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Expert: - 4/30/2011


Question
Hello again,
  I still have a few more questions on the outdoor cat housing. THank you very much for your previous reply.
  First off, how often will I need to take my outdoor cats to the vet? And what do you reccomend (vaccines, shots...)?
  Also, I have gotten mixed answers regarding the outdoor kitten housing. Some say that it can get parasites, others say it is not a good idea at all because of space issues (they say a cats roam 5-10 miles and that a kennel would be inhumane). Also, the weather is a problem. I can keep the cats in a garage in a temporary cat cage.
   Thank you so much!
-Marc

Answer
Marc,

Once a year visits are usually ample. Since the cat will be outside, in addition to the normal vaccines (3 in 1 [rhinotracheitis, calici, panleukopenia] and rabies). Also, I would have the cat get a FeLV and an FIV innoculation.  Make sure the vet does not give these all at once.  We wait 3 weeks between vaccines. As long as the cat has plenty of space to climb on things and a good sized run, that should be enough territory for this cat.  You really need to make the run big enough.

Having a place for the cat in the garage is a good idea, if the garage is temperature controlled. Extremes of temperature would be my biggest concern.  Also, there should be something in the run that allows the cat to get out of inclement weather.

Best regards... Norm.  

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Norman Auspitz

Expertise

I can answer most non-veterinary questions about cats. My particular expertise is pedigree cats, breeding and showing. However, I am versed in feline behavior, cat breeds and their characteristics, general feline husbandry, and the like.

Experience

I judged for the Canadian Cat Association from 1975 until 1982. I am currently an approved allbreed judge for the Cat Fanciers'' Association (the world''s largets cat registry), and have been judging for them since 1991. I have been breeding pedigreed cats since 1971 and have been exhibiting pedigreed cats in shows since 1970. I obtained my first pedigreed cat in 1970 and have never looked back. In 1971, I obtained my first Abyssinian which has become my primary breed. In addition, I have bred Manx and Persians. Currently, besides the Abyssinians, I am also breeding Maine Coons.


Organizations
Cat Fanciers'' Association, inc. (CFA) and the Manx, Maine Coon, and Abyssinian breed councils. I am currently Abyssinian breed council secretary.

Publications
Cat Fancy Magazine, The Abyssinian Chapter in The Cat Fanciers'' Association Complete Cat Book, and Articles for various editions of The Cat Fanciers'' Association Yearbook

Education/Credentials
I received a B.S. from Drexel University in 1968, a M.Math from University of Waterloo, in 1970, a Ph.D. from University of Waterloo in 1975, and a MBA from McMaster University in 1980. I received my approved allbreed judging status in the Cat Fanciers'' Association in 1999.

Awards and Honors
We have produced a number of Cat Fanciers'' Association (CFA) National winning Abyssinian and Maine Coons. We have produced a number of Abyssinian and Maine Coon Distinguished Merit females (an award for a top producing cat), including the first Distinguished Merit Abyssinian in the red (sorrel) color. I am the CFA Abyssinian breed council secretary and belong and/or hold office in a number of cat clubs. I am also a member of the CFA Judges Association.

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