? How do you deal with DC going outside?

[Kris & Rasmus]

Hi!

I live in the UK and over here it's pretty common to let cats go outside as they please. My issue with this is that Rasmus goes outside and gets a little cheeky snack from somewhere. I'm not sure what he eats, or where he gets it from, but it's driving me slightly insane. He wears a big red tag saying "I'M DIABETIC" and "DON'T FEED" so I'm reluctant to think that someone is feeding him on purpose. Perhaps he's getting his paws on some chicken feed, or other animal feed. I know for sure that a couple of houses down has a cat that they leave food out for. Perhaps he goes there?

I feel awkward going around my neighbours asking them to perhaps not leave food out, as they have every right to counter argue that I should not let my cat go outside if he has diabetes. However, Rasmus would go absolutely insane if he can't go outside. He'll be forced to stay inside for about 4 weeks when we eventually move (a couple of weeks from now) so that will definitely not be an issue for that period. But in general, how do you deal with DC going outside? I want to keep him as safe as possible, but I do not want to lessen his quality of life.

 

[Diana&Tom]

I doubt if anyone is feeding him on purpose - it's not the kind of thing most people would do unless they think it's a stray cat who needs food. Perhaps he's just peckish during the day - as many unregulated diabetic cats are - and his routine expeditions take him to places where there happens to be food left out. If you think he is getting food elsewhere, and this is raising bg, it might be due to the type of food. I can't imagine leaving bowls of wet food outside where flies etc will be attracted to it, so maybe the people in the house you have in mind leave dry food out.

If you're on good terms with the neighbours you could ask them if they've noticed your cat going to their house for food, and if so, ask what type of food it is. If it's Go Cat or one of the horrible cheap dry foods definitely to be avoided, that could well raise bg. How you then stop your cat going there for snacks, I don't know - you can't ask someone to stop leaving food out if they want to, intending it for their own cat.

I can't really think that there's much you can do. It's almost impossible to stop a cat going outside if they're used to it. You can try to limit the time he spends outside, and barricade him in at home for the rest of the time, but you'd probably have a rather unhappy cat. If you're moving in a couple of weeks and he has to stay in for a while, you could try to change his habits then, but a cat used to the great outdoors will always want to roam around.

 

[Kris & Rasmus]

Yes, my thoughts exactly. I'll just have to deal with the situation as it presents itself. Might be a moot point in a couple of weeks with the house move anyway.

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

He'll be forced to stay inside for about 4 weeks when we eventually move (a couple of weeks from now) so that will definitely not be an issue for that period. But in general, how do you deal with DC going outside? I want to keep him as safe as possible, but I do not want to lessen his quality of life.

Are you keeping him in at night? If not, then I heartily recommend it. For a start that means you reduce access to outside (and contraband food) by about half, straight away.
...Also, you drastically reduce the chance of him being killed on a road, or being stolen by some nasty individual to be used in dog-baiting, or being caught and killed by the notorious UK cat killer. (He's killed a cat just a couple of streets from where I live, and also killed cats in the town where Diana (who posted above) lives.... ....He really gets around...)
If you're not already keeping Rasmus in at night then maybe you could use your house move as an opportunity to start a new routine?

Once they are out and about though, there is very little we can do, unless you can make your garden secure so that your cat can't get out of it (only really feasible with a small garden).
Just wondering too, is he stealing food because he's hungry? Newly diagnosed cats are often very hungry because their blood glucose is high. And if that's the case maybe giving more food at home would help...?

Eliz

 

[Kris & Rasmus]

Good idea! I think I will start keeping him in at night. I thought we were getting somewhere with the insulin dose, diet and BG values today as they weren't looking too bad. But either he's just bounced or he had a snack when he went out after I tested him at +9.