Maybe coyotes would jump the wall. They are certainly in the area.

It gets really cold at night. Doesn’t seem fair to me, to make her sleep out there.... And yes, coyotes are all around, everywhere. Have taken at least 7 dogs on my street in the past 3 years. People just don’t believe that a coyote can leap right over a 6’ fence, or that they’ll grab a pet from right near you, but they do.

That said, you can google catio enclosures. I would permit her access, but not force her out there. I’m sure you can find a way to offer her, maybe, your master bedroom/bathroom with catio access? Or build some kind of simple, safe place in the house, like a ramp to a high shelf, where she’s safe from the dog?

Yes, cruel and dangerous.

I kind of suspect that you know already that that isn’t a good option. If the cat is happy with a minimal spot as her/his happy safe spot, isn’t there a way that you can train the dog to consider one of the rooms inside as “off limits”? Or even maybe gate him/her out of that space.

We put this up in the door openings (no door) to keep the new dog away from my old cat. They have been up for a year.

https://www.target.com/p/munchkin-174-easy-close-tall-wide-metal-baby-gate/-/A-50727485?preselect=13202377#lnk=sametab

This is up across the large opening in a long straight run. It is not connected to make the pen. I already had it.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H904WS/ref=twister_B00P1NKX9Y?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I would not put the cat outside. The coyotes WILL jump the walls around the courtyard.

We basically split the house in half. I put a shelf up in one room so the cat could see out, since the windows were high.

It could work *IF* you made enclosure walls higher to keep cat inside AND other cats and animals from getting in. An agile cat can take a flying leap and easily scale a five ft wall and 13 yr old cat is not an old cat. A 7 ft tall black plastic mesh deer fence set up around the entire perimeter on the inside of the 5 ft fence would work well for this purpose and is surprisingly unobtrusive (not nearly as bad looking as I feared it might be).

And *IF* the door to the driveway was kept locked from the inside on a mostly permanent basis, to prevent people from going in and out from there and inadvertently letting the cat out. When you first move she should be kept securely in a room somewhere at least a week or more until you gauge that she has become relaxed. During/after a move is a high risk of cat disappearing or getting lost -esp skittish ones.

And *IF* she was not banished out there 24/7. I mean think about.... would you put the dog out there under those same circumstances? If not, why not? There needs to be at least one room in the house where she can be safe. If you have to put up screen doors and/or baby gates to keep dog and cat separate, that's what you've gotta do. Is there a basement window that opens into this courtyard?

I say all this as someone in similar circumstances - I have 2 male cats that do not get along (have been known to fight to the point of bloodshed) and are kept separate on a permanent basis. I have two old fashioned wood screen doors in my house (stained to match woodwork and fit in quite nicely with my vintage décor LOL) plus an outdoor enclosure and the cats are switched off throughout the day on a regular basis. Cats love routine so if you were to get something established where dog and cat switch places outside, that could work too.

My two are hilarious. When one is ready to switch he will sit by the door until the other one comes, and then I open the door and they just calmly switch places. Just make sure your set up is safe, secure, warm and reassuring for the cat, and your routine predictable, and youll be ok.

Well, kashkakat, you are a obviously a very caring pet owner, and I do admire your problem-solving capabilities, for the indoor situation. If you lived in and around San Diego, you would not be recommending a 7' "black plastic mesh deer fence" as a way to keep out predators.

That would be something a coyote could easily, and I mean easily, scale.

Our back fence (like ALL of the neighbors--all the same) is a 6' high wrought-iron fence with vertical elements. The only horizontal element is the top. The coyotes leap and get their front feet over the top, and splay out their hind feet until they hit a vertical pole, providing them enough grip to launch themselves up and over. It looks like a smooth, quick movement, and not a struggle for them.

They are not like dogs in this regard, and have also been seen using convenient trees to get over really high fences.

People here near San Diego who wish to keep small dogs/cats safe, sometimes install covered dog runs. But a quick google of "catio" will show more attractive, and probably less expensive options. It needs to have a roof.

Everything Mrs. S said.

Thanks for all the excellent advice. Yes, I guess I already do know that putting the cat in the courtyard is not a humane option. You can probably tell that I am not a cat enthusiast (DH adopted her with our now-grown daughter, who can't keep her in her living situation). I am fond of this neurotic kitty, but hate the stink and mess that goes along with her. The idea of getting her litter box and the cat hair and vomited hair balls into the courtyard was appealing. But I guess back into the laundry room she goes. Not really happy about that, as it is right off the kitchen and also a mud room (though not much mud in SoCal), so cat hair and litter dust will get over everything. I may transition to the wood pellet litter, as I think it's dustless. Currently we use clumping and a Litter Robot. Putting her in a bedroom is not an option... no place to put her litter box nearby, and the dog rotates among the kids' rooms, sleeping on their beds. At one point she lived in my daughter's room, with food and litter box in there as well, and that arrangement was disgusting, I will not repeat.

Btw, our move last summer was from Maryland. We had plenty of foxes there but not many coyotes. I am still learning about the hazards of SoCal flora and fauna.

Ack... DH and our daughter adopted the cat. Daughter and cat were not adopted at same time! The cat is actually 14, not 13.

I use this:

https://www.amazon.com/New-Cat-Condos-Premier-Enclosure/dp/B0073URV20/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1524761623&sr=8-3&keywords=New+Cat+Condos+Premier+Litter+Box+Enclosure

With this inside:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pet-Champion-X-Large-Cat-Litter-Box/45743501

With this litter:

https://www.petsmart.com/cat/litter-and-waste-disposal/litter/worlds-best-cat-litter---clumping-multiple-cat-13495.html?cgid=200152

I put a washable bath rug in front to catch what little litter is tracked out. I have it in my bedroom and there is very little smell. I only have one cat, but I like the multiple cat formula better. I have the food and water bowls on top.

I have tried about every litter out there and World's Best really is the best. I scoop only once a day and it is flushable (even though my husband doesn't want me to flush). The one bag lasts me for a month.

Maybe your daughter will move soon where she can have the cat.

As you can probably tell, I am a cat person. Husband is the dog person.

ETA: If you try the World's Best litter, whatever you do, don't get the lavender scent in the purple bag. It is awful!

Try this for the hair balls. I did wonders for Charley.

https://www.petsmart.com/cat/food-and-treats/dry-food/blueandtrade-indoor-hairball-control-chicken-and-brown-rice-adult-cat-food-22146.html?cgid=200172

OK, there's the underlying problem - you dont want to live with a cat .

However there are certain things that come with the territory of caring for a cat, just like with a dog and if those are met then perhaps your experience of the cat will improve.

I would ask DD to work on finding a situation where she can have a cat, per her earlier commitment (lots of modern and vintage apts these days allow cats/smalll dogs). And where is DH in this - can he step up and manage daily, no twice daily litter box scooping + 1 x/wk cleaning/deodorizing?

Nnot sure how these automated things work but ideally you want to scoop and remove the clumps and poop from the box and from the room immediately (not let it sit for days fermenting) and maybe have a little vac nearby to get the loose dust and grit. Be very careful about changing the litter - not sure what wood pellet you have in mind but some will not clump as well and therefore a lot more difficult to keep odor free. IF the litter is substantially different, you would have to transition gradually and there is the risk of cat set in its ways not accepting the new type.

I would instead look for a clumping clay litter that bills itself as dust free and that forms harder clumps - I know some are much better than others (arm and hammer is pretty good in that regard).

AND - get a FURminator - they cost a little more than a brush, but last forever and are much more effective than an ordinary brush in getting loose hair out before it falls out or the cat licks it off. Which BTW is why she's puking up hairballs - shes ingesting all this loose fur when grooming.

Finally, I wouldnt count on easily finding a home for an older kitty, but conceivably if you know any elderly people or relatives interested in providing a quiet home for a senior kitty, that could work out well for all concerned, esp if you were willing to help get them set up . No need to rush into anything but doesnt hurt to put out feelers.

Thank you for these product suggestions! I may retire the Litter Robot, or maybe save it for when the cat is left on her own for a few days. It's nice not to scoop, but the clumps all drop to the drawer below, where they stink. And the rotating/sifting probably adds to dust. I will definitely try hairball control cat food.

You're welcome. You don't have to scoop every day, my cat just prefers that I do. I haven't had an auto litter box, but my son's family did quite a while ago. I think they got rid of it for the dust and like you said, the smell.

One extra advantage, the corn litter (World's Best) is much lighter than the clay. If you order from Chewy's, they have it also.

Enjoy your new house.

DON'T DO IT. TOO HARD FOR HER TO CHANGE AT HER AGE AND THE COYOTES WILL FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET HER.

I agree wit the others that she would not survive predators. If you get rid of the Litter Robot and scoop everyday you shouldn't have an odor problem. If you're not doing it already, try brushing her a couple times a week to help control the hair issue. It won't prevent shedding but you'll have less hair to deal with.

What you could do in the courtyard is build her a catio, or kennel, and find a place where you could attach it directly or indirectly to the house. She needs to be able to get in the house when freightened and also to escape bad weather. S. Calif can have some rough winters and cold nights.

Below is a kennel I use on my deck for my cats. You can see the tunnel running along the house to the left, which leads to a panel-cat door in the slider to my bedroom. This may surprise you, but I also have a extra litter box in my bedroom and often forget it's there. Large rug under the box entry, and it's scooped every day. Never notice an odor unless the cat has a stomach problem.

Sad for the cat

The catios are cool. If I attached one to the laundry room window, maybe she would go outside and expand her world a little. For the record, I have tried to get her to go into my younger daughter's room, to snuggle on a bed for the night. She used to snuggle with my oldest daughter before she went off to college. In our rental, she just runs back to the laundry room. She loves her bed on the counter and purrs away.

Grooming on a regular basis will help with or maybe even eliminate the fur balls she throws up. We have a Lab plus two cats and keeping them groomed with a daily brushing has really made a difference for us. I don’t recall either of our cats ever throwing up hairballs.

If the cat isn’t used to being groomed, it shouldn’t be too hard to get her on board with the idea. I use a cheap rubber brush made by Kong. It cost less then 5.00, it has rubber tips on it that feel like a massage so they all love to be brushed.

https://www.chewy.com/kong-cat-zoomgroom-multi-use-brush/dp/45801