Welcome to our forum and your baby is gorgeous!!! It is true .. once a cat tastes the outdoors, they seem to want it even more. I understand your pain. Three and a half years ago, I took in a six-year old bengal who had been a free roaming outdoor cat. After numberous fights and visits to the vet, the owner decided to let me have him. I decided he could no longer roam free, so we built a large enclosure on our deck that he can access 24/7 and I take him on two walks a day (today's have been short because it's 25 degrees outside with ice on the grass). They usually last at least 45 minutes each. I don't like taking that much time out of my day, but ... if he doesn't go outside, he yowls at the top of his lungs until he gets out. Once we return, he settles in and is fine for few hours until he thinks it is time to go outside again.
Bengals in particular should not be allowed to just roam free. I know many owners do it, but are you prepared to lose your investment? So many things can happen to an outdoor cat and I found it very easy to befriend Raiden before I even knew he had an owner, and my key fear was that someone would just see him in the driveway, stop, run and grab him and drive away. Forget the cars, forget the other cats that may fight with her, forget dogs that could attack her ..... she doesn't deserve to be in danger. And you might want to check your contract with your breeder that may state the cat is now allowed outdoors without supervision.
The easiest thing to do is to find an enclosure. They make portable ones that you place in the yard and you take it back in at night. Or you can create something a little more permanent. They can be small such as an wired extension of a window, or they can be huge. They don't have to cost a lot of money.
A recent post here talked about allowing her female outside. All I know is .. how are you going to feel when you can't find her? When you've walked your neighborhood calling and she does not appear. How easy is it for her to get inside a garage, crawl space? Hop up inside an open door of a car or truck? This happens every single day.
Ultimately, it is YOUR decision. You do not have to give in to her cries. If it isn't time for Raiden's afternoon walk, I tell him "It's not time." He may cry for a while, but he will go back to sleep. Your neighbors must be awfully close to hear a cat crying. A lanai sounds like the perfect spot for your baby to enjoy looking at the outdoors at least. Window perches can help, too. It is a myth that cats have 9 lives. It only takes one danger to end truly the only life they have.
|