Hmmm. That entryway....

[kyrielle]

I should have stopped and formally evaluated it before I opened my mouth. dormouse_in_tea asked for photos to look at, and I went to take some just now. And was struck by three things:

1) It's wider than I thought, at the narrowest point. That will make the baby-gate solution very, very hard.
2) It's deeper than I gave it credit for.
3) It does NOT go clear to the ceiling, there is an area of it that is only one story high and then it opens up.

Which means that a baby-gate solution may not work (unless they make those very wide), but a construction solution WOULD. Adding a wall with a door in it might work okay. (Probably need to involve glass somewhere to not make the entry area miserably dark, as it has no light of its own.) Of course, that means arranging for, living through, and paying for the addition of same. But, we'll see. A short-term solution may be to baby-gate the hallway prior to the garage door, and come and go through that (again, making sure the garage door's closed before coming in, in case they DO scale the baby gate).

Right now I just want to wail to the universe. I shouldn't have to be doing this. These cats should be staying at home with Dad taking care of them. I love them and I'm glad to take care of them, but they ought to be there and none of this to have happened.

Comments

[cloverbee.livejournal.com]

They may sell a solution online for just this thing. I saw one once, some kind of divider and they would cut it to your specs. I also saw a outdoor "kennel" for cats where you would put in a cat door and instead of it opening to the outside, it would open into a wire tunnel that led to a bigger room so they could go outside when they wanted and still be safe. The only problem is that if you actually put it in your doorway, it would be hard to use the door. Most people who purchased them, attached them to a window or cut an opening through the wall, which is pretty major work. Don't know anything about your living space and even if you have a ground floor or not, but thought I would throw it out.

And my offer still stands. We have a huge home and three acres of fenced in yard. We have about 10 cats now and three dogs and live in a very rural area around no roads. If you end up as a last resort, needing to find them a home, I'll pay for flying them here and give them a place to come and go as they please. Anything I can do to make this time easier for you. I know if it were me, I'd be hard pressed to give my parent's pets to someone I didn't know, so I know what that must be feeling like. But I have to offer just in case you reach that point where you need someone to help with them.

[kyrielle]

I'm not actually interested in letting them go out - and I think in time they will learn not to want it. (Basta actually seemed to have adapted in the days since Dad's death, when I wasn't letting them outside there; Babe still darted for the door sometimes, though.) I'm interested in making sure they don't escape when we're going out.

If they can't adapt, I will look into the options to let them out like the one you describe, but considering that their definition of 'out' means 'roaming freely'...it might not go over so well.

And I deeply appreciate your offer and I do have your message saved in case it's necessary. I hope it won't be. It's not so much not knowing you - it's that I want to have them here. They're my family too; I brought Basta home (sort of inadvertently, I was trying for her brother and we got her first - they were semi-feral) twenty years ago. Babe is younger and was born after I moved out, but is still family. The idea of not having them here / nearby / with family is heartbreaking. If they can't adapt, I may have to look at it. So far, I think it will be okay. Scott thinks I am over-worrying about even blocking the door, but...I'd rather over-worry than under-worry. :P