Gopher Gulch: Running a cathouse

We’ve all known for years that ideally, domestic cats should stay indoors, both for their safety and that of songbirds and other small prey.

Like most of us, my actions usually take some time to catch up to my awareness. It’s not that we don’t know better, but we already have cats that are accustomed to spending at least daylight hours outdoors. Confining them is traumatic for all concerned.

Shadow spent his first few years living in the woods, until I trapped him and took him to Dr. Mark for the fateful surgery. His outrage was such that the clinic reeked a block away and staff were weepy and miserable. When hurt and frightened, a cat can put a skunk to shame.

I was grateful he didn’t do it in the car, and I returned him safely to his woods. It took over a year of coaxing before he let me touch him. Since old Phydeaux wouldn’t let him in the house and he wouldn’t challenge her, I fed him on the back porch, where we had heavy petting sessions.

When Phydeaux died, Shadow began coming in to eat, explore the house, and generally make it his own. The pet door remained open, and he came and went as he pleased. Gradually, he began to spend nights indoors.

But the door opened every morning and he adjusted to the new routine. Life went on peacefully except that the feline equivalent of schoolyard bullies hurt him badly and regularly. He was always in recovery because he has no dog for protection.

Shadow is about 10 now, and he doesn’t hear well, probably due to ear mites and infections in his youth. It makes him more vulnerable to attack. Three weeks ago, on his own back porch, he was attacked by the same ill-begotten feline fascist that had inflicted the wounds that were still healing.

Enough is enough! The pet door is permanently closed. He has taken the change surprisingly well, partly because he was too injured to fight it. I’ve made a special place for him at a front window where he can watch the world go by and indulge in the sport of birdwatching. There’s a soft bed and his own catnip plant in a pot.

He’s learning to play, becoming more affectionate and less spooky. He’s discovered the joy of empty paper bags and there will be no more infected wounds.     

Cathouses are much healthier for everyone than free cats.