Advice please

[Velvet]

As most of you know Tim went into anaphylatic shock last year when he got his vaccs. Apparently the situation can get worse each year. Our vet this year is going to try splitting the booster in two so as not to flOod his system with too
much at once. We wanted to keep him indoors until we see if this works as we dont feel it would be fair to let him get used to going outside to have to take that away if he cant be innoculated. To all intents & purposes he has been very content with his lot

Amber is different, she ran as a stray when younger & has found it bit more difficult to settle down. We thought she had got into a routine but these past few weeks she has been frantic to get out, she was always indifferent to us but just put it down to her wee ways. Shes taken to yowling & tearing at the doors & windows, doesnt want to stay indoors at all. She wants out! Its making Tim discontented as well.

Apart from the house they have free range of the cooker room where each has a cushion by the window to look out. A door to the right takes you into a large utility room & the back stairs which takes you up to the sun room which is above the utility room - large spacious area & beyond that the houseplant room. They do love the freedOm to come & go but its becoming more & more apparent they want out

Things are so bad at night, i left them out in their own space last night - cooker room/back stairs etc & still Amber was yowling & scratching at the windows

So whats the best thing to do - should i try & stave them off until mid July when Tims booster is due or let them go? My instinct says to keep them in, however am I wrong?

[wilbar]

It's a difficult dilemma isn't it? The cats obviously desperately want to go out & you have no way to explain to them that they'd be safer staying indoors.

Is a compromise possible, like building an outside run for them in your garden? Chicken wire fastened to wooden batons can make a safe & escape proof run & if you've got the room, make it big enough to house a tree branch, pot plants, climbing frame & anything else that would provide environmental enrichment.

There are some brilliant ideas on this site http://www.catsofaustralia.com/cat-enclosures.htm.

[Kobster]

I agree with Wilbar, an enclosure would be ideal.

[angieh]

Yes, if possible, that could be the answer.

[Velvet]

But wouldnt he still be exposed to the danger of disease if he cant have his vaccs & being outside?

We had a turnabout last night. After dogs had been out i opened the back door into the cooker room to let them 'out', normally they go so fast you dont see them. They both hung back so i went out & Amber followed, as i turned to come in, she shot past me into the house - erm.....

Upstairs opened the bedroom window which opens out onto the plant room (yep its a higgedly piggedly house) & they both went out. Shut the window & within minutes both were back yowling & scratching to get in!

In shoots Amber and settles on the bed closely followed by Tim. Both stayed in all night glued like limpets to the bed with not a murmur from either. Even this morning when i opened the window to let them out, both were very reluctant to go out. Amber seems to have lost (temporarily probably ) the urge
to go "out"- long may it last.........,

[angieh]

That's cats for you! You worry about one thing and then they do a turn around and you worry about the other!!!

I'm afraid that I don't understand the means of transmission of the kind of feline viruses that the annual jab protects against. I guess if they are airborne, then an outside run may not be the best idea. But if they are contracted via contact with other infected cats, then having an enclosed area outside for just Tim and Amber would not expose Tim to the viruses.

I'm sure someone else will know about the means of transmission.

[wilbar]

I think most of the more serious illnesses that they are vaccinated against are spread by contact, & probably via blood or body fluid contact, with other cats. If there are airborne viruses then they could even get these from being near an open window! And if other illnesses/diseases are spread by carrying the infection/virus in other ways, then it is just as likely that we could be carrying things in the house with us, or our dogs could. So as long as they don't have contact with infected cats, I would think an outdoor run would be ideal. It's not like you would shut them out there at night or for hours at a time when you're not there to supervise.

There's been some publicity recently about children getting rickets from lack of exposure to sun ~ partly due to the amount of time they spend indoors on computers/watching TV etc & partly because of the advice given to smother children in high factor sun creams. I don't know if animals are affected by lack of exposure to sunlight but it might be worth while looking into this. It would be horrible to think cats & dogs suffer because of lack of sunlight.

[Velvet]

Melatonin - canine alopecia, hair loss in dogs sometimes treated using Melatonin. Melatonin occurs naturally in a dogs system in response to darkness & during sleep. It is also possible that melatonin can be used to stimulate growth of a dogs hair coat in cases of alopecia

Dont know if cats could be similarily affected.?