Sassy cats — Crisis averted!

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We nearly had a cat-astrophe this week. Sasha went into the screened porch which is not unusual. The temperatures are cool so the door back to the house was closed. I would have to let her back in. It was the middle of the day so I thought I’d give her a half hour before I checked on her.

I heard her holler to come back in way before I expected it. When I went to let her in, I realized the door to the BIG OUTDOORS had snagged and it was fully open. She could have gone outside easily. But she didn’t. It was scary for me. I’ll never be sure if she stuck her nose out or not but she doesn’t seem to be interested in “outdoors.”

I’m not judgmental to folks who allow their cats to go outside. I’ve done that with other cats. The heartache of not finding them at night or even over night worries me too much. My experience is that if a cat doesn’t go out at all, I don’t have trouble with them trying to sneak out. Current group has no interest at all (but I don’t want to tempt them either) and that makes me happy.

Sasha is responsive enough that I think (hope) she would have come in if I called her but you never know. You know…squirrels, chipmunks…so much stimulus. In any case, all is well and that dang door is shut!

63 thoughts on “Sassy cats — Crisis averted!”

  3. You’re so right about crisis averted. I think you’ve been wise in not introducing the great outdoors! I think especially since you live so close to a nature preserve you’d be risking wild animal contact. I do understand the fear, and I’m very glad you didn’t encounter heartache!

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    • After Jake (my last indoor-outdoor cat) I decided no more. After he passed I didn’t have to worry about critter fights, finding dead rodents in the house (he gave us gifts) and the whole flea and tick thing. I haven’t used a flea treatment since and that makes us all happy!

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    • You are lucky she didn’t want to go out again. I keep my house full of cat stimulating things so they don’t get bored and they have each other to torment. So far no one wants to go back on the streets and they were all adult rescues.

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  5. Whew! So glad Sasha stayed in! That would be heart-stopping for sure! Ours are indoor cats too. We will occasionally let ours out on the balcony if we are out there to keep an eye on them. But they don’t seem too interested in the outside world, anyway 🙂

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  7. Oh, I agree. Those wilderness cats are just insane. I prefer the quiet, indoor life. Camping is NOT for me. Why we have stray dogs, chicken hawks and some pretty mean city cats walking around our neighborhood. And did I mention the DOGS?! And the flea epidemic…and I’ve seen a tick on a dog before and it was HUGE!!!! No, I prefer the indoors. Indoor cats rule!!!!

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  8. All my cats have always been indoors only. Twice, 2 of the 3 got into the garage, but because they were not allowed outside, they didn’t act like they missed it. We only take them out if they’re on our laps and if Tyler hears a bird, he gets scared and wants back in. When we had our first cat who looked like more like a mini Mainecoon cat with the classic M on her forehead. I came home after work and saw a cat who looked way to similar on the fence. I stopped my car and slowly approached. The look-a-like ran off. I’ve let our neighbors know we’ve seen coyotes but they don’t seem to care, but I guess if having roads on 3 sides can’t make them keep their cats inside, a pair of coyotes won’t either. They already lost one this year and found her by the vultures. Other than barn / working cats I do feel all cats should be indoors only. IMO. Glad Sasha was okay!

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    • There may be areas where it’s safer and some people have said that the cats stay in their fenced yards but in my house they only get the screened in porch. They are happy with that. When Hazel was very young she was laying on a second floor windowsill and fell out. A lilac bush broker her fall. She calmly walked to the back door to be let back in (while I’m all hysterical). Then she went back up to lay on a windowsill. She had zero interest in outdoors and she was feral until age 6 months or so. She wasn’t a kitten anymore and never did get friendly with people.

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  10. I am like you about keeping my babies inside. In fact, at “my” shelter we require adopters to keep cats inside. Catios and screened porches excepted of course. Too many dangers in this city! So glad she didn’t get up. It sounds like the open door might have scared her.

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    • We have a lot of squirrels, chipmunks and loud squawking jays. She’d love to play with the chippies but the rest annoy her. Locally you can adopt cats for barns although they may screen to make sure you adopt more independent cats. Some rescues only let inside only adoptions and others “recommend” it.

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      • Barn cats. Somebody wanted to adopt our laundry room cats to be barn cats, but the shelter wouldn’t let them. Those cats were born in a laundry room and have never been outside. Because they didn’t have nurturing and human touch growing up doesn’t mean they could fare well in a barn and outdoors! You reminded me of that. Now they are living a great life with the “catification couple.” They are on Facebook and Instagram.

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  11. That would be a scare to see that big open door – Sasha has a good thing going on and is not going to jeopardize it. Cat friend Carol lost one of her cats in the furnace room one time – one of the cats go in there and the door got shut somehow. She/husband lived in China for several years after he was transferred with GM and when they returned to the States, they brought all non-furniture items back in Rubbermaid totes that still have not all been unpacked. So the cat was curious and climbed up and got in between the totes and the wall … Carol was beside herself looking for it. 🙂

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      • Good idea. We used to let our parakeet out of his cage occasionally and he’d sit on our shoulder. He was finger trained and we’d extend a finger in the cage, he’d hop on and we’d pull him out. He was a lot of fun and he liked being out – never flew anywhere, but one night he was out on my mom’s shoulder for a few minutes, a loud noise happened outside and he got scared and flew off her shoulder. We were looking everywhere for him, each of us hysterical as he was a very loved pet and we could not see him anywhere. We moved the fridge and stove, afraid that somehow he walked or flew behind it. Tears running down our faces – no Joey. Then we heard a chirp (a half hour later if not longer) and I went into the living room and he was sitting on the ladder back chair looking at me. He never flew anywhere – it was so out of character for him. We put him back into his cage and we never took him out for the longest time. At the vet’s office they put the birds in a room where there is nothing they can fall behind or hurt themselves if they wriggle out of the vet’s grip while they are being examined or having their toenails cut.

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        • It is scary to lose a pet, whether in the house or not. Especially a bird. I had a canary and it got out once while I was cleaning the cage. (We never let it out as we had cats.) It flew until it was tired. Then we picked it up and put it back in the cage.

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          • We always had parakeets and got our first canary in 2006 – we took care of my neighbor’s brand-new canary … she just got it after they were old enough to be sold and had it a few days and her mom took ill in Arizona, so she was with her for three weeks. I was to go over and feed/clean it every night. It was late October and it was too cold for that bird to be alone with the heat turned down and no interaction either, so we brought him here to take care of him. It was good to have a “little one” in the house again and we spoiled him silly When she returned, he went home with Marge and he moped all the time and did not sing. He sat staring into space. We lost our parakeet Joey in 1983 to a pancreatic tumor and vowed no more pets … it was so painful losing him. .Marge brought him over and said “please keep him – he’ll never get used to me again.” One escape while cleaning as well – unintended as I was careful since canaries are so skittish … I didn’t know what to do and he zoomed into the bathroom … I held my breath and he landed on a towel and got his nails caught on it (thankfully) … he escaped through the hole for the water cup … he squeezed past my arm – that small space, just unbelievable!

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  14. That is the fear of any cat lover – having their cat outside after dark and not responding to “kitty, kitty!” Some cats just don’t want to go outside and some don’t want to stay inside. I am glad yours did not get tempted to explore the wild outside! Have a good weekend.

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  19. Maybe Primadonnas, but they know when they have a good thing, so no need to go looking for better. Whew! Heart attack incident, indeed
    RC was rescued as a palm sized kitten in a tree before a fierce storm…sometimes she sniff about how we kept her from following her dreams (but in cold and rainy weather, she admits she is just pushing guilt trips out that.) We do have a mess “glove-style” harness and leash for her – which she hates and plays dead cat, but on early nice spring days we used to carefully take her into the backyard….She’s fearless and will try to dive out the door or leap through the attached garage door…mainly for willfulness and “you can’t tell me what to do” …and she enjoys the antics as we try to grab her from under the car and dusty garage spots.
    We’ve had outdoor cats in safe as possible neighborhoods, but I’ve alway insisted they move indoors as they age and slow down. Just too hard when they are “on vacation” and missing for a while. Sunny windows and strong screens work just fine…some actually admitted that…but you know cats…has to be their idea.

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    • My indoor/outdoor cats would always bolt out when I didn’t want them. One cat learned how to push out a screen from it’s frame. She was determined. Now I’ve been know to dart outside to get something with the door open and no one shows interest. Suits me just fine. I made Jake stay inside when he aged. On a sunny afternoon he would lay on the sun soaked patio pavers until the sun moved, then he’s go inside for a snooze on something soft. I’m getting just like him except no one wants to see an old woman sleeping on sunny pavers.

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  21. Our cats went outside on a leash and never seemed interested in escaping. The only time we let them out sans leash . . . when we had 3 foot snow drifts. They quickly “escaped” the snow and cold to head back inside.

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    • We have coyotes too just not a lot. We back up to a nature preserve so there are lots of critters around at night. We see the foxes at dusk and dawn when they are hunting for food occasionally. They come through and eat our squirrels.

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  24. So glad that Sasha “knew” she shouldn’t have an adventure – obviously she’s adjusted totally to being an “outside observationist” (!) from safety and isn’t interested in anything more adventurous. Teddy goes out as you know – but only with one of us or both of us (usually) – and he’s on a harness and leash which he doesn’t mind at all. He loves being outside so much we’re sure that was his life before we adopted him from the shelter – I just do NOT believe in letting cats out on their own…… besides – We have foxes – lots of them.

    Hugs, Pam

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    • We have foxes and coyotes. My old cat Jake went outside and I had to rescue him from both a few times. There is nothing more terrifying than knowing your cat is outside and hearing the howl of a fox at 3 a.m. Talk about adrenaline! I’ve never done the leash training. We have a screened porch and they get a lot of stimulation from that.

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    • Maybe that’s it. She comes when called (amazing for a cat) but if she gets frightened she’d be looking for a bed to hide under and outside there aren’t any! We’ve had house guests over the past month, all cat lovers and they only got glimpses of her. She wouldn’t come out unless they left the building or went to bed. Yet she has no problem trying to sleep on my face at 3 a.m.

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        • I’ve given up hope that she will change but that’s ok. Hazel was like that too and she lived a good live (except for when we had house guests). She is much friendlier with us than Hazel ever was and she’s such an easy going cat. She wants to sleep with a pile of cats and sadly my cats don’t want to. They bat her away when she lays her head on my legs or tail.

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