Mummy is our oldest cat. We don’t actually know how old she is, but she has been with us for 16 years, and when she marched into the house, took possession of Sasha’s soft crate and had 3 kittens, she was already an adult cat.
As the weather is now mostly fine and warm, she desperately wants to spend all her time outside. Generally, she would find a spot under a bush or tree, make a nest in the grass and spend the whole day lying there. However, she usually spent only about three days in any one spot. She has always done this, even inside the house where she would sleep for a few days in a basket, then change to the laundry basket, the fruit basket (the fruit had to be removed), a bed, a window sill and so forth. Her ability to find unusual places to sleep is legendary. So, I think capricious is an apt term for her behaviour although I do not like labelling.
We were quite happy with her finding new spots outside even though it did mean some detective work to discover where she was because she is also a master of camouflage. We left her in her chosen spot during the day. She would come in at regular intervals to eat and also to use the litter tray. She has 5,000m2 but it had to be the litter tray!
Things changed when one day I was unable to find her. She had never left the confines of the property which is walled in on all sides but, after searching high and low, we had to conclude that she had decided to explore outside. Eventually we found her curled up between hay bales in the field behind us.
The following day we followed her at a discreet distance because, if she is aware of being watched, she simply sits down and grooms. Then the moment she sees that nobody is watching, she takes off at high speed to her chosen location.
After a couple of days we looked for her in that spot but she was nowhere to be seen. At long last we found her close to some big trees where a pair of buzzards have their nest. This was not good news. Inside the property she always chose hidden spots where she would be safe from any predators who, in any case, would not be around during the day. In the open field next to a buzzard’s nest was a different story because she was very visible and vulnerable and, as she is now quite thin, she would be easy prey.
Furthermore, the farmers have surrounded the field with electric fencing to keep the wild boar out of the crops. The wires are strung low, and the strength of the charge is much greater than that of the fencing used for domestic animals because the boar are so powerful.
This changed the whole outlook. What to do?
We could not condemn her to staying indoors because she was adamant that she wanted to be outside and would scream with frustration if she could not get out. A moveable outside pen seemed to be the answer. There are many models available for puppies, but these were no use for a cat as they are too low and a cat, even an elderly cat like Mummy, would jump over in an instant. A trip to a local building materials depot was fruitless because the cost of any kind of fencing which was sufficiently high was prohibitive.
Then I remembered that in the loft we had an ancient metal dog crate which had been relegated as newer and more dog-friendly models came onto the market. Could this work? We brought it down and cleaned it. I put in a cooling pad and a basket, an absorbent pad and some water, and we set it up under the cherry tree which could provide shade all day long.
So far Mummy seems to be quite happy in there. In fact, it is not so different from her natural chosen behaviour when she just lies quietly outdoors. Of course, it would be nice if she could just choose her own spots but, when dementia is present, I think we have to intervene and limit the options when there is a danger that she cannot foresee. Let’s hope she continues to be happy with the solution we have found.
