Think this cat owner will learn? I doubt it.

[Redstone]

Mrs R. and I were walking down to pick up the little guy from his schoolbus today, when we saw one of our neighbor's cats lying behind his truck beside the street, looking mighty stiff.

He works just across the street, to Mrs R went and told him his cat was dead. He came out, very agitated, almost in tears, to pick the cat up, while going on and on about how it was going to break his wife's heart.

Now, the cat either got hit by a car or ate something poisonous; in fact I had seen it in my yard (300 yards away from his house) this morning, and it was walking kinda wobbly (NO, I didn't poison the cat).

I didn't have the heart to point out to him the the damn cat would be alive if they didn't let it wander around all day.

Think they'll keep their next cat inside? I doubt it. Some people never learn.

Redstone

[Triana]

1. doubt it...

...most cats (except feral ones) belong inside, IMO. They live much longer that way and have much fewer health problems and injuries. I guess iffin ya don't want cats in ya house (and their catboxes to clean, and claws and such) then ya shouldn't have cats!

DOH! The guy probably won't learn. Too bad the cat had to pay for his ignorance.

[livinginphotographs]

2. You're right.

And it'll probably never occur to him that keeping a cat inside is better than letting it "run free" to be run over.

[graywarrior]

3. I was actually feeling bad about keeping my cat indoors

But I keep hearing these stories. Cats need protection from the evilness lurking out there. I feel bad for the owners who lost this one. I feel worse for the cat.

[Speck Tater]

4. I have a cat that was kept inside for years.

It was miserable and unhappy and pooped all over the house, and acted generally neurotic and cranky, but my daughter insisted on keeping her cat "safe" indoors. Finally, after many years, my daughter relented and allowed the cat to go out with the others.

Now this same indoor/outdoor cat is happy and contented, and playful and kittenish and loving again. Cats are not meant to be locked up against their will. It's a quality of life issue. Would you rather have 10 years of freedom and happiness accompanied by a certain amount of risk, or 50 years confined in a safe, but barren prison cell? Length of life is not the only thing that matters.

on edit: My other two cats are indoor/outdoor cats, although one prefers to spend most of her time inside and the other prefers outside. But all three are healthy and pretty advanced in years for cats, so this "if your cats goes outside it will die" kind of fear-mongering is really uncalled for unless you live in a particularly high-risk area for cats.

[rene moon]

5. Better watch out

The anti-cat people is going to come out in full force. Beware!!!

[MadMichDem]

6. Why don't you ask the dead songbirds and baby critters

how they feel about your cat "running free"

[Speck Tater]

10. Better yet, ask my pet...

...spiders how they feel about birds being let free to roam.

I won't even touch on the subject of the red-tailed hawks in my neighborhood that eat their share of little birdies. It's nature, red in fang and claw. Get used to it.

[Siyahamba]

12. There's nothing wrong with letting your cats outside...

As long as they don't leave your yard.

[Redstone]

17. But if you tell most cat people that,

they just shrug and say "It's the way cats are. They roam around, and there's no way to stop them."

Redstone

[Redstone]

13. Well, OK, do what you want to with your cats, but

accept the responsibility if they get run over by a car, eat something they shouldn't, or turn into a coyote's dinner.

It's not fear-mongering.

Also, keeping your cats out of other people's yards is just common courtesy. Dog owners have to do it, why shouldn't cat owners?

Redstone

[Horse with no Name]

23. I have 3 indoor cats

They all weigh an average of 20 lbs each--huge cats.
I had a mouse in my garage (it's detached) and decided I was going to try to get one of my cats to get it. I took him outside, he did the belly crawl all the way to the back door and cried like a girl to get back in,lol.
I was thinking about finding a barn cat to live in and out of my garage because I certainly don't need another one in the house.
I guess I will re-think.:shrug:

[leftchick]

29. oh pulease...

that is nonsense! It is a fact that cats live longer, healthier lives indoors. I have 4 cats all indoor. One is seventeen and is as healthy as an 8 year old cat. I have had to deal with my neighbor losing cat after cat to cars or other dangers. She has gone through about 4 cats in the last 3 years. In addition these cats piss and poop in my yard daily. Soon I will humanely trap them and take them to the shelter. If the cars don't get them first.

[WilliamPitt]

55. I had 16 cats growing up

Why 16? Because one of the first ones caught feline leukemia and spread it to the other cats, who died, and the new cats caught it from the still-living old cats, and died, etc.

16. One of them died under the goddam Christmas tree.

This whole inside/outside cat debate is situational, and depends on the environment. I grew up in the 'burbs and letting the cats out was tantamount to throwing them into a thresher. My ex-girlfiend grew up in the country, and her inside/outside cat lived happily for 22 years.

So there isn't a right or wrong on spec. But there are situations where it's a bad thing.

[EFerrari]

7. Cats are not safe outside. Period.

Anyone who still allows their cats out should sit down with themselves and make a list of the logical consequences.

Reality check: No reputable rescue group will adopt out to people who allow their cats outdoors, declaw them or refuse to spay/neuter them.

I'm sorry you saw that, Redstone. But, glad you posted this.

:thumbsup:

Beth, person to 7 fat, happy INDOOR cats.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

15. Being the person to 1 fat happy Indoor cat I share your sentiments.

I have seen too many outdoor cats who met their fates under the wheels of cars. Also, years ago as a kid I had an outdoor cat that had to be put to sleep because it contracted earmites, and knew that if I was ever to be a cat co-householder again, my cats would all be indoor denizens.

I do advise people with indoor cats to get collars and tags for them. The cat I had before Amy (below) ran out of the house without those and has never been seen again.

[EFerrari]

19. How lovely she is. None of my guys wear collars and I do have

two "runners". They head for the door only to be immediately miserable if they wind up outside.

I tend to claustrophobia, so it was with a lot of difficulty that I agreed to the rescue group's rules. But then, I spent two years tending to the injured and the lost cats that were casualties of semi-free roaming.

Much as I'd love these guys to go out and smell the flowers, I'd much rather they LIVE. And, they've done just fine since I took the pledge. All rescues and all very fine cats. :)

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

51. Amy was a rescue cat in a sense. Her mom was rescued while pregnant

and I found her at my local PetSmart.

As to smelling the flowers! I live in NY and in the fall brought in my potted impatients and all winter she has had flowers. It is by a slit window next to the front door, where she uses the plant as a blind and watches the birds and squirrels in the morning.

Thank you so much for the work that you do.

[MsTryska]

47. Your fat Happy and my fat happy are twins!

my cat Dolla looks just like your kitty. he's a crotchety old man tho. and he has a little white blaze on his forehead too.

[Johonny]

27. I'm not safe outside either

but I go out anyways. I also tend to roam around while outside. Beware.

[EFerrari]

34. And it's highly unlikely that you will be eaten by a predator. n/t

[Johonny]

38. I'm pretty sure

it's highly unlikely a cat will get eaten by a predator too. Cats are also much less likely to by shot and killed by other cats.

[EFerrari]

40. I lost my favorite one to a larger critter. Baby, RIP. n/t

[madmom]

8. my cat is and will remain an inside cat...

he is perfectly happy watching birds and rabbits from the open door and window (thru a screen).

[Horse with no Name]

25. Mine do that

Do yours also have a short series of noises they make at the birds through the window?
It's so interesting to watch, almost like a different language.

[madmom]

26. actually he'll growl a little...

but if they come to close he runs and hides. He's a scaredy cat by nature.

[Desertrose]

32. mine is a "birdtalker" too....so was his Mom

its gotta be the funniest thing...he gets all flat and just clackety clacks away.

[Book Lover]

9. I thought it was cruel to keep them indoors?

I don't have pets, so I've never really thought about it, but I thought it was supposed to be less cruel to own a cat because a cat is an animal that can fend for itself better in an outdoor urban/suburban environment?

on edit: I guess I should extrapolate from my knowledge about rabbits, who should never be kept outside (although they should be given supervised outdoor running time if possible).

[Warpy]

11. In most areas, it's crueler to keep them outdoors

but when I lived in a woodsy part of Cape Cod, I let them roam. This was years ago, before the coyotes discovered vacation paradise. I could never let a cat outdoors there now.

My cats were street smart, though. Had I seen any of them anything but watchful to the point of paranoia around a street, that cat would have been grounded.

Here in NM, it seems everything has fangs, spines, poison, or an appetite for kittycat, so my two beasties are indoor cats. I'd rather have them around than let them chase birds, and they seem to have acclimated rather well and chase each other instead.

[Book Lover]

16. It seems that indoors is a better rule of thumb

that can be modified where appropriate. Well, you learn something new every day :-)

[evlbstrd]

14. My cat is indoor/outdoor.

Still has claws (but he is neutered). He needs the claws to be an effective mouser. Rarely kills birds. We had another cat killed by a car. She was napping behind our car tire and my wife rolled over her.
Lesson: look under your car before you pull away.

[slackmaster]

22. I've found if I/O cats make it to age 5 without getting hit they're OK

Most cats who get hit by cars get hit early in life.

I have an indoor/outdoor guy too. I keep him in at night. He and his little friends (neighbors' cats and strays) do a good job on the rodents.

I also have two older indoor-only cats who are quite happy that way. They go for a day walk now and then.

I can see both sides of this issue. A lot of it depends on local conditions as well as laws, customs, and traditions. I find some of the same people who say all cats should be kept indoors all the time are the same people who think bicyclists should only ride on the sidewalks. Either or both may be true in some places, but not where I live.

[Speck Tater]

18. Without my outdoor cats...

my barn would be over run with mice. It would be unusual for them to leave my property since they'd have to walk an aweful long way to do so, and the horses in the feild to the south scare them away when they approach the fence. As for cars, well, one or two cars do come down our road every day, but the cats don't like the front half of the property much anyway. All the tasty fat mice are in the back half.

If I lived in the city, or the suburbs it would be a different story, but way out in the sticks, I let them enjoy the life they prefer.

[EFerrari]

20. I thought the same thing until my last outdoor cat was

eaten by a coyote.

We were on a ranch in the San Jose foothills and he loved being outside. Until he was someone's dinner.

Hate to be so blunt. If I had to do it over, he'd be indoors and playing with his buddies :(

[Cleita]

41. We have all provided a buffet to the coyotes unfortunately..

One thing that works pretty good is making them come indoors at dark and not letting them out until daylight. My cat now even knows when the coyotes are around and to be afraid of. He hides under the bed.

[EFerrari]

42. They're all so different.

Baby's litter mate was so smart - she probably scared the coyotes off. Baby was not so bright. And neither was I.

[AValdoux]

24. Kudos to the Barn Cats

I have a barn cat also. He started out as a indoor/outdoor city cat. We moved out to be closer to our horse barn when he was 9 years old. He refused to go out for the first six months but now he's quite happy. He doesn't leave our 15 acres because between the barn and my vegetable garden there is plenty to keep him busy. He does have a disgusting habit though, leaving rats at our back door. He always removes the head though. We think he has a trophy shrine somewhere on the place. My husband says the cat is our only animal that earns his keep. Without a cat my horse barn would filled with rats & mice.

AValdoux

[leftchick]

30. are they spayed/neutered and given all of their shots?

If they are and they are not causing a menace to neighbors and killing songbirds then it is a perfect situation for you. I have my doubts though. Cats always kill birds.

[Cleita]

39. Most cats that get hit by cars do so because something like

a dog chased them into the street. I have noticed all cats are wary of traffic. Even my Benny knew to stay out of the road when he was a tiny kitten. Why? Because I think his mama taught him like she taught him how to catch mice. So if you have neighbors with dogs running loose or mean kids that might chase them, you may want to look in that direction.

Also, I have trained my Benny not to wander off the property. It takes time and patience but it can be done. Some cats like my Benny just can't be kept in. He attacked my poor sick husband and bit him when he couldn't go out, so I finally had to do so or have him put to sleep.

My stepdaughter kept her kitty in for two years. She finally had to let him out because he found out peeing all over the rugs and furniture got a reaction. (Her husband booted him out the door.) He never pee'ed again once he knew he could go out. (He was let back in the house subsequently.)

Incidentally, I was appalled that one of my neighbors down the road is letting his pit bull wander loose. I live in the country and many people let their dogs run loose and it's legal. (We don't. We keep our dogs fenced in.) But, I think there should be a law about pit bulls in the country as well, being either leashed or fenced in. This particular road has children walking to the school bus stop, joggers and bicycle riders using it as well as cars. I hope there isn't an unprovoked attack here.

[graywarrior]

21. I have a friend who's cat, Buckeye, hated everyone & everything

He would put Buckeye on a long leash and let him out in the backyard. Buckeye seemed to enjoy the fact that he couldn't travel further than the yard, thus avoiding all contact with any other living thing.

[matcom]

28. nope. they won't learn

nore will 90% of cat owners on this board :eyes:

[leftchick]

31. 75%

I think a lot of DUers have indoor cats. Where they belong.

[matcom]

33. well *I* do but

you must have missed my rant on this last week ;)

[leftchick]

35. it infuriates me as well....

I have this dumabass neighbor who gets cat after cat and leaves them outdoors like they are disposable. They also ruin my garden and yard and prey on the baby birds. And there is no talking to these folks at all about it. This year I have decided, along with a few other POed neighbors, to humanely trap them on our properties and take them to the shelter. It is better than being hit by a car.

[matcom]

36. DO IT!!

best.solution.ever.

in case you missed my rant, i FINALLY got my neighbor to put a collar and bell on his cat so AT LEAST the birds hear it coming.

if he didn't do that, it was off to the shelter for little "Cloie"

good luck

[EFerrari]

37. Or, call a rescue group. Usually, we will do pick ups and

you won't have to wonder about euthanasia.

[leftchick]

43. That is an idea...

I hadn't thought of that. Thanks! I was worried about the euthanasia. It is not the cats' fault their owners are morons. But I NEED PEACE in my own yard. I took EIGHT baby birds to the wildlife rescue last year because of her cats. :grr:

[EFerrari]

44. Ask the rescue people of they adopt to people who let their cats

out. The effective ones will say "no way" without apology.

B.

[RedCappedBandit]

45. I have an indoor cat

and would never let it outside. However, that does not mean that people who DO have outdoor cats don't have a reason for doing so. If you really stop to think about it, animals ARE meant to be able to roam freely, and even if they do have a shorter life, they may actually be able to enjoy their time spent on this world in a more enjoyable fashion..

[EFerrari]

46. Not domesticated animals.

And my guys are all as different as can be and they're just fine indoors.

In the country there are predators; in the city there is traffic and bunchers who pick cats up and sell them to labs.

[Batgirl]

48. There's no nice way to say this - some birds deserve to die

"Oh, but outdoor cats kill all the 'songbirds' (sob)." Well, excuuuuse me, but when did the literally hundreds of fiendish, squawking, brownish colored birds -- which have the singing ability of a demon chorus and which inhabit the lilac bush behind our house -- become sacred objects? I would gladly trade all the encrusted bird poop (which will be splashed across every square foot of said lilac bush, as well as the entire flower bed behind my house a couple of weeks from now) for a tidy little pile of cat turds. That's right, halfway through the summer it will look like several people filled their Super Soakers with white latex paint and had a squirt gun fight in my back yard.

If some cat ever did successfully dispatch one of these feathered banshees with overactive bowels, it would be an act of heroism. And such a cat would deserve extra salmon-flavored tidbits, NOT to be trapped by some (probably sexual deviant) neighbor and transported to the shelter. Or maybe, if we lived in Wisconsin, they could skip the trap and just commence to go all Yosemite Sam on poor kitty.

Signed,
Chigger

p.s. chicken-flavor is good too

[Redstone]

49. So, if somebody doesn't want other people's cats in their yard,

they're "probably sexually deviant?"

How nice.

Redstone

[Batgirl]

50. hopefully you're the only one who didn't realize it was (an obvious) joke.

How nice.

[enigmatic]

52. I didn't either

I've seen people like this, and I'm a cat lover and have an indoor kitty.

[enigmatic]

53. Dupe

Damn, I hate when that happens..

[enigmatic]

54. Indoors

We have an indoors kitty, and she's just fine.