A vent about some cat owners...

[Abbie.S]

I’m a subscriber to a neighborhood online forum, and normally it is great. Fantastic way for people in the same town to communicate about ordinance issues, yard sales, “need to find x”, “selling x”, spreading the word about whatever. It comes in the form of a daily email with the topics for that day, but you can look into the archives as well. Unlike most forums, you use your real name, no addys.

Almost every day, somebody has lost a cat. Last month, I counted 22 different postings about different people losing different cats. 99% of these are “Fluffy didn’t come home last night, that is so unlike him!” After a while someone else had noticed, and suggested (far more kindly than I could have mustered) that it is a kinder thing to keep one’s cat indoors than to let him out into a world of busy intersections, speeding cars, coyotes, bobcats, and other nasty ways to meet an end.

Yeah, I know, it’s the owner’s prerogative to do whatever they feel is right with their animals. I used to live on a busy road across from a dairy farm, and all manner of cats were “dropped off” there because every idiot thought, “Hey, farms need barn cats, right!?” Most of them became friendly enough that we could pet them, they were fed on our porch, and they hung around our house. My current cat came from there, as did her late brother. Over the years we estimate we “took in” over 50 cats.

But inevitably, they ended up not showing up one day. We peeled more than our fair share of cats off the road. My dad and I found a cat’s tail and bits of bloody fur in the woods near the house one day. I even had the horrible experience of catching the sight of a large hawk sitting in a tree picking at the remains of an orange tabby that had been one of our favorites. Many of them we just never saw again.

So you can imagine my frustration (and sadness) at these mounting lost kitty posts.

The latest one set me over the edge. An owner posted that she had been forced to put down her young cat after she found him in the road near her home, having been hit by a car shortly after she had let him outside for the afternoon. The rest of the post was about how dangerous she KNEW the road was, how FAST people go, how the speed limit is only 35, so everyone needs to slow down.

WHY DID YOU LET YOUR CAT OUTDOORS WHEN YOU LIVE RIGHT OFF A MAIN ROAD THAT YOU KNOW IS DANGEROUS, HIGH TRAFFIC AND PRONE TO SPEEDERS?!?!?

I feel for her that the person who hit her cat didn’t even have the common courtesy to knock on a few doors and ask if the cat was their’s…but it drives me absolutely bonkers that so many owners are so oblivious to the obvious dangers that await their cats outside. “But kitty NEEDS to go outside”, “It’s more natural for them to be outdoors”, “He gets very upset when I don’t let her out!”

No, he doesn’t, no, it’s not, and guess what, kitty will get used to being indoors if you have the intestinal fortitude to get through the crying and fit-throwing for a couple weeks. I promise.

Grr. :mad:

[Angela_Freda]

When cats can and do look both ways before crossing this busy 35mph road that people speed on, and somehow defend themselves without claws, then I will be less upset with my neighbors who do the same thing.
The same goes for my son. :lol:

[SouthernYankee]

Don’t just point the finger at cat owners!

My cats don’t go outside, ever, because I don’t want something to happen to them. I do not have barn cats because I don’t want to find one dead on the road. My dog has a fenced in yard. My horses have the safest and most secure fence I can afford (Centaur flex rail and coated wire).

I live close to a busy 4 lane highway.

Irresponsible animal owners tick me off. People who let their dogs roam and run wild because apparently fenced in yards in the country are non essential. Or horse owners that know their fence was damaged in a storm but refuse to make the needed repairs to keep their horses in, and horses get out and are a traffic hazard. UGH!!! Animals deserve better.

[microbovine]

I see cats on our rural roads often. Most are feral but if you own cats, there are very good reasons to keep them inside here. Our three are indoors. I think some of the reasons people let their cats outside has to do with not understanding cat behavior. I have helped friends who didn’t know they how to do litter boxes properly for multiple cats. Perhaps you can ask your neighbors why they put their cats out and help them resolve some common bad behaviors.

Speaking of cat issues, our area is a bad place to any sort of feral cats. We have rabies cases every year that circulate among feral cats and wildlife. Feral cats in colonies get trap wise and can miss their vaccines. I do not entertain any feral cats on our farm at all. They are trapped, taken to the pound and PTS. If it’s a kitten, we get it tested, vaccinated and find it a home. I do not believe in neutered cat colonies.

[JustTheTicket]

I agree. I live in an apartment complex in a busy downtown area. And there are people here who just let their cats out. I’m surprised I haven’t seen any little bodies in the parking lot. Makes me absolutely insane. The closest my little cat gets to the great outdoors is an open window.

[arapaloosa_lady]

The entire point of a TNR colony is that the neutered tom cat will defend his territory, thus not letting an intact tom cat move in. But since the neutered tom cat can’t make babies anymore, it decreases the new kitten population. If you kill the tom cat, a new one is just going to move in. Of course if you live in an area with less feral cats, then that might not happen, but TNR colonies are established in areas that will. You can not agree with the efficacy, but I’m not sure how you can’t believe in them :lol: - I can guarantee you they’re not a figment of someone’s imagination. http://www.yourwdwstore.net/Disney-Plush--Figment-9-Medium_p_8090.html

I would never let a treasured pet roam free for exactly the reasons in the OP, as well as the significant danger to wildlife. Cats are very efficient killers, and I like songbirds & intact ecosystems. I can understand letting a cat outside to solve a rodent problem, because that’s his job. But not just for recreation.

[ddashaq]

Actually, I disagree about all outdoor cats getting used to being kept in the house. I had one who was indoor/outdoor while we lived in a very quiet rural neighborhood. When we moved into town, he became an indoor only cat and he cried to go outside EVERY DAY until he died 5+ years later. We never relented but I can see why other people might as it was a loud drawn out whiney meow that he would do for hours while following us around the house. None of my other cats have been allowed out since and they are perfectly happy “hunting” the birds from inside the house.

[mvp]

[QUOTE=Abbie.S;7751320]

The latest one set me over the edge. An owner posted that she had been forced to put down her young cat after she found him in the road near her home, having been hit by a car shortly after she had let him outside for the afternoon. The rest of the post was about how dangerous she KNEW the road was, how FAST people go, how the speed limit is only 35, so everyone needs to slow down.

WHY DID YOU LET YOUR CAT OUTDOORS WHEN YOU LIVE RIGHT OFF A MAIN ROAD THAT YOU KNOW IS DANGEROUS, HIGH TRAFFIC AND PRONE TO SPEEDERS?!?!?

I feel for her that the person who hit her cat didn’t even have the common courtesy to knock on a few doors and ask if the cat was their’s…but it drives me absolutely bonkers that so many owners are so oblivious to the obvious dangers that await their cats outside. “But kitty NEEDS to go outside”, “It’s more natural for them to be outdoors”, “He gets very upset when I don’t let her out!”

No, he doesn’t, no, it’s not, and guess what, kitty will get used to being indoors if you have the intestinal fortitude to get through the crying and fit-throwing for a couple weeks. I promise.

Grr. :mad:[/QUOTE]

As a CO who is all about the Indoor/Outdoor Lifestyle for a cat, I’ll chime in.

1. I hear you on having had your share of treating cats well (taking them in) and seeing death. Bless you for the life you provide for those cats. I can’t say I have fed 50 random cats yet.

2. But see the bolded part? *That’s the problem," not the CO letting the cat out or not, the cat living or dying, people posting about lost cats (within reason, see below).

No, the problem is that the CO wasn’t willing to lie in the bed she made for herself, quietly. If you let a cat enjoy the great outdoors, you accept risk to your emotions, wallet and on behalf of the cat. If road kill happens, you must know that you signed up for that. To me, that means you don’t get to burden the general public with your regret…. especially if you plan to do the same thing again.

Really, OP, this CO’s post might best be filed in the drawer of “cheese burger’s I’m about to eat and you should see,” “video of my grand baby’s first grade violin recital” and other trivia that no one cares about. One can/should lament the loss of a cat, of course! But pick a cat-centric audience, eh?

3. With the “OMG, get out the helicopters, lost cat!” posts. I think there should be s statutory waiting period on that, just like there is on buying hand guns, but for better reasons. With handguns, its to let the hot-head cool off before buying a weapon in rage. With the cat thing, it’s to give a cat a chance to have, say, a well-deserved weekend off, or room to do a spiritual retreat for a couple of days if that’s needed. I try to hold off worrying about a lost cat for at least 3 days.

[microbovine]

You’re right, Arapaloosa Lady, that was a awkward sentence. It should have said that I don’t believe in maintaining a feral cat colony.

The feral cats don’t do well here between rabies and predators. The dumped cats also fall to predators or cars quickly. There are also some very nasty dogs that will kill stray cats. We have two spayed barn cats that take quite a bit of work to keep safe and in good health. They were strays that I couldn’t find a home for. Beware if you visit and admit to liking cats. You might have a surprise guest in your car when you leave… :>

[redalter]

Thank you for this thread. I live in a rural area with indoor and barn cats( I would LOVE to be able to keep them all in the house, but, well, that would get ugly).

Everyone is spayed, shots, wormed, flea treatment, even my semi ferals. Sadly, I live in an area where there are people WHO don’t spay, etc. So if they come to my property and start to bother mine, it’s into the trap, and off to the vet for spay, etc.

I am at peace now knowing I probably do this for other people. I lost 2 last year, to a fox, I think, and I still lay awake at night. I walked the woods around our property for months looking for them.

I WISH I could keep them all on the property. It is a constant source of anxiety. Having said that, if I only had one or two, and lived in a place near a busy road (though ANY road is dangerous), I would keep them all in.

[Bicoastal]

Ultimately, I agree with MVP that the owner must lie in the bed they made. Unfortunately, the cats cannot tell us if they willingly risk their lives for fresh air so each owner’s ethical compass must guide them.

That owner blamed the road. Dumba$$! I hope she keeps her next cat inside.

I am living more urban than rural these days. The neighbor’s cat craps all around my flower beds and sidewalk. He spreads fleas and ticks. He fights other cats. He hides under my car and I am terrified one cold winter morning he’s going to get caught up in the engine or squished under my tire.

Maybe if ‘needs to go outside’ cats were exercised as intentionally as dogs, they wouldn’t have that need. That Jackson Galaxy guy gives cats a workout! He wants to see them panting!! :eek: It is easier for owners to turn the door knob.

[Pipkin]

But see, I think being an ‘indoor cat’ is no life at all for a feline. Same as keeping a horse stabled 24/7, it just doesn’t sit well with me.

So I guess it’s all about perspective.

[wireweiners]

[QUOTE=Pipkin;7751910]
But see, I think being an ‘indoor cat’ is no life at all for a feline. Same as keeping a horse stabled 24/7, it just doesn’t sit well with me.

So I guess it’s all about perspective.[/QUOTE]

No, its more like keeping a horse in appropriate turn out where its safe and doesn’t annoy the neighbors or destroy property. Do you think horses should be free range? That would be the equivalent to an indoor/outdoor cat.

Indoor only cats have no life? I do believe Hash would disagree. He’s the half grown kitten my daughter rescued from the Walmart parking lot. I believe he’s perfectly happy with a safe environment, clean litter box, and plenty to eat, as are all my other cats. I believe the life of an indoor cat is vastly superior to an outdoor cat who has to deal with predators, disease, cars and cruel humans. The life span of an indoor cat is much longer too.

[french_fry]

@Pipkin;7751910

But see, I think being an ‘indoor cat’ is no life at all for a feline. Same as keeping a horse stabled 24/7, it just doesn’t sit well with me.

I feel very, very strongly that my cat would rather live indoors with plenty of exercise and mental stimulation rather than end up with her poisoned with antifreeze or with her intestines spilling out of her on the side of a road somewhere.

We created a world that is by and large not safe for cats to be outside and now we have to deal with it in whatever way we can. If my cat was feral or semiferal there would be no other choice than to let her live outside but fortunately that’s not a decision I had to make.

[AffirmedHope]

[QUOTE=Pipkin;7751910]
But see, I think being an ‘indoor cat’ is no life at all for a feline. Same as keeping a horse stabled 24/7, it just doesn’t sit well with me.

So I guess it’s all about perspective.[/QUOTE]

I agree. My cat was an outdoor cat and it was just fine. Didn’t go much further than a few feet off the deck in the last few years of his life though. Died at like 18 or something as well. Then again, he was probably just to mean to die any earlier :lol:

[gaitedincali]

It drives me crazy when people post on the local forums about their outdoor or I/O cat getting killed by a coyote or turned into road paste - and the anger is all directed at the coyotes or the drivers and no one (but me, it seems!) ever places any responsibility on the cat’s owners.

I take the time and effort to provide behavioral and environmental enrichment for my indoor cats. They are happy, fulfilled, and not going to die a painful, horrific death being torn apart by a predator or crushed by a car.

Too many people basically see cats as disposable.

[TequilaMockingbird]

I built a large run attached to my house that allows my 4 cats to go in and out as they please without risking becoming road kill or a coyote’s dinner. I never have to wonder where my cats are and if they’re ok. A suprising number of people actually try to hit cats if they see them in the road. I will honk and rev my engine at any cat in or close to the road to convey that road=scary and dangerous.

As a animal lover in general, the other thing that really peeves me is how people think it’s perfectly ok for their outdoor cats to murder every unfortunate animal they can manage. Killing native songbirds is not ok.

[RPM]

I agree 100% with your last sentence, TequilaMockingbird.

However, songbirds annoy me much more than neighborhood cats (feral or outdoor) do. They scatter birdseed everywhere, poop all over the car, the patio, the patio furniture, and anything else left outside. They sing much too early in the morning. They noisily drill holes in house walls. They get into fights with each other and leave feathers strewn around, and destroy each others’ eggs.

I LOVED having neighborhood cats around to keep the native songbirds away from my house! I didn’t want the kitties to kill the birds, but hey, that’s the way nature is. Cats prey on songbirds, raptors prey on cats.

[Trinket]

I own a ridiculous amount of cats…(Not me really, my mom who lives upstairs we have the basement apartment) and I agree, they shouldn’t be out. We hadone outdoor cat, and he’s been hit by a car TWICE. He didn’t learn the first time.

However, I disagree on one point, he never got used to being inside, he STILL tries to get out EVERY DAY.

Also, F*ing dog owners who don’t bother to put a leash on their dog (Trained or not, it’s law) and let them run all over the place!! Annoying as crud.

And parents letting their kids play in the road (a busy one at that!).

Point is, it’s not just “cat owners” it’s people in general.

[normandy_shores]

Saw a gal on a local forum recently say she was a “good owner” because she at least rehomes all the kittens her unspayed (outdoor) cats have.

Um, WHAT?

Thankfully, she is taking the three of them to get spayed shortly.

Living rurally has opened my eyes to the amount of ignorance around animals. So many outdoor UNFIXED cats, so many wandering dogs. I can’t walk my LEASHED dog down the street without LOOSE dogs running up, showing some territorial aggression. The first loose dog that goes after my pup aggressively is getting my foot to the throat or worse.

People around here think nothing of it.