Hi Everyone,
I have 3 one-year-old cats that were feral when I got them at 12 weeks of age. Unfortunately, they weren't found during the most crucial time to socialize them, which is between 5-9 weeks - something I did not know at the time I took them in.
I've been a cat owner since I was a kid, but never raised feral cats and have found that it seems as though their personalities are quite different than cats that were never feral.
All the cats I've ever owned have been allowed to roam the house freely 24/7 as most cat owners do, but because these cats seem to be so much more active and “wild” (especially during their Zoomies), I've ended up turning my guest room into a “cat room” so that I can get some sleep at night (even took the doors off of the closet for their cat boxes).
I've tried to let them stay out all night, but they literally play and run around so loudly it keeps me awake the whole time.
I've read many stories of people who put their cats in a room at night to get some sleep too, however, the majority let them out as soon as they wake up in the morning and let them roam free all day while they're at work.
This is something I sadly don't feel comfortable with yet, due to their “wildness”, so I leave them in their room from about 11 PM until around 1 PM. Note: I do go in to check on them throughout the night and in the morning to clean their cat boxes, to give them food/water/love, etc.
The reason I'm looking for others' feedback is because I cannot help feeling incredibly guilty for “locking” them up for so many hours a day and am wondering if what I'm doing is cruel or wrong in any way.
My friends (one of whom is a vet tech) and family think this is totally fine to do, especially while they're still in their “kitten/teenage phase” because they have everything they need and they even like being in the room when the door is open. They also never cry or scratch at the door when it's closed, nor do they act stressed in any way while they're in there. I even installed a Nanny-Cam so that I can keep an eye on them when I'm not home.
But I just can't stop feeling so guilty as I'm used to having totally independent cats that I never had to “lock up”!
I've been told I need to stop putting “human emotion” into this and that it's more than okay to put them in their room even for as long as I do, that the cats don't care or have a sense of time, however, I'm hearing this from people who want to keep me from worrying, hence the reason I'm posting this here.
I'd appreciate everyone's thoughts, opinions, and advice on this as I know this isn't exactly "inhumane", but how long can I keep doing this? For another few months, years, indefinitely? And how long is too long for them to be in their room?
I have 3 one-year-old cats that were feral when I got them at 12 weeks of age. Unfortunately, they weren't found during the most crucial time to socialize them, which is between 5-9 weeks - something I did not know at the time I took them in.
I've been a cat owner since I was a kid, but never raised feral cats and have found that it seems as though their personalities are quite different than cats that were never feral.
All the cats I've ever owned have been allowed to roam the house freely 24/7 as most cat owners do, but because these cats seem to be so much more active and “wild” (especially during their Zoomies), I've ended up turning my guest room into a “cat room” so that I can get some sleep at night (even took the doors off of the closet for their cat boxes).
I've tried to let them stay out all night, but they literally play and run around so loudly it keeps me awake the whole time.
I've read many stories of people who put their cats in a room at night to get some sleep too, however, the majority let them out as soon as they wake up in the morning and let them roam free all day while they're at work.
This is something I sadly don't feel comfortable with yet, due to their “wildness”, so I leave them in their room from about 11 PM until around 1 PM. Note: I do go in to check on them throughout the night and in the morning to clean their cat boxes, to give them food/water/love, etc.
The reason I'm looking for others' feedback is because I cannot help feeling incredibly guilty for “locking” them up for so many hours a day and am wondering if what I'm doing is cruel or wrong in any way.
My friends (one of whom is a vet tech) and family think this is totally fine to do, especially while they're still in their “kitten/teenage phase” because they have everything they need and they even like being in the room when the door is open. They also never cry or scratch at the door when it's closed, nor do they act stressed in any way while they're in there. I even installed a Nanny-Cam so that I can keep an eye on them when I'm not home.
But I just can't stop feeling so guilty as I'm used to having totally independent cats that I never had to “lock up”!
I've been told I need to stop putting “human emotion” into this and that it's more than okay to put them in their room even for as long as I do, that the cats don't care or have a sense of time, however, I'm hearing this from people who want to keep me from worrying, hence the reason I'm posting this here.
I'd appreciate everyone's thoughts, opinions, and advice on this as I know this isn't exactly "inhumane", but how long can I keep doing this? For another few months, years, indefinitely? And how long is too long for them to be in their room?
