Outside cats- inspired by another thread.

[Mermaid02]

Since we seem to be debating on the "my cat was attacked" thread I thought we could move it over here.

Frankly, I think outside cats should be leashed. When they roam they poop in people's sandboxes and flower beds (nothing like planting some flowers and having your child bring you a cat dookie)- males tend to spray territory they perceive as theirs (I have a friend who left her childs car seat on her front porch and she had to throw it away because the neighbors cat SPRAYED it and she could NOT get the smell out)- it's worse when a cat gets into your trash, they SHRED the entire bag- they kill songbirds, we watched a nest of robins one year only to find the neighbors cat feasting on them one day- they jump all over people cars sometimes scratching them.

I don't know how anyone can look at that list and say their kitty has the right to do those things and it's too bad for the neighbors.

Plus it's safer for the cat to be inside. It breaks my heart to see a dead cat in the street.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I think anything you "own" should be supervised/restricted to your own property and if off your property contained in some way. My backyard attracts many birds (bird feeder and a fountain area) and every year I have a family of bunnies that live under the deck. Almost every day when I come home from work, neighbor's cats are either hanging out under the feeder or have already killed a bird or baby bunny . My next door neighbor HATES pets and she will call animal control when she sees any pet loose.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

I disagree about the leashes, but believe that cat owners need to educate themselves about the value of invisible fences for their cats.

 

[DizBelle]

Any pet owner needs to be in control of their pet and not allow it to impact other people. Dog, cat, lizard, guinea pig, snake, bunny, whatever.

 

[jrmasm]

Any pet owner needs to be in control of their pet and not allow it to impact other people. Dog, cat, lizard, guinea pig, snake, bunny, whatever.

You'd think that would be common sense....

 

[pooh6890]

This is such a sore subject for me. I live in an apartment and many of the stray cats end up at my neighbor's patio. They feed them and let them run in and out of their apartment. The last one they "took" in had 3 kittens and then they could'nt handle that and ended up taking all of them to the humane society. The one they have now just bit the husband's hand and he had to go to the emergency room. They almost had to amputate his hand due to the seriousness of the bite and of course, the cat has never had any shots. They are still keeping the cat and are now taking it for shots, spaying and declawing. I am beside myself. I know that cat will still be in and out of the house and destined for death. UUGGGHHH!!! Also, the property management refuses to do anything about the strays too. I have two dogs that are on leashes at ALL times for their safety and because it's the law. Does anyone else follow those rules with their dogs? Not many! I just had to vent!

 

[Mickeypooh99]

We live in a rural area, and a lot of people have outdoor cats. I had one when I was growing up. No one around here would even think of leashing them.

Our neighbors cats are often on our property, and I have never found any cat poo in the sandbox or garden. We can't leave garbage out anyways because there are many other animals around that would tear into the bag. We keep it in a covered container. The same goes for a car seat. I wouldn't leave anything like that outside. I have never seen a cat on my car. We have a bird feeder, and I have seen cats watching it. I could see that being a problem.

I like the neighbor cats. They keep the chipmunks, mice, and bunnies population down. I would much rather have a furry friendly neighbor cat around than mice that chew through my car electrical wires, chipmunks that mess up my flowers, and rabbits that eat my garden.

I do see your point, but it just wouldn't happen around here. Our 2 cats are indoor cats. We decided it was best for their health and safety.

 

[cheermom1]

You'd think that would be common sense....

That is my biggest pet peeve is common sense! all my animals are inside as of right now but as soon as our fence is fixed out my too labs will go but not with out that fence! my kitty (stepsons kitty) is inside. I do have one that is outside but he is old and never moves from the porch LOL. But I'll never get another kitty that will be outside, my dh got him from an old lady that let him outside and he wouldn't stay in I tried so hard! I think it has a lot to do with how old he is.

 

[MushyMushy]

Yes, I absolutely think we have a responsibility to keep our cats indoors or contained outdoors. Our neighbor fosters cats -- usually has somewhere around 10-11 kitties. To go into her house, you would NEVER know she even has one cat! She has this huge tunnel system/jungle gym outside for them and they are the happiest cats you'd ever see. They certainly don't suffer for being inside.

Another friend has 14 cats that he fosters. Now, his house does smell like it, but they are very well cared for and are all very happy. Never go outside.

 

[Scurvy]

I think anything you "own" should be supervised/restricted to your own property and if off your property contained in some way.

I agree with this completely.

I could easily be one of those crazy cat ladies if I let myself - I can't go to adoption fairs or Petsmart on the weekends or I'd come home with another kitty every time. I love cats! I hate outdoor cats in residential neighborhoods.

I'm fortunate that my city actually has the same leash law for cats that they do for dogs. Unfortunately, many of my neighbors don't care. Their cats roam the neighborhood and especially seem to love my driveway. I can't count the number of times I've almost hit their cats with my car, and once I almost ran over one with my lawnmower! I've been careful and have managed not to actually hit them, but I can't say the same for everyone who drives through the area. Our neighborhood also has possums, raptors and raccoons as well as feral cats and the occasional stray dog, so any outdoor cat runs the risk of being killed or injured by another animal.

When I was studying to be a vet I worked with local vets and I was horrified by the outdoor cats that were brought in. Some had been hit by cars, some had run-ins with other animals, a few got torn up by a car engine when they were sleeping under the hood of a car . . . then there were the ones who were either accidentally or intentionally poisoned. It shocks me that people are willing to subject their cats to those risks.

And then there's the inconvenience to your neighbors. I'm tired of finding dead birds and chipmunks in my yard that my neighbors cats are killing. I hate finding the cats' droppings in my flower beds, and the paw prints and scratches on my cars. I'm tired of the cat who urinates on my doormat, causing my porch to stink. If I wanted to deal with all that, I would allow my own cats to do all those things. I've gotten so sick of all of it that I've started spraying "anti-cat" stuff everywhere, shooting the cats with a water gun and letting my dogs chase them out of the yard, which has earned me dirty looks from my neighbors who don't want their "beloved" cats to be uncomfortable. So sorry! If you want to protect your precious kitties from big bad me and my big scary dogs (and all the other things that are likely to actually injure or kill them) then keep them inside!

If you think the benefits your cat experiences by being outside are worth the risks and you live somewhere where it's legal to have outdoor cats, then by all means let your cats go outside. But then don't complain when your cat is injured by another animal, killed by a car or sprayed by a super soaker. You're accepting those risks when you choose not to keep your cat inside.

ETA - And every week there's a new "Lost Cat" sign on the telephone pole near my house. I often recognize the cats as ones I've frequently seen outside. I want to go yell at the owners. Of course they're lost - you left them outside to roam the neighborhood! If they are lucky, someone assumed they were strays and adopted them. Or maybe animal control got them. Or something else got them, and they are dead. I feel bad for the cats - but not for the owners. They made the choice to risk something like that happening.

 

[luvwinnie]

This may not be popular, but due to the stupidity of others, many of us care for feral colonies...well, I wouldn't call mine a colony exactly. In Dec. I notice a terrified feral mama cat and 3 tiny kittens in the neighborhood. It was just about to snow horribly so I had to put food out for them. If they even SAW people they would take off. A couple weeks later I realized there were only two kittens. SLowly but surely they got closer to the house but were still wary of us. I knew we had to get them spayed/neutered and I also knew no shelter would take them because they were not adoptable. I called a local rescue group who came and trapped them for me. A wonderful woman took them, had them spayed/neutered (one is a male) and in fact, the mom and female kitten (5 mths old!) were pregnant (horrible fact of life, but they do kitty abortions in this situation) and they were vaccinated. She then returned them to us.
Cats were very hard to domesticate if they haven't had human contact by about 6-7 weeks. They are now quite affectionate, but one still does not like to be touched. They spend most of their time by our house, eat all their meals with us and catch plenty of rodents. In the winter we will build them a shelter in the yard. My parents had outdoor cats (very similar situation) for over 10 years.
Some may think euthanizing them would be better, but I see them growing and playing and enjoying life and feel I've done something good for them.

 

[goofy!]

Our town's leash laws include cats. So, either on your property or it is in violation.

Most of the time I don't mind. Although we live in a subdivision, we back to open space which stretches all the way to the Rockies. Thus, we have abundant wildlife around. Our neighbor's cat used to love sitting by our garage because there was a mouse nest right outside. I loved that cat for getting rid of the pest problem.

However, there are so many coyotes in the neighborhood, along with owls, hawks, and every other imaginable creature that outside cats rarely survive long here.

Everyday you see new signs posted for lost cats. And you know they will never see those kittens/cats again because they were some coyote's dinner.

Our previous neighbor went through 7 cats before they figured out they needed to keep them indoors. They had moved here from farming land in the South where they had barn cats and everybody kept their cats outside.

And our mouser friend disappeared shortly after ridding us of our mouse nest.

So, at least in our town, we have a natural Dept. Of Animal Control that polices loose kitties. People learn very quickly outside cats don't live long. Someone once told me that an animal group had done a study in our neighborhood and that over 80% of the outdoor cats were eventually consumed by wildlife. They did the study because it was essentially feeding the coyotes with easy prey.

 

[luvwinnie]

P.S. My two cats that I adopted at the age of 6 weeks do NOT go out at all...I do not believe in letting cats out who are "domesticated".

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I don't think cats should go outside.

 

[mousey]

I took in a stray cat that appeared on my deck in the middle of winter. He was so use to being outdoors that it was tough to keep him in. We had him for 7 years before he developed a fast spreading facial cancer and we lost him. Outdoor cats have shorted life spans and cost much more at the vet because they are constantly getting in fights, etc.......I think indoor cats are the safest.

 

[DizBelle]

I agree with this completely.

I could easily be one of those crazy cat ladies if I let myself - I can't go to adoption fairs or Petsmart on the weekends or I'd come home with another kitty every time. I love cats! I hate outdoor cats in residential neighborhoods.

I'm fortunate that my city actually has the same leash law for cats that they do for dogs. Unfortunately, many of my neighbors don't care. Their cats roam the neighborhood and especially seem to love my driveway. I can't count the number of times I've almost hit their cats with my car, and once I almost ran over one with my lawnmower! I've been careful and have managed not to actually hit them, but I can't say the same for everyone who drives through the area. Our neighborhood also has possums, raptors and raccoons as well as feral cats and the occasional stray dog, so any outdoor cat runs the risk of being killed or injured by another animal.

When I was studying to be a vet I worked with local vets and I was horrified by the outdoor cats that were brought in. Some had been hit by cars, some had run-ins with other animals, a few got torn up by a car engine when they were sleeping under the hood of a car . . . then there were the ones who were either accidentally or intentionally poisoned. It shocks me that people are willing to subject their cats to those risks.

And then there's the inconvenience to your neighbors. I'm tired of finding dead birds and chipmunks in my yard that my neighbors cats are killing. I hate finding the cats' droppings in my flower beds, and the paw prints and scratches on my cars. I'm tired of the cat who urinates on my doormat, causing my porch to stink. If I wanted to deal with all that, I would allow my own cats to do all those things. I've gotten so sick of all of it that I've started spraying "anti-cat" stuff everywhere, shooting the cats with a water gun and letting my dogs chase them out of the yard, which has earned me dirty looks from my neighbors who don't want their "beloved" cats to be uncomfortable. So sorry! If you want to protect your precious kitties from big bad me and my big scary dogs (and all the other things that are likely to actually injure or kill them) then keep them inside!

If you think the benefits your cat experiences by being outside are worth the risks and you live somewhere where it's legal to have outdoor cats, then by all means let your cats go outside. But then don't complain when your cat is injured by another animal, killed by a car or sprayed by a super soaker. You're accepting those risks when you choose not to keep your cat inside.

ETA - And every week there's a new "Lost Cat" sign on the telephone pole near my house. I often recognize the cats as ones I've frequently seen outside. I want to go yell at the owners. Of course they're lost - you left them outside to roam the neighborhood! If they are lucky, someone assumed they were strays and adopted them. Or maybe animal control got them. Or something else got them, and they are dead. I feel bad for the cats - but not for the owners. They made the choice to risk something like that happening.

I'm always amazed when people are surprised that their cat (who they let outside unsupervised) goes missing.

 

[Planogirl]

I disagree about the leashes, but believe that cat owners need to educate themselves about the value of invisible fences for their cats.

This interests me. They actually work?

 

[Magpie]

There's a feral cat colony on Parliament Hill in Ottawa that is well taken care of. We've visited them, and talked to the guy who looks after them. All the cats are spayed and neutered.

It seems to me it's making the best of a bad situation. People abandoned them and now the cats can't be adopted. So they might as well live out their lives in relative safety.

We've always kept our cats indoors and I'm glad for that. Since they've all come to us as strays, some of them took longer than others to adapt to never going outside, but they all came around eventually and stopped trying to escape.

My neighbour let her cat run outside - but it was awful. He got hit by a car, and was seen running around afterward with his eyeball hanging out on his cheek. No one could catch him. He was finally found the next day, curled up dead under her porch.

My kids won't ever own outdoor cats, not after seeing that.

 

[Planogirl]

I took in my mother's two cats when she moved away. They had never been inside and try as I might I could not completely break their desire to go outside. If you know cats you know how demanding and how sneaky they can be.

They both lived to be quite old and I never knew of them bothering any of the neighbors. One regularly killed mice which I thought was a good thing and sadly tended to bring them home as gifts. He was 16 when he died. They were affectionate cats but I just never could break the ouside thing with them. Not all cats can be coverted.

These two changed my mind a bit when it came to going outside or not. In the country everyone let their cats out but in the city of course it's different. Funny because we regularly see coyotes and bobcats and huge owls around here. I just have mixed feelings now.

 

[StacyMarie]

My 2 cats and my neighbor's cat are leash cats. They go outside, sometimes for a better part of the day on a long runner so they can lounge around outside and take in the sights of the birds, etc. My one cat will even tell me when she wants to go outside by rubbing on the door jam where her leash is. It keeps them out of neighbor's yards, out of fights, and also out of the road so they do not get hit!