Pet Lovers

[Moonchilde]

---

@beastielove wrote:

---

@Moonchilde wrote:

I have a friend who had previously always had indoor-only kitties. After her elderly kitty passed on, they adopted a young cat they decided to make an indoor/outdoor cat. They live in an area that is "rural within urban" with lots of green space. Within the past month, my friend has been told multiple times there were coyotes in her area, but she did not keep kitty inside after dark. Last night a coyote got kitty. She died on the way to the vet.

My city cats were always inside-only.  I now live in the country, not in my own home, with family. The family cat is indoor/outdoor and stays on our property 95% of the time. There are coyotes in our general area. I have mentioned it. I will also mentioned my friend's kitty (not at all in the same area, BTW). I worry about our girl every time she's out after dark, and I try to be sure she's in before bedtime, but ultimately, not my kitty and I have no say.

I feel very bad for my friend, but...she knew, as my family knows. There have already been packs howling and deaths here. So I also feel - they had a good warning, they could have taken extra care, and...they didn't. It's a very sad outcome, but I also know how I ultimately feel about it - it needn't have happened.

Thoughts?

---

Moonchilde..

My heart only aches for that precious,

innocent kitty that had to suffer a

horrible,painful and totally avoidable

death which was due to her owner's

gross ignorance and negligence.

I have 5 kitties (all rescues) and

they NEVER go outside.They also

NEVER show any desire to go outside.

I live in a heavily wooded area where

aside from the occaisional coyotes,there

are other wild animals that could kill them.

They could also get hit by a vehicle.

I am praying with all of my heart

that your family's kitty doesn't

suffer the same heinous fate that

your friend's did.

------------------------------

All of my children have paws =^..^=

---

Thank you. @beastielove, me too. We keep a close eye on her - at least, I try to, and when I'm house-sitting I don't let her outside after a certain time, and pester her to come back in.

Because I was born and raised in a very urban area, it's never been a consideration for me to let my kitties out. Simply cars would have been instant death, never mind anything else.

I don't believe all cats are only truly happy and "fulfilled" if they can be outside. An animal is happy with what it knows. If it's never been allowed to roam, there's nothing to "miss." But of course, they deserve stimulation, games and play if they're of the age where they have energy to burn - and a companion IF they accept/want one.

My last kitty was adopted from foster. He was only about 18 months old when I got him. But while he was playful, he was also a total couch potato who really only wanted to cuddle 24/7 (Maine Coon).

I also acquired my mom's cat, who was about a year older, when she moved and went into a nursing home.  That kitty had been feral but was inside for a while before I took her. She was a tortie with a whoppin' lot o' tortitude. 

The two cats never got along; they tolerated each other and fought for my attention. They "had" each other for company but didn't "want" each other, so that never made either of them happy. At best they ignored each other.  Neither of them were excess energy cats. My sweet baby passed at age about 8 of cancer. His once-feral sister lived to the age of 21.

Catios in one form or another aren't new. I lived in an apt complex - the pathways, streams and fish pond type - where the management allowed people to have them on balconies and patios. There was a resident who would create them for you. That was 30 years ago. I think they're great, but they're not foolproof as far as danger - and cats can still get fleas and diseases just like roaming cats.

[Moonchilde]

Another hazard of outdoor kitties -

Ours loves to eat foxtails. Last year she had to have one extracted from her nose at the vet. Last week she had one removed from her throat - and either she got another one or they never got all the first one, because with her "parents" on vacation I have to take her to the vet today because she's coughing, not eating and drooling. And since "mom & dad" are off in the boonies with zero cell reception I don't know if they'll ever get the message. 

ETA: Yes, "mom" knows, so that's a relief.

[Julie928]

@Moonchilde ~ You wrote ~ "An animal is happy with what it knows."  Beautifully said, and so, so true!  This 'my kitty isn't happy unless he/she is outside' is a bunch of well, you know.  Take my neighbors, for instance.  She tells me the cat screams and screeches and pees all over the house unless he goes outside.  Hmmmm, who taught him that?  Oh, and by the way, I couldn't get in my driveway this morning because their cat was parked where my car should be.  He wasn't moving, so I had to get out and shoo him away.  Unfortunately, I have learned this is an argument that will never be won. 

[Moonchilde]

@Julie928, if a cat has been feral, or if it was an outdoor kitty before it was adopted, then yes, it will be an unhappy camper if kept inside. With effort, that can be overcome most of the time, but a small percentage can't, and I get that. It can be an issue.

Regardless, cat owners should be good neighbors and be responsible. Sounds like your neighbor isn't interested in being a good one to anyone, cat or no cat. That sux :-(

I once adopted a 6-7 month old kitten who was extremely high energy - some breeds are, and some cats just are. Different personalities. Holly (she looked like the Holly Hobbie drawings) systematically ate through every electrical cord in my house - hundreds of dollars worth. I tried everything as a deterrent but nothing worked - well, I worked, so couldn't play with her all day. I gave her to a co-worker with two children. She became an indoor/outdoor kitty (mostly indoor) and had the perfect family for her high energy. They adored her. They renamed her Taz because she was so full of Go!

It sounds like your neighbor is one of those people who don't think of their animals as pets, but only think of them as Things :-(

[NickNack]

I adopted a cat years ago from the shelter that had been found wandering around outside.  She was a year or two old at the time and never once showed any interest in going outside.  My friends, on the other hand, adopted an older cat that had been an indoor/outdoor cat.  They couldn't keep her inside.  She was always at the door and would go out when they let their dogs out.  They have a six foot fence, and fortunately the cat isn't able to jump it.  He lets them know when he wants to come back inside, and they always bring him in before dark.  

The bad thing about that is that twice other cats have gotten in their back yard and attacked their cat.  It was just awful when it happened.  The cat was front declawed before they got him.  Having him attacked was just awful.  They never leave him outside when they are gone and heard the attacks both times and ran out and scared the other cat away.  I wish they had just never given into his desire to go outside, but apparently it was hard.

[Moonchilde]

Sometimes, @NickNack, there are hard choices and trade-offs. If a cat (esp an older cat as they are often not adopted and are the first to be euthanized) is adopted and given a loving home by people who want it, in a case like your friends - they could either return it to the shelter, or let it outside and try to limit that as much as possible. My feeling is that even IF something injures or kills the cat at some point, it was still better off having lived in love and comfort than if it had stayed at the shelter or been euthanized.

I get angry at these smaller foster rescue organizations that turn down any potential adopter who doesn't tick off a long laundry list of requirements to provide each animal with a totally ideal environment 24/7. They would rather keep the animals from ever being adopted in less than "totally perfect" circumstances.

OTOH, I have also been around foster rescues who pressed me to take home any cat I even looked at, whatever I said to them; they didn't care whether I should be (or wanted to) adopt or not; that shocked me as much as the opposite POV.

[NickNack]

@Moonchilde  I agree with you.  The older cat that my friends adopted is absolutely much better off than he would have been.  He had been at PetCo for months.  I don't remember if he was from a shelter or a rescue group.  They didn't intend to ever let him go outside, but he was persistant.

I also agree with you about how some rescue groups try to talk just about anyone into adopting.  I don't understand it.  When I worked with a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel rescue group we were pretty particular.  We did home visits if at all possible.  

[Shawnie]

Some of you will not like what i have to say.  I work at a veterinary hospital, and i see the results of cats that are indoor/outdoor.  The distinction is only in the owners mind. If a cat goes outside it is subject to the risks of the outside world.  It is an outside cat in reality.  They contract parasites, and disease, they get killed by other predators, they get poisoned and die a horrible death, they get hit and killed by cars and they get in horrible fights with other cats and with dogs.  They die horrible deaths.   These same people would not let their dogs roam.  Cats live perfectly healthy and happy lives in doors.  Remember the risks you are exposing your cat to if you let them outside.  

[Moonchilde]

Took family foxtail kitty back to the vet yesterday and had to bring her again this morning to get her scoped and to the bottom of things. They weren't finding anything until they flushed her sinuses and pharynx and out came a lot of pus-y debris and a teeny-tiny dark piece of "something plant." All missed the first time :-(

Antibiotics of course (a single injection, no pills - thank you!). They said she's still going to be gaaking for a couple of days. She isn't interested in food or treats. I hope she feels better tomorrow & eats.

[maestra]

Unfortuantely for kitty it was natural and logical consequence-they were warned and chose to ignore it.

I feel badly for the animal. These people shouldnt have pets-harsh, I know, but use your common sense .