Please keep your cats indoors! My horrific tale will convince you to!!!!

[joeybee12]

Last night, I was driving through Wallensberg, Colorado to Denver, and I saw a cat in the middle of the road that had been hit by a car. It was still alive, shaking, and trying to pull itself up. I pulled over, as did some kids, and we went to see how it was. The poor thing had been hit in the back, and its hind legs were probably broken, and he seemed to be bleeding out of his mouth. The kids weren't from the area, and we didn't know who to call, so I stood over it and rerouted traffic until a cop came. Eventually THREE cop cars stopped, and they said there wasn't a vet or hospital in the area that was open 24 hours (this was around 9 p.m.). By this point, the cat was starting to freak out and started hissing, and tried to run away with its front legs, and all it succeeded in doing was sort of spinning around on the road. It was awful to watch.

There wasn't anything to do for it, even if there had been a vet, because when a cat is hit like that, even if it can be saved, there is undoubtedly kidney damage and the cat will need help urinating (about 6 times a day) for the rest of its life.

When it calmed down, one of the cops had to shoot it to put it out of its pain. It was the only humane thing to do at this point.

The cat had no collar (could have been a stray) so there was no one to call to let them know.

SOOOOOOOOOOO...keep those cats indoors! I'm sure most of you do. I do. I know some people who don't, and they are going to hear it from me today!!!!!!! You don't want to have your cat go through this.

[commander bunnypants]

1. that is why mine are total indoors

once saw a cat get hit right in front of me. Stopped it was dead and I cryed my eyes out.

Irresponsible pet owners whiz me off to no end.

Thanks for caring to stop

DDQM

[redqueen]

4. Mine too

:cry:

[ET Awful]

2. :( Poor thing.

It may not have actually belonged to anyone though. It may have been a feral cat. Poor little thing.

[Gato Moteado]

3. and just think of all the songbirds and other native wildlife killed by...

...outdoor cats. there are many reasons to keep cats indoors. in many areas it's the law.

i can't let my dog run loose (not that i'd want to), so why should people think it's ok to let their cats run loose.

[joeybee12]

5. True, and sometimes the native wildlife gets the cats!!!!!!!!

In many areas the coyote population has skyrocketed, and they have lots of cats to catch and keep coming back!!!!

Remeber, even feral cats are not really wild like wild cats of Africa--cats have been domesticated for thousands of years, two of three generations of stray cats giving birth will not make them able to truly live in the wild.

[Kathleen04]

40. This is true

A couple years ago, the neighbor's cat was killed in our yard by some kind of wild animal.

[On the Road]

6. I Saw a Kitten in a Week Ago

in a turn lane on a major road during rush hour in a similar condition. It was flopping around, and clearly had at least its front leg broken and possibly much more. I considered whether it would be humane to crush it with my front tire (yes, I know that's horrible and probably couldn't have done it), but another car stopped. It's really, really sad to see.

[Kolesar]

7. That is a sad story

Around here, the coyotes are moving in. I met someone whose dog tied in the yard was killed by a coyote.

[CO Liberal]

8. My Della is an Indoor Cat

I had a dog (Cooter) who got out of our yard and hit by a car - I was with him when he was put to sleep... :cry:

As far as I know, the closest 24-hour vet to Walsenburg is in Pueblo.

[truthpusher]

9. Jesus...you have totally ruined my day man....

[Philostopher]

10. Mine don't roam.

There are a couple in the neighborhood that do, though -- almost backed over one the other day, it was hiding in the carport and shot across in front of the garage door instead of going the other way, when the garage door opened.

Neither of the cats I've seen -- a light red tabby that's probably a male and a tortoiseshell that's overwhelmingly likely a female, both less than full-grown -- has a collar on, and the light-colored cat doesn't have a tattoo in his ear, so as with this cat you saw, if somebody runs over them, nobody will ever know what happened to them but the poor soul who ends up being the one who hits them.

I mean, at the very least, if you're going to let them roam -- get them a collar with an ID tag with your phone number, or an ear tattoo, in case anything happens to them, so somebody can let you know about it.

[joeybee12]

22. There's also disease to consider for outside cats...one co-worker who

let her cats out had one eat anti-freeze--a terrible way to die. The others are still outside cats, the idiot!

[Philostopher]

23. You're right -- it is a nasty way to die.

I saw a cat die from antifreeze poisoning, once. We had a neighbor who let her cat roam the neighborhood. It actually crawled home throught the storm drain system and stood crying under the drain cover outside our house until we took the lid off. We weren't even sure it was her cat, at first -- it was muddy, and covered with rotting leaves from crawling through the storm sewer. We called her and she recognized the cat.

You could see it was in bad shape, reeling around and crying. The neighbor took the cat in the house, but it was far too late -- the vet even said about all he could do was give her an injection to euthanize her. By the time the woman had gotten ready to take the cat to the vet, she was gone. I'll never forget watching that cat pull itself out of the storm sewer and reel across the street, trying to get home, though.

[joeybee12]

24. They also like the stuff that gets thrown on snowy and icy sidewalks...

...the "salt" that melts the ice and snow, although you can get it without whatever ingredient that is poisonous. Not sure what the poisonous kind isn't banned completely!!!!

[Love Bug]

11. My cats are all indoor

I live on a busy street and there's no way I'd let my cats out. They'd be fur stuck to the road in no time.

[ironflange]

12. Mine are indoor cats who like to go outside

When I fenced in my yard last summer, I did it so it was cat-proof. They can't get out, and the coyotes etc. can't get in. They love to chase butterflies and eat bugs and grasshoppers. They take turns patrolling the perimeter. I've had to go open the gate for neighborhood cats who get into the yard then can't get out. They're lucky the two cats on the left didn't get to them first.

[barb162]

13. this is a sickening story but I am glad you took the time to write it

it must have been so horrible for you. I am so sorry for you and the poor precious baby who died so damned needlessly

[joeybee12]

20. Needless is correct--and the fact that I tned to believe it was a stray

makes it worse in a way--I mean, it wasn't big, so it could have been just that it was young. Or it was a stray and probably wasn't getting enough food. Probably a short end to a life mainly of going hungry! Maybe I should start a "keep your cats indoors and spay and neuter them!" thread.

[barb162]

28. I gotta tell you a story. I am always careful driving as I am a nut

about possibly hitting an animal. Well about a month ago I hit my first animal, a squirrel. I have been driving for 30+ years and never hit an animal. I swerved fast to avoid it but it found my driver's side front tire and I felt this sickening bump. I stopped and found its back leg was broken and possibly part of the pelvis and it was pulling itself by the front legs to a shady part of the grass. That squirrel looked at me with total terror in his eyes like why did you try to kill me? Well I took it to a wildlife haven where there are vets that treat wild animals for my county. I don't want to know if they killed it or saved it and I don't want to call them and find out they put it down.

I do rescue too and have 4 rescued indoor cats. I never saw an animal being shot and I can't even imagine what you went through emotionally. I just can't. Primal scream!!!

The only thing I can think of is I hope there is a rainbow bridge and this poor cat is up there safe, whole and happy. You poor wonderful dear.

[joeybee12]

30. Squirrels are easy to hit...ever watch them move? If they're almost to

one side of the street, and then they see you, they dash back to the other side!

It's awful hitting an animal--I hit a rabbit one and then some sort of mouse. I hate driving at night because all sorts of things dash out--especially here in Colorado!

[barb162]

47. yeah I know what you mean. This squirrel was in a tree when I first

spotted him and the tree was maybe 3 feet from the street. Then he just ran down the tree and into the street and I was only going 25mph. But even with the fast swerve he found that far tire and I felt that sickening bump. Oh God! Geez. The animals come out a lot after sunset and I hate driving then too.

One time I was riding a horse for the first time in Colorado and it got stung by a bee and started running like hell. I couldn't stop the horse and the guy who owned the horse kept yelling at me to do something to the horse to stop it and I couldn't (like I can willfully hurt an animal or something??? Not.) Finally he rode up to the side of the horse and stopped it. I never rode a horse again.

I can't even watch my cats get a rabies shot. I have to turn away.

Somehow or other try to think that poor little innocent cat is at peace.

[joeybee12]

26. Thanks--I hope people take it to heart...

...see my post below. We were stupid when I was young and let our cats outdoors. Too many ways for them to die or get sick when they wander outside!

[Branjor]

14. Definitely keep them indoors!

My neighbor's white cat who is deaf got out of the house 2 weeks ago and was run over and killed :cry:

[gollygee]

15. Oh so sad! My kitty is an indoor kitty. n/t

[MissMillie]

16. My kitties stay in

not only are they safe from cars, but they are safe from Feline Leukemia and FIP... and fleas (for the most part).

[Zuni]

17. My cat is an indoor already

not only because of cars, but because of feline AIDS and Feline Leukemia as well.

[MaryH]

18. It is awful to see something like that

I remember for years.

Some people still think that cats belong outdoors. Just like people who think that dogs should be allowed to run loose.

My cats have never been out so they don't know what it is out there. They are afraid of all the sounds and smells of the outdoors.

[no name no slogan]

19. I learned that lesson the hard way

a few years back, we inherited a 10-year-old cat from some friends who lived out in the country. This cat was indoor/outdoor, and was very used to going outdoors by the time we got her.

At the time, our next door neighbor had a Husky/Malamute/some kind of dog like that. This dog, even when on a chain, would attack and kill critters in its own yard. One time it got a mole and ate most of it before the owner got to it. They also had a housecat, and it and the dog got along fine.

One cold night in early January, we let our cat outside. A few minutes later, just by dumb luck, we went to check for her at the door. We saw the neighbor's dog, off its chain, standing over our poor kitty's limp body. We shooed the dog away, and I got some blankets and grabbed our cat, and rushed her to a 24-hour vet-- which is literally 2 miles away. Even though we got her there as fast as we can, she could not be saved. Her spine had been crushed by the big dog's jaws, and there wasn't anything we could do. ;(

I was 29 at the time, and I never cried so hard for a dead pet in my life-- not even for the cat I had growing up, which died at 15. Even though we'd only had her for a year, she had warmed up to us in an amazing way. She had lived a hard life and had been ignored/neglected by her first family, and was very afraid of strangers. By the time our cat died, she was sleeping on the bed with us, and snuggled up to us whenever we were lying on the couch. Oh, and she LOVED popcorn, too!

Now we have two new cats-- who are littermates, and are the only two in their mother's first litter. We love them both like children, and they are both INDOOR cats. As a matter of fact, they've NEVER been outside, and won't even go out if the door is held open for them. Although they love open windows, they don't have any desire to go out.

I hope somebody reads this and decides to keep their cat indoors. It's the only way you can guarantee their safety and long, healthy life.

Thanks for starting this thread.

[joeybee12]

21. When I was growing up, we were stupid and our cats were outdoors...

...my mother's mother and my father's parents came over from the "old country" so they grew up with the idea that all pets stay outdoors.

Anyway, we always started missing cats and never saw them again. My mother said that it was probably because the cats found new homes. Hah! Yet, I believed her at the time.

[barb162]

49. another sad story and I have heard so many like this

so many people let their animals out in the back yard, even a fenced back yard and another larger animal jumps in and kills the pet. I have heard this over and over again.
I know a cop who had her dog chained to her deck and someone stole her pedigreed dog right off her deck. Luckily she got the dog back about 6 months later.
A few years ago my uncle had his dalmation puppy in a fully enclosed yard with an 8 foot high chain link fence. The only access to the yard was through the enclosed porch. Someone came into the enclosed porch from the sidewalk door of the porch, which he did not lock during the day, The person went into his yard and stole his dog. Thieves are extremely bold. My uncle was so heartbroken I thought he would die that his puppy was stolen. Oh my God he loved that puppy. This WW II veteran was crying his eyes out for weeks.

[geniph]

25. I haven't let a cat outside in almost 20 years

since I lost two of mine to antifreeze poisoning. Mine have never set foot outdoors, and have no interest in doing so, except on the safely-screened-in back deck. They like to sit out there and sniff the air and watch the world go by, but they treat it kind of like TV - it's like they don't understand there's more world out there. They're fine with that, and so am I.

[Radical Activist]

27. Imprison your children!

because one was hit by a car last week!

I appreciate the sentiment but is a life of torture that much better than a cat ending life early?

[NoPasaran]

29. A life of torture?

If someone would feed me and clean up after me, I'd be happy to stay inside for the rest of my life myself!

[joeybee12]

31. Yeah, what the f**k do you mean by torture? If cats are kept indoors,

they learn to accept it. Better than starving and scavenging for food and getting disease!

[Radical Activist]

32. They're animals

they aren't meant to be imprisoned in a small space for life. Many cats will get used to it if they are raised that way but it looks cruel and unusual to me. They aren't allowed to be cats if they're kept indoors. They are biologically meant to have more space to live and roam in.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

33. They're not imprisoned in a small space

How far back do you intend to draw this comparison? Dogs were meant to roam, should they be allowed to do so? How about birds? In fact EVERY pet is "meant to roam".

[Radical Activist]

34. Absolutely right

I see people in crowded cities with large dogs. They bark and snarl nonstop at everything. What do you expect when you have a giant dog trapped in a tiny city yard? Their owners should be ashamed. If you want a large dog then move to the country. Don't imprison a dog just to satisfay your desire for a pet. Small dogs and cats are better in cities, but keeping them indoors all the time is equally selfish.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

36. We're not talking about large dogs in small apartments

You said that cats should be allowed to go outside alone because it's in their nature. It's in all animals' natures to hunt, roam etc. Therefore, by that logic there should be NO indoor pets, not even on a farm because it is denying them their urge to roam free. Cats are not wild animals and they haven't been for a long time. They can survive in the wild (for an average of five years) but since when is "surviving" an adequate way to live? A human could survive foraging for berries in the forest. It doesn't mean that this is a superior way to live because at one time thousands of years ago humans were nomads.

[Radical Activist]

37. You asked how far

I would take it, and I told you. Just because you can keep a cat indoors at all times doesn't meen the cat is happier or healthier that way. And I wasn't talking about the wild. I was talking about letting the cat outside once in a while.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

42. The current environment is "wild"

A cat does not have instincts that tell it to avoid poisons or that cars do not have the ability to change direction like a predator. The current environment is FAR more wild than nature ever could be.

[joeybee12]

35. Bullshit!!! Cats are DOMESTIC animals--they're not wild...thousands of

years of domesticating cats have made them unfit to live in the wild--they can't defend themselves against larger predators.

And the reason why cats roam in the wild is because they're either looking for food, or looking for sex. An indoor cat is fed, and if fixed, does not need to roam. You act as if what the ctas are doing is natural--yeah, it's natural if you're hungry or horny. But if you're taken care of, indoors is the ONLY way.

[Radical Activist]

38. A residential neighborhood

is not in the wild. Cats were not domesticated to be indoors all the time. They were domesticated to be around a farm house or dwelling where they could be outside and inside both. Confinement is confinement and its done to humans for punishment.

[Name removed]

45. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[jdj]

57. Outdoor cats spread feline leukemia, FIV and FUS

As yet there is no %100 effective vaccination for feline leukemia. They also spread parasites.

They also kill tons of songbirds.

Snakes are good for rodent populations and unlike domestic cats, they are wild.

[Mallifica]

43. but you are not a cat

[geniph]

39. Do you let toddlers run loose outside?

If so, I sure as hell hope no one lets you babysit.

A cat has no more understanding of traffic, bad people, poisons, and other dangers than a three-year-old child. Do you let a three-year-old run free down the street without supervision? I don't let my cats do it either.

[Pithlet]

41. Good reply

We keep our cat indoors, and the argument that it is cruel and unusual is ludicrous. There's a neighbor that leaves their cat out all day, and he spends most of it howling around our doors and windows to be let in. I feel sorry for the poor thing.

[Mallifica]

44. I am TOTALLY with you on this one

do what you want . . .they're ANIMALS. I adopted an outside cat, and although she is very people friendly, when I moved and kept her inside for months on end it KILLED HER SOUL. She turned into a shell of herself until I started letting her outside again. Maybe if cats never see the outside they don't crave it, but my cat definately did. She was miserable indoors all the time.

This is definately a philosophical question about quality vs. quantity of life. Is it okay to breed chimps in zoos where they have to learn to live in a totally distorted environment just because we've destroyed their natural environments? I think not. Dogs and cats have met us halfway on domesticity. We domesticated cats to kill rodents. Cats are not cute little interactive toys that just eat and shit and purr when you pet them. They like to hunt and play, and need constant stimulation. I worry endlessly that my cat will get hit, or get a disease, but I would rather her be happy and be happy to come home at night than constantly bat her away from the door every time I open it.

I do think that cats that are totally indoors for their entire lives may be different . . . but I would never GET a cat to keep in my house.

[Name removed]

46. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Mallifica]

52. Thank you

for your kind words and understanding. My cat's six years old now, and FULLY vaccinated. She will not, however, shit in a sandbox and play with stuffed balls for the rest of her life. She goes outside, plays in the grass, chases bugs, and kills shit (which, by the way, is what she EVOLVED to do). Hope you enjoy your empty shell of an agoraphobic furry shit-ball maker.

[barb162]

48. there are really sadistic bastards out there who torture animals,

put out poisoned food, steel leg traps, etc. In cities I think the average life of a stray is about one year.

[AmyDeLune]

50. My Cat became an indoor cat

voluntarily. She showed up at our door as an (approximatley) 2 year old stray. It took about 2 months before she would even come into the house, much less stay inside. Fortunatly by the time winter arrived she thought that the great indoors was a pretty good place to be, though she still spent a good amount of time outdoors roaming (yes, we did get her fixed and made sure she had all her shots!)

Then one day, she just stopped going outside. She'd sit and look out the windows, but any attempt to take her out of the house was met with abject terror (crying, clawing, urinating...) We always wondered if someone had done something to her while she was outside. She had no physical injuries, but she was absolutely terrified of going outside. Other than trips to the vet, she never went outside again. :(

[Mallifica]

53. FEAR FEAR I will not live my life (or my cat's) in fear

come on, there are risks when driving your car, or breathing the air. That sounds like an RNC talking point.

However, there are some sick fucks out there that should be exterminated.

[barb162]

54. I volunteer at a local shelter, sorry to tell you facts, but I

have seen many tortured animals with cigarette burns, animals that had their legs broken for fun, animals that had tails cut off for fun, etc. There are an astounding number of sick fucks out there who get their kicks torturing and killng animals. Talk to ANY animal control or humane society across the damn country and you will hear this. It is widespread/everywhere, not isolated.

[Logansquare]

51. We let our guys out in the back yard on leashes, and we watch them

I saw a cat die an agonizing death earlier this summer after being run over twice. Animals and vehicles do not mix; they don't have the savvy to not run into the street when startled.
When I was a kid, it was common for people to allow their dogs to run free as well. We lost our beautiful boy collie when he started chasing livestock and a farmer shot him. Letting your animals out to roam is as good as washing your hands of them.

[barb162]

55. My cousin's dog in Indiana in a farm area was shot this way.

Some farmer across the road knew it was his dog and shot it because it came on his land.

[jdj]

58. um, I think cats have always killed rodents.

we just fed them to keep them around.

Once you have watched a cat die an agonizing,horrible death from anti-freeze poisoning you can never again support domestic cats being outside.

[porkrind]

56. I had to kill a cat once.

It was awful. I was driving along at night and saw a cat lying in the road. It had been hit by a car an its hind end ad back had been crushed. It was alive and suffering horribly. I didn't have anything to put it out of it's misery with, so I basically had to find a rock and beat it to death. It was one of the most awful things I've ever been through. I had to kill it, because letting it suffer while I just watched was worse. This was 20 years ago, and it still makes me sick.

[NamVetsWeeLass]

59. unfortunately, My Stray won't stay indoors

My other cat, The Old man of the House is and always will be an indoor cat. He's been that ay for 12 years now, LOL why Change? I am worried about my little stray at times, But she is very smart, I only hope it is enough to keep her safe. My Luck we will get teh Drunk Redneck that wants to go Cat Thumping... Then I will have to go postal.