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Keeping cats indoors
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Irish-Lass, no one's having a go at anyone. If you feel it's safer keeping your kitties inside, then that is your opinion and you are entitled to it. You're doing what you think is best for your kitties, and no one can criticise you for that.Irish-Lass wrote:I can't understand why people automatically assume that cause a cat lives an indoor life that it lacking for something or its needs are not being met.
Most of the answers are well cats are meant to be outside......my reply to that is say who....we as humans have decided that cats should be allowed to roam free, to multiply, cause damage, be met with accidents like rta, poison, abuse from other people, chased etc. Is it that people let the cats out so they don't have to deal with litter trays etc. is it easier just to open the door and let them fend for themselves and view it as them doing what is only natural to them. I am not having a go at anyone, and like everything in life we are free to make our own decisions......but are the decisions in relation to cats being let out based on whats best for the animal or what is convenient for us.
Growing up I always had outdoor/indoor cats when we bought our own house we moved to a busy road were quiet a few cats were killed so when we got our first 2 cats nearly 5 years ago I decided to keep them as indoor cats only. At that time I thought I was odd but then met up with Jan in Kitten Adoption and realised that I wasn't that odd and that there are alot of people that have indoor only cats, and alot of people see the benefit of it and the reasons for it. I don't think now I would let me cat outdoor unless and until we have a cat proof garden.
But, I also must mention that I don't believe it's a case of people not wanting to clean the litter tray, or not wanting to be bothered with the cat when they decide to let their kitties out. They are also doing what they believe is best for their kitty.
Just as people have different methods of rearing children, so also do they have different methods of taking care of their animals. But I firmly believe that we're all doing what we believe is best for our families -- which definitley include our companion animals. 0 -
eiretamicha wrote:Just as people have different methods of rearing children, so also do they have different methods of taking care of their animals. But I firmly believe that we're all doing what we believe is best for our families -- which definitley include our companion animals.
I understand that your sole consideration is for your cats. That is what you are trying to say.
The problem is that cats, and you can't deny this no matter how much you like them, cause problems because they roam free and defecate/spray wherever they want.
Children have died because of playing sandpits used by cats as litter boxes...
I personally know children who have spent time in hospital as a result of the same. Understandably, the mother says she will not tolerate cats in her garden and will do what she has to in order to get rid of them. I have pleaded with her to talk to the neighbours about keeping their pets indoors instead of using her pellet gun.
So to summarise
1. cats kill wildlife who never evolved to be hunted by cats, who are not native to many countries
2. they present a health risk to people
3. they are at risk from traffic and people
but you continue to allow your cat access to the outdoors unrestrained and unsupervised.
sure we'll agree to disagree, but blatantly, allowing a cat outdoor access makes no logical sense at all -- your only argument is the "natural" one which (in fairness) is so devoid of logic it's simple emotive nonsense/superstition like the reason people mightn't walk over cracks on the footpath or wear green to a wedding.
Keeping a cat is not natural, certainly not on continents where it isn't indiginous, therefore why the huge concern over a "natural" way in which to unnaturally keep this desert animal?0 -
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Keeping a cat is not natural, certainly not on continents where it isn't indiginous, therefore why the huge concern over a "natural" way in which to unnaturally keep this desert animal?
There is such an animal as the European Wild Cat which is one of the three ancestors of the domestic cat as we know it today
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There are grey squirrels in Ireland, never belonged here, Sika and Fallow Deer, never belonged here. Mink, never belonged here (apart from the European mink which is nearly extinct), rabbit, never belonged here, Norwegian or Black Rat, never belonged here etc. But neither of those are domesticated animals.
The cat is. So are dogs, horses, cows, goats etc, most animals (wild and domestic) can be the carriers of zoonotic diseases, including the ones that most of us eat.
So I simply don't get your argument about the cat not being indiginous Europe, as you speak of continents.
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My only argument is NOT that it's "natural" to allow a kitty to roam. It is one of my arguments, yes, but not my only one.Garth wrote:I understand that your sole consideration is for your cats. That is what you are trying to say.
The problem is that cats, and you can't deny this no matter how much you like them, cause problems because they roam free and defecate/spray wherever they want.
Children have died because of playing sandpits used by cats as litter boxes...
I personally know children who have spent time in hospital as a result of the same. Understandably, the mother says she will not tolerate cats in her garden and will do what she has to in order to get rid of them. I have pleaded with her to talk to the neighbours about keeping their pets indoors instead of using her pellet gun.
So to summarise
1. cats kill wildlife who never evolved to be hunted by cats, who are not native to many countries
2. they present a health risk to people
3. they are at risk from traffic and people
but you continue to allow your cat access to the outdoors unrestrained and unsupervised.
sure we'll agree to disagree, but blatantly, allowing a cat outdoor access makes no logical sense at all -- your only argument is the "natural" one which (in fairness) is so devoid of logic it's simple emotive nonsense/superstition like the reason people mightn't walk over cracks on the footpath or wear green to a wedding.
Keeping a cat is not natural, certainly not on continents where it isn't indiginous, therefore why the huge concern over a "natural" way in which to unnaturally keep this desert animal?
My main argument is that it is not in your pet's best health interest to keep it confined 100% of the time and for the duration of its life.
Mammals need sunlight. They need fresh air. They need exercise. If you can do all this while keeping your kitty restricted either with a leash or in a cat pen, then do it. If you live in a rural area where your kitty does not have to dodge traffic and you prefer to let your kitty roam outside, then make sure your kitty is free of parasites and/or disease and up to date on its vaccinations, and then let your kitty outside. If you live in a huge apartment complex with no backyard and think it's safer for all parties involved to keep your cat confined indoors forever, then go for it, but I firmly believe that it is wrong, and not in the best interest of your cat. Harness and leash train it and bring it outside. It is in your cat's best interest.
I let my cat Jezebel outside, unrestricted and unsupervised. She was a half-wild stray when I first scooped her out of a dumpster at a local pizza place. I tamed her as best as I could, got her spayed, administered her vaccinations, dewormed her, treated her for coccidia, and took her home with me. I got a litter box for her and kept her inside for about 2 weeks before I realized that the confinement was making her miserable. And I don't mean going to the door and meowing; I mean growling if you came near her and hissing if you tried to "stimulate" her with toys. I decided to let her out, and she stopped hissing and growling, started playing with toys, and became one of the most affectionate cats I have ever met. She killed beautiful songbirds, ate all the lizards around the house, and brought me a headless squirrel. As I am a vegetarian, you can only imagine my distress at knowing my feline companion was an expert hunter. None of this would change my mind, however, about allowing her to go outdoors. Maybe that makes me a bad person. But I had to make a decision, and I believe the decision I made was right.
About 3 months ago, my husband and I adopted a little kitten and named him George. Although George's mother was a feral cat, George was a tame as could be, and had never even been outdoors. We do not live in a rural area, and traffic is not mild in front of our house. Jezebel and George were raised in completely different circumstances. Jezebel was a wild stray when I found her, George a totally tame house kitty. I chose NOT to let George outside unrestricted and unsupervised...but I knew it was wrong to keep him confined all his life. So I bought a cat harness and leash and introduced George to the great outdoors. At first he was afraid, nervous, and uncertain...that lasted a whole 2 days. He now goes to the door and meows, actually pushes his head through the loop in his harness, and leaps outside when we open the door. We had thought George was the most crazy, excited, and hyper cat in the world...until we started taking him outdoors. I can't tell you how enlightening it is to watch him pounce on bugs (and eat them!), roll in the sand, and climb bushes. He never knew what he was missing and was a fairly happy cat, then we introduced him to nature and he became a cat.
Say what you will about me and my arguments being "devoid of logic". Maybe I'm just some crazy hippy that thinks animals deserve to be treated the same way we wish to be treated. Or maybe I'm just an irresponsible pet owner. Honestly, I don't really care what others think of me or the methods I use to raise my family. I know my choices, research all my options, and do what I believe is best, and I trust you to do the same. 0 -
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