KEEP YOUR CATS INDOORS! - Page 4

FuzzyFace · ‎03-15-2010

@LyndaGee wrote:
I agree. A few cats wander into our yard from time to time. I wish that, if somebody lets their cat out, they would at least put a collar on. I'm not sure if these are strays or have a home. I've left food out, but it was left untouched.

I sure hope those two kitties return home, safe and sound
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me too! if my cat wouldn't go berserk every time another cat comes near, he'd kill it if he could--and I really think he would, I'd try to find those two and keep them as my own. Their "owners" don't deserve them.

Come to think of it, have you ever been tempted and/or yielded to the temptation of doing something like that?

novamc1 · ‎07-02-2015

In my experience living in one neighborhood for almost 40 years, humans can be crazier than the animals they possess.

At one point, we owned one dog. When that one reached old age and died, we got another. At no time did anyone need to complain to us about a dog running loose or causing any other problem.

Contrast that with one always-somewhat-crazy neighbor who complained all the time about my other neighbor who let his cat run loose all day while he was at work.. The cat would jump into the truck of any workers doing jobs in the neighborhood and approach everyone in a friendly way. That was one lonely cat.

I'm allergic to cats but that cat never caused me a problem except pestering me while I was outside.

The crazy woman would pick up the man's cat, carry it down the street to his house and complain to him that he should keep the cat at home. (which he actually should have, but. like most of the others of us, he didn't care what she said......)

Then one day, the crazy woman's own housecat was found dead in a ditch alongside our street, close to her house. She went around the neighborhood demanding to know WHO HAD KILLED HER CAT!!! I doubt any neighbor gave any thought to killing her cat, which obviously had escaped from her house and probably got hit by a passing car late at night..

This crazy woman also complained to me one day that kids would play in the cul-de-sac in front of our houses and asked what "we" should do about it. (I told her she could purchase the street from the state, which maintained the road, but that would be the only way to ban kids from playing in the street.) I guess she thought kids should be confined to their homes all the time like house pets..

Then one day she acquired a little Pomeranian dog, walked it on a leash every day and somehow let it escape her property on a regular basis.

One morning, this little dog found my DH working in the front yard and yapped at him, then found me working in the back yard and yapped at me.

Imagine my evil satisfaction in being able to pick up that dog, walk down to the woman's house early in the morning, get her out of bed by ringing the doorbell and suggesting to her that she find out how her dog kept escaping. KARMA!!!

eddyandme · ‎09-24-2011

@Nightowlz

What you described is animal abuse and you must report this to your PD or ACO. Your identity will not be given out. But, you must report both neighbors asap - these anmals are suffering.

denisemb · ‎12-07-2012

I grew up 100 yrs ago on a rural farm where we always had "barn cats" (and a few luckily made it as house/outdoor cats.)

After I was married, we were thrilled to find a house with a cat door leading to an attached garage. "Great, the litterboxes can go into the garage".

Three problems:

1. Cats instantly learn that the sound of the garage door meant "Freedom!"

2. Lived in an area near a lake ...didn't know that sandy soil = fleas!.

3. Used to get regular "visitors" and "presents" - Neighbor cat sleeping on guest bed, LIVE mice and birds.

Later on, my 2nd husband suggested getting a cat door - NO WAY. We lived in FL and compromised on a sceened in lanai. Although we did take Millie on regular walks as she was harness/leash trained.

I will never allow a cat outdoors unless confined or leashed for their safety.

Denise

Lipstickdiva · ‎03-10-2010

It makes me nuts if they are someone's cat. My stupid neighbor across the street went and adopted 2 cats from the APL which they then proceeded to allow to roam all over the place. One was all black and they didn't even have enough sense to make sure to keep it inside around Halloween. We are a block away from a highway and last year there was a black cat hit on that highway. I've not seen their black cat at all so I'm assuming the cat that was hit was theirs. They still let the other roam all over.

The people about 4 houses down from us up and moved because their house was being foreclosed on. They left a cat behind which ended up with one of the other strays in the area and they made kittens which are now grown cats roaming the neighborhood.

I don't know why people think it's okay to let their cats wander all over. People aren't allowed to do that with their dogs.

Nightowlz · ‎03-11-2010

@eddyandme wrote:
@Nightowlz

What you described is animal abuse and you must report this to your PD or ACO. Your identity will not be given out. But, you must report both neighbors asap - these anmals are suffering.

@eddyandme @Spurt @Allegheny @nougat

I have turned in the one neighbor several times for his barking dogs & inhumane conditions. It's still like that.

The City tells you when they come out that they cannot see thru the fence to see what's happening & they cannot get on a ladder to see either??? They don't want to do anything.

I take pics over the fence & show them. I have even removed a fence section just so they can see.

City Ordinance says they have to have shots, shelter, food, water & cleaned up pin. It also says they cannot be barking & howling which these dogs do a lot. You cannot sit outside & enjoy the weather when it's nice from the barking, howling & poo smell.

They City will not do anything about our other neighbor just because he leaves his dog in the backyard & pays no attention to him. He has not had this dog long. It won't be long before his backyard is also full of poo. He does not clean his backyard. It looks like a jungle.

We do have an SPCA but as far as I know they shelter animals there & find homes. They don't go to someones home & take their dogs. The City would have to get involved. Seems they are not willing to do anything.

I think the neighbors have a relative working at the local dog pound. Last time I reported them for one of their dogs running lose the wife showed up home pretty quick after my call.

Annabellethecat66 · ‎03-12-2010

Up until a few years ago when I adopted Bill and Katie (the cats) I never 'picked out' cats, they all found their way to my house, just showed up on my screened in back porch.

I've adopted some amazing cats that way. Some (most) I was able to keep indoors. However, 2 of them hated always staying indoors.

I had them spayed (they were both male cats), but every single time they could, they'd run out.

We finally worked something out where they'd play outdoors during the day, come in for lunch and come back in around 7:00 or so (it was different in the winter months).

I have two porches, the first one is uncovered and you walk into the screened in part. I also have a garage that leads into the house.

My late husband put in cat doors on ALL of the doors and screens (they're still there, but now they're locked).

I live on a dead end street, 1 acre lots, a stream, all trees. It's wonderful for animals. My neighbors walk on the street in the evening as it is an enclosed neighborhood.

Eventually, the two cats passed away (one from diabetes- old age, and the other from a heart condition). They had wonderful lives.

I understand how difficult it can be to bring in (and keep) cats who've always been outdoor and wild. I had to replace my carpeting (all floors) 2 times. Even after the cat was neutered he still sprayed. The last time I recarpeted the house the Vet said, "Take varnish and seal the entire subfloor, that's the only way to be sure it's gone". I did and it took care of it forever.

Although those cats were difficult, they were wonderful furbabies. One was my husband's favorite. When he suddenly died, Fabio (his name, the cat...that is) sat on top of his truck until I sold it to my late husband's business partner in Florida. He loved my husband and vice-versa.

The other cat (Jack) was my baby boy. I adored him. He'd bring me live baby bunnies and put them in his little house (inside). I'd see him and catch them and take them out of his "area" and off they'd go. I found out it's very tricky handling wild bunnies as they can die quickly. He probably did it 2 times. He never hurt anything. He once brought in something that looked like the butt of a cigar. I called my neighbor and she sent her daughters over. It turned out to be a tiny, tiny squirrel (neighbor told me). She took it to someone who nutered the squirrel and it went off into the wild (did you know some squirrels live for 20 years?). My neighbor is amazing caring for baby animals. Some people are just good at it, she is.

Anyway, I had a neighbor down the road who never had her cats neutered. OMG! She lost count on how many. Finally, the neighbor behind her PAID for them to be neutered (he was loosing his mind).

I don't know how many is there now. I can no longer walk in the neighborhood, so I have no idea. There are a few wild cats around I see but they have homes and go in and out. You can tell they are well cared for.

Cats are ideal for me because physically I can't walk an animal or give him/her the exercise a dog needs. My Bill (the cat) sits on my chest and loves his Momma. We are a happy little family here, crazy me and my two cats but they never go outside, never have.

They are happy basking in the sun on the back screened in porch. They don't even try to run outside. (Thank goodness). But I do have to remind people who come to fix things "KEEP THE DOOR SHUT".

I remember my Grandma would say, "Do you live in a barn? Do you know how to shut the door"? Ha!

Mom2Dogs · ‎03-09-2010

People should be responsible pet owners...we have always had dogs....they have NEVER been allowed off leash except in our fenced back yard....cats are a big problem for me....they get into the mulch in the front yard and dig.... I have holes dug in my newly added mulch, (they left evidence) and do not appreciate those that do not keep their animals at home.

We had to do work on our backyard fence so that cats could no longer crawl under to get into the backyard --If I could catch them I would call animal control.

pigletsmom · ‎11-21-2011

@FuzzyFace If they are very friendly cats I would say there's a good chance that someone else has taken them into their home and they are being cared for. Especially if both are missing. So they are probably fine.

If these cats had been roaming around my parents neighborhood a lot my mother most likely would have just brought them inside and that would have been that. She brought many strays home from where she worked after seeing them for a long time. In hindsight I have no idea if they were really strays but loose cats in a downtown area isn't safe for them.

I also know another woman that has a lot of cats that have freedom to roam. One of them eventually moved in with someone else across the street.

My cats stay in or they can go on my upper deck when I'm out there. My parents always let their cats out back but on long leads so they couldn't run off. They were perfectly happy with that since they got to enjoy the yard. They occasionally even caught a critter out there!

beach-mom · ‎03-09-2010

DH, who many of you already know is a veterinarian, has one sentence he says to people who ask if their cats can go outside: "Nothing good will happen to a cat outside." He often talks about how dogs will pay attention to things, but cats expect everyone and everything else to pay attention to THEM!

Our cats are indoor only cats. YES - Keep you cats indoors!