consider eating any cat food except Purina Cat Chow, which costs less than $10 a month, usually a lot less since she is only 6 pounds and supplements extensively with bugs, lizards, and small mice. She gets over the counter flea treatment and shots annually, and has never needed any other veterinary care. Given her personality, I have resigned myself to the idea I’ll likely never know when something more serious goes amiss with her health because she’ll go to ground somewhere in the woods to either heal or die. But if you pen her up in a house, she acts like that old video of the last Tasmanian tiger in a cage - purest misery. So she gets the life she wants for as long as it works.
Then there’s the other cat, a year younger than her. He’s diabetic and insulin dependent. He gets low-carb wet food only (but Walmart’s store brand pate foods are very low carb, so that’s what he gets at about $23 a month), plus insulin injections twice a day. The insulin runs about $80 a month, depending on dosage, testing supplies for his blood glucose about $15 a month. He also gets amytriptaline to control a recurrent bladder lining irritation that cause much distress all around when it occurs (usually after the other cat brings him a mouse). The vet says it’s common in diabetics. The amytriptaline is super cheap, though - a $15 bottle lasts two months because he’s on tiny dosages. He goes out as well but almost never ventures past our courtyard and porch. He gets more vet visits (and tolerates them better). He’s going back this week, in fact, because he’s losing some weight and has some skin problem which doesn’t seem to be fleas but may be a flea allergy.
So $128 monthly for regular supplies for both, and then vet bills. I don’t know what that runs, especially for cats only since we have a geriatric Great Dane on hospice care. Probably $3-400 a year for cat veterinary? No litter costs here - everybody potties outside, except when the bladder problem flares up, and then I mop up dozens of quarter-sized puddles all over the house for a day or so (I love concrete floors, by the way).
Yes, in the UK if you don’t have outdoor access you can only adopt cats with FIV. I am glad my cat is not that adventurous as I would be very worried if she showed an interest in crossing the road!
So, like, if you rent and therefore don’t have a yard, you just can’t have a cat! That seems so odd to me! Interesting!
If you rent you also normally can’t have a cat, because landlords almost never allow pets. No pet clause is standard in all leases.
Wow, here you might have fewer choices, but you can find a pet-friendly place. There will probably be an extra deposit for damages though. Americans love their pets.
My daughter is looking for her own place. She wants to take one of the cats with her. She was excited to find a place that she could afford that accepted cats. But … they have to be declawed. We are going to try to negotiate for a bigger deposit or fee. Because the cat is 8 years old, I think that would be cruel at this point. If they don’t take her, there will be somewhere else.
Oh, that is a hot button with me - please do not declaw the cat, especially at that age! I hate it when landlords make that stipulation. It’s not fair to the animal. Our last cat came to us declawed and she seemed to have lots of problems and pain in her feet - and one of her paws was sort of misshapen in the toe area so I feel like something must’ve gone wrong.
I hope that your daughter finds a cat-friendly place - here, it can be done, though you’ll likely pay more or have to pay a deposit. I’ve never had to pay “pet rent” though which apparently is sometimes a thing.
Yea, we have to pay pet rent and a pet deposit, but definitely do not require declaw, which is so cruel!