Our 16 year old cat is really behaving oddly. She was taken from her mom at

[old mark]

arount 4 or 5 months-she was palm sized-and our landlord on a fruit farm got her to be an outside farm cat. She was thrown out to fend for herself because the previous cats were all taken by hawks. We kept letting her back in their appartment over the barn when they wre gone, and eventually we just took her in when we saw her sitting on our windowsill crying in the driving snow, what turned into a huge blizzard. We had her ever since, over 15 years in our "new" house. She has NEVER wanted to leave the house - she looked out the windows,and maybe once a year ran out the kitchen door for a minute or so, then ran back again.

Over the last week, her bahavior has changed and she displayed a great desire to be outside. She ran out of the door late last night when I let the dog in, and I didn't notice her - she stayed out tillearly this morning. She has NO idea of cars, other people, other animals, etc...she has NEVER been outside near traffic.

We bought her a tie line and harness to connect her to the clothsline on the side porch, and she can get as far as halfway down the patio and under several shadey areas. She has been out for almost an hour now, and seems to really enjoy it. This is the last thing I would expect from her - is she deteriorating mentally or is strange behavior something that happens with some older cats?

mark

[haele]

1. Usually when cats start getting age-dementia, their worlds become much smaller -

Has there been any change in her environment, new smells or new interactions that might be going on in your yard? Is there a new garden that is attracting birds, rodents and lizards?
Is it warmer outside than it is inside? Has she just lost a nice sunning spot that was in the house recently? From what I observed with my furry boys as they grew old, the warmth of actual sunlight on old kitty bones when sitting in the grass is comforting, just like it is when you're standing outside near a large body of water on a breezy summer day with the late-morning sun beating down on your back. There's just a nice, warm tingle. And it might be just as easy as that.
If you are worried, have the vet check thyroid functions the next time she goes infor a check-up.

Haele

[david13]

2. Doesn't really sound like a problem. Maybe kitty just felt secure

enough to start going out.
If you can keep him on the line, should be no problem. Mine would chew that line off in 20 seconds.
dc