Grr..

A

Alexa's~Mom

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#22
Inoor cats have been proven to live longer

but my cats are indoor cats, other than the occasionally romp outside

they go outside, play around for a bit, hunt a bit, come back in.

our neighbors cats did the same thing, and they lived to be 20, lol.
 
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#24
They did hurt the cat though. Not severely, but he's got quite the limp. And their dog must have done something to him, because now he won't go near ours, and whenever she comes to him, he gets really agressive. He was never like that.

Cats are allowed to free roam here. There's no law against it or anything.

It's not like our cats live outside or anything. They're out for maybe 3 hours out of the day. Once in the morning (at like 5 am, when my dad gets up) and then a little in the afternoon. We don't get them go out after dark. If they were let out in daylight, and come back after dark, well, nothing we can do about it then, but still. It's not like they're put outside and left out there. All their shots are always up to date, they're fixed, and everyone knows about them and no one has complained. OKay, well, thats a lie, our one neighbor complained when one of them pooped in her flower bed. The cat hasn't done it since because my dad made them a biiiig outdoor litter box, just for them. Out of our 5 cats, only our two oldest ones go out. And its not like we chose to let them out. When they were younger they would literally rips screens out of our windows just to get outside. And they don't go far, they're on our part of the street at thats it. That's they're territory, and then other cats in the area take over. Almost everyone in our neighborhood that has cats, lets them outside and they all patrol the neighborhood and mouse together. It's really quite cute. :p
Just because there is no law in the area does not make it right. There is no law that dogs should not be outdoors in a plain dog house in -40c weather either, but people still do it and that does not make it right.

Did you at least read the information I provided? Your responses seem very flippant. Some people never learn until they have a dead cat or a high vet bill, thank about it.
 
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A

Alexa's~Mom

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#25
Just because there is no law in the area does not make it right. There is no law that dogs should not be outdoors in a plain dog house in -40c weather either, but people still do it and that does not make it right.

Did you at least read the information I provided? Your responses seem very flippant. Some people never learn until they have a dead cat or a high vet bill, thank about it.
Yes, I read the information, and I'm sorry, but I'm not changing.

We have had high vet bills. My parents forked out something like 2 grand to save a stray that wandered into our yard. Another one of our cats got caught in a small trap once and we had to take her to the vet for that..

We live in a safe neighborhood, in a small farming community, and its not like our cats roam blocks and blocks away. And we never lose track of them. Thats why we got so worried about our cat because they're never gone that long.

The cats have always been like that, they're 7 years old, been doing this ever since they were adolescents. Trying to keep them inside on halloween night is bad enough as it is. Trying to keep them in for the rest of their lives? Impossible.
 
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#26
Yes, I read the information, and I'm sorry, but I'm not changing.

We have had high vet bills. My parents forked out something like 2 grand to save a stray that wandered into our yard. Another one of our cats got caught in a small trap once and we had to take her to the vet for that..

We live in a safe neighborhood, in a small farming community, and its not like our cats roam blocks and blocks away. And we never lose track of them. Thats why we got so worried about our cat because they're never gone that long.

The cats have always been like that, they're 7 years old, been doing this ever since they were adolescents. Trying to keep them inside on halloween night is bad enough as it is. Trying to keep them in for the rest of their lives? Impossible.
Some people need to learn the hard way. To bad its the cats that have to suffer and not the humans :rolleyes:
 
A

Alexa's~Mom

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#27
Some people need to learn the hard way. To bad its the cats that have to suffer and not the humans :rolleyes:
Excuse me? Sorry, but what gives you the right to judge like that?

My cats are not suffering, at all. They live very happy and healthy lives. I'm sorry that letting them outside to roam around in the yard gives you the impression that there in "terrible danger" and they're "suffering".
 
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#28
In England and Holland it`s normal for cats to be outside.You never know what chances they`re taking when they`re out alone but that`s the nature of the animal.To me the idea of keeping your cat indoors all the time seems more cruel than letting them go out and take their chances in the world outside.I don`t see a problem with a routine where the cat goes out all night and returns in the morning.
 
A

Alexa's~Mom

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#29
In England and Holland it`s normal for cats to be outside.You never know what chances they`re taking when they`re out alone but that`s the nature of the animal.To me the idea of keeping your cat indoors all the time seems more cruel than letting them go out and take their chances in the world outside.I don`t see a problem with a routine where the cat goes out all night and returns in the morning.
Me neither, that's how its always been here! Even people's show cats go out for a daily romp.

And our cats aren't even outside all night. If they're outside all night, they're in our sun room/veranda. They go out for maybe 3 hours, at the most. And most of that is spent in our yard, or our next door neighbors yard, hunting, climbing trees, playing with the dog, visitng my dad while he's buildilng, or going to the bathroom.

I can understand not letting your cat out when you live in a large downtown area. But here, our downtown area is like, 5 blocks long, lol. And there's no houses.
 

skyeboxer

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#31
The indoor-outdoor debate is very emotive. The best article I have ever come across, which takes in different geographical and cultural factors, as well as debunking some overused and outdated statistics is this one: http://www.messybeast.com/indooroutdoor.htm

My cats are outdoor cats. Boods lived till she was 19 years old. I eventually had to have her put to sleep because she had cancer. Personally I wouldn't have a cat that couldn't be a cat. Declawed, detained and depressed - not my kitties, thank you.
 
A

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#32
Why are cats any different than dogs? Dogs must be contained in some way when outdoors (leash, kennel etc.) so why not cats?
Cats are independent animals. They survive on their own very well. They technically don't need a human. Dogs, in a way, kind of do.

Cats also climb. Fences, trees. So keeping one in your yard is kind of difficult. Me and my parents also tried putting them on leads, they'd take their harnesses off and run away.

And I agree 100% skyeboxer
 
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#33
Don't tell me my two inside kitties are suffering. They are not declawed and they have plenty of toys and interaction with us everyday. They don't need to be outside. If people make the effort to actually entertain their cat instead of just leaving it to it's own devices then indoor cats can be quite happy. And I'm also sure that my cat isn't out getting into something poisonous, getting hit by a car, or getting in fights with any other animals. One of them has no desire whatsoever to be outside, but the other is allowed outside on a harness and leash to explore on nice days. She's happy with that and I know she's safe.







They're really suffering....:rolleyes:
 

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#34
I'm going to be the bad person here, but your cats have no right to roam outside anymore than a dog does. That's just the way it is. I don't like have someone's cat lying on my cars & scratching up the paint (which my neighbor's cats have done). I don't like them using my law & doorstep as a litterbox. And I don't like them killing the birds that visit my birdfeeder. Also, having been bitten by a stray cat when I did nothing wrong to it other than venture to close while playing with toys & having to spend 2 days in the hospital getting rabies shots & IV antibiotics, it doesn't help me be any more sensitive to the "but my cat never harms anyone or anything" plea.

Now, retaliation is wrong. BUT, whenever I see a loose cat outside, I call AC & deman they come get it or I'll trap it & turn it in. And I expect the same from others if for some strange reason my dogs end up loose running the streets.
 
A

Alexa's~Mom

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#35
I'm going to be the bad person here, but your cats have no right to roam outside anymore than a dog does. That's just the way it is. I don't like have someone's cat lying on my cars & scratching up the paint (which my neighbor's cats have done). I don't like them using my law & doorstep as a litterbox. And I don't like them killing the birds that visit my birdfeeder. Also, having been bitten by a stray cat when I did nothing wrong to it other than venture to close while playing with toys & having to spend 2 days in the hospital getting rabies shots & IV antibiotics, it doesn't help me be any more sensitive to the "but my cat never harms anyone or anything" plea.

Now, retaliation is wrong. BUT, whenever I see a loose cat outside, I call AC & deman they come get it or I'll trap it & turn it in. And I expect the same from others if for some strange reason my dogs end up loose running the streets.
Be the bad person all you want, you have the right to your own opinion. :)

Maybe that's the way things are where you live, but in my community, things are different.
 

skyeboxer

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#36
Beautiful cats, Georgygirl,


No I wouldn't say they look like they are unhappy :)

Of course, not all indoor cats are declawed and depressed - I shouldn't have said that :)P) but neither are all outdoor cats 'suffering' as mistical put it.

Boods who I mentioned before was an indoor cat for part of her life. When I was living in a flat the only time she could come out was when I went down in the lift to walk the dog. She'd come out walk with us for a while and then reappear when Max and I came back to hitch a lift back upstairs again.

One cat I owned, Fergus, was the laziest couch potato. He wouldn't go outside volunatarily if the house was on fire. That's okay. King Fergus had his own litter tray indoors.

And Miakoda,
No, you're not a bad person. But neither am I. I love my cats and actually so does my neighbour. Lili drops by her patio for a visit every day.
 
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#37
I'm sorry I'm a little sensitive. We had inside/outside cats when I was a kid and I remember how terrible I felt when one of them just didn't come back one morning. I decided then that any cat I got would be an inside cat. It's nice that your neighborhood seems to accept outdoor cats, but I still think it's a little more dangerous for them to be outside than inside. I'm sure they're very happy to be outside but I've always been a little over protective I guess.:)
 

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#38
Just out of curiosity? For those with outside cats, who would you place blame on if your cat was hit by a car & seriously injured and/or killed?
 

skyeboxer

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#39
I'd blame myself.

When food is abundant, cats do not need a lot of territory. The park and trees in front of my patio comfortable encloses my cats and other free-rangers in the neighbourhood.

In truth, dogs could be a danger, but the dog owners generally do not cross to the 'house' side of the park. The cats know well when there are dogs around and watch them from on high or the safety of the patio.

I don't believe my cats are being callously exposed to danger and with a pet-less animal lover on one side and a family with an outdoor cat on the other (Jerry's best friend :) ) I don't think I am annoying my neighbours' either.
 

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