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If You Let Your Cat Outside.............

Lady Jane

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There are safe cat collars to put on a cat that is outside. Plus over that collar there is a brightly colored cover to scare birds away from the cat. I just became aware of this and share with you. I do not let Inky outside on the advice of my vet. He said since she was at one time a stray and familiar with outdoors if she got out of the leash or harness I would never see her again. So Inky lives her entire life in my small apartment. I do my best to entertain her.

 

Shezbug

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I’d be scared they’d get that collar cover caught up on something, it really is best to just keep all cats indoors or caged in yards- safest for them, the wildlife and your neighbours.
I honestly wish every cat owner kept their cats indoors or at a minimum on their own property. I haven’t owned a cat in a few years now but unfortunately I still get to regularly pick up or clean away disgusting germy cat turds and urine from my yard and belongings (darn things spray the dog belongings every now and then), that along with the removal of numerous dead lizards, birds, and bats that cats kill or maim makes me hate that irresponsible people allow cats to roam about freely.
 

FeatheredM

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I think it's a really nice option for those who can't contain their cats inside or have barn cats.
 

Peachfaced

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I’d be scared they’d get that collar cover caught up on something, it really is best to just keep all cats indoors or caged in yards- safest for them, the wildlife and your neighbours.
I honestly wish every cat owner kept their cats indoors or at a minimum on their own property. I haven’t owned a cat in a few years now but unfortunately I still get to regularly pick up or clean away disgusting germy cat turds and urine from my yard and belongings (darn things spray the dog belongings every now and then), that along with the removal of numerous dead lizards, birds, and bats that cats kill or maim makes me hate that irresponsible people allow cats to roam about freely.
There are outdoor enclosures that are collapsible that work really well, if permanent outdoor enclosures aren't doable. I think those would be safer for everyone than a huge collar that could easily strangle the cat.
 

Shezbug

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I think it's a really nice option for those who can't contain their cats inside or have barn cats.
I get where you’re coming from (freedom for the cat is a nice thought if you only take into account the cats enjoyment and don’t consider the right’s of every other living being around them).
I personally think it’s a really nice option for those who can’t comfortably contain cats to their own properties to simply not have them. People tend to think about cats differently than other animals- but if you can’t contain a dog or other chosen pets to your own property you legally will not be allowed to keep it in most places I can think of.
I just can’t and won’t ever be ok with the idea that cat owners think allowing cats to roam about freely is ok (when dogs and other pets aren’t allowed to) regardless of what collar you choose they will still kill other living beings and leave dangerous germ ridden poop in yards that they don’t live in. They can carry some terrible diseases which are transmittable to humans.
There’s a lovely cat that roams freely (for now) at the house I’m currently renovating… it’s cost me more money than the owners have spent on it in its whole life… peeing on my new plaster and crapping in a pile of building debris, spraying my building material deliveries with urine - I have also had to replace new plaster and new flooring as they were raw materials not yet covered with protective flooring or paint… why should this cat I don’t own be allowed to be such a problem for me on my property??
I’ll never agree with allowing them roam free onto others property or to get at wildlife. I’ve lived in many houses and had a few cats in my life- they are very easy to contain so they’re only a problem for the actual owner of them.
 
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FeatheredM

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I get where you’re coming from (freedom for the cat is a nice thought if you only take into account the cats enjoyment and don’t consider the right’s of every other living being around them).
I personally think it’s a really nice option for those who can’t comfortably contain cats to their own properties to simply not have them. People tend to think about cats differently than other animals- but if you can’t contain a dog or other chosen pets to your own property you legally will not be allowed to keep it in most places I can think of.
I just can’t and won’t ever be ok with the idea that cat owners think allowing cats to roam about freely is ok (when dogs and other pets aren’t allowed to) regardless of what collar you choose they will still kill other living beings and leave dangerous germ ridden poop in yards that they don’t live in. They can carry some terrible diseases which are transmittable to humans.
There’s a lovely cat that roams freely (for now) at the house I’m currently renovating… it’s cost me more money than the owners have spent on it in its whole life… peeing on my new plaster and crapping in a pile of building debris, spraying my building material deliveries with urine - I have also had to replace new plaster and new flooring as they were raw materials not yet covered with protective flooring or paint… why should this cat I don’t own be allowed to be such a problem for me on my property??
I’ll never agree with allowing them roam free onto others property or to get at wildlife. I’ve lived in many houses and had a few cats in my life- they are very easy to contain so they’re only a problem for the actual owner of them.
For some keeping a cat inside is impossible. Sometimes the cat wants to forcefully be out and will wait behind the door as you enter. It can because they adopted a cat that was use to outdoors, or because they didn't properly keep the cat inside from when they got it as a kitten as they should have. And others have barna which can be a target for mice and need cats to catch them. A friend of my mom's has barn cats that keep her barn mouse free. And on a barn, usually the property is big enough for the cat to keep in it.
 

jermajay

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For some keeping a cat inside is impossible. Sometimes the cat wants to forcefully be out and will wait behind the door as you enter. It can because they adopted a cat that was use to outdoors, or because they didn't properly keep the cat inside from when they got it as a kitten as they should have. And others have barna which can be a target for mice and need cats to catch them. A friend of my mom's has barn cats that keep her barn mouse free. And on a barn, usually the property is big enough for the cat to keep in it.
Barns are only a target for mice if people don't store their feeds correctly. Even so, there are many more effective ways of rodent control than cats. EVEN if cats were 100% necessary, just close the barn doors and keep them inside. Keeping cats outside on a farm is still unacceptable, perhaps more so IMO since they will be targeting wildlife much more than in suburbia.
 

Feathery

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Outdoor cats kill an estimated 2.4 BILLION birds every year in the United States alone. They've contributed to the extinction of many species. They're the NUMBER ONE man caused death of birds.

My neighbors have a couple of cats that roam around and frequent my yard. They use my mulch as a litter box and I smell it when I go out. If they happen to decide to drop a turd in my grass, you but your butt my dog will find it and roll in it. Then I have to give him a bath, which at just under 100 lbs it's no easy task!

I've picked up dead bunnies and birds from my yard that the cats have left behind. They're not killing for survival, but sport. It's really heartbreaking.

There's one cat in particular that has been a nuisance recently howling outside my windows. I guess it's mating season for the cat. I have purchased a trap, animal gloves, and some canned cat food and contacted local animal control. I'm well within my rights to trap cats on my property. While I will not kill the cat, I will be taking it the animal control center when I do trap him.

(Un)lucky for the cat, it recently broke its leg and is in a cast and is being kept indoors.. for now.
 
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fashionfobie

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Barns are only a target for mice if people don't store their feeds correctly. Even so, there are many more effective ways of rodent control than cats. EVEN if cats were 100% necessary, just close the barn doors and keep them inside. Keeping cats outside on a farm is still unacceptable, perhaps more so IMO since they will be targeting wildlife much more than in suburbia.
I think you raise some good points about barn cats. Some other concerns with barn cats are the risks of getting bitten by a mouse/rat that may be carrying a disease, even though cats can't get rabies per say, I believe they can still carry it. (Someone should fact check this, we don't have rabies in Australia.)

Another problem with barn cats is over breeding. Barn cats, not always of course, but may not get vet care nor be neutered. I knew a lady who fed feral cats, most of them were from the neighbouring farm. What started as 4 free kittens... Turned into 30+ fetal cats... The original 4 cats were siblings.
 

FeatheredM

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I think you raise some good points about barn cats. Some other concerns with barn cats are the risks of getting bitten by a mouse/rat that may be carrying a disease, even though cats can't get rabies per say, I believe they can still carry it. (Someone should fact check this, we don't have rabies in Australia.)

Another problem with barn cats is over breeding. Barn cats, not always of course, but may not get vet care nor be neutered. I knew a lady who fed feral cats, most of them were from the neighbouring farm. What started as 4 free kittens... Turned into 30+ fetal cats... The original 4 cats were siblings.
Oh I hate it when they won't neuter their cats!!!!!!!!! That, I think it is the biggest problem because the population of cats spread so fast. We just had a kitten problem with our neighbor's cats. Alot of kittens died but we managed to rescue 6 kittens. We are took them to a place where they take care of kittens, and dogs. They also neuter/spay them. You can't stop all cats from going outside, but the world could easily drop the cat population by doing their part of spaying and neutering and spaying their animals.
 

Lady Jane

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I think when a cat has been outdoors for any length of time it is almost impossible to keep them inside. I have seen this twice. One of my friends managed to trap a mama cat and her kittens with the intention of taming the kittens. She put them in a spare bedroom for overnight. Next day mama cat deserted her kittens in an effort to get back outdoors. She jumped through the window screen from second floor and ran back into woods. All but two of the kittens were taken to a rescue. I took one of them and my friend kept the other. The little kitten grew up with me indoors but acted quite wild and never fit in with my other cats.

Second time a homeless cat got caught in the stairwell of my condo. I came home from work and there he was lying on a step. He saw and ran to first floor and jumped up as high as the ceiling attempting to get out the front door. He was in a panic to get out. I opened the door and out he ran. So in essence, cats that has not been raised indoors will not easily be tamed.
Its a shame that some people do not spay/neuter their cats or do not seem to care if they get outdoors. Yes, they are predators and kill birds.
 

Sparkles99

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The Indoor Cat Initiative has great tips on keeping indoor cats happy. I think you might like it, Lady Jane! For Cat Owners | Indoor Pet Initiative

It's rarely true that cats can't adapt to indoor life. Most can. The ones that can't are put up for adoption by shelters as working/barn cats. The fact that reputable SPCAs & humane societies rarely do this is proof enough that cats are adaptable to life indoors.

One of our past cats was born at a barn I rode at, sired by the most feral/semi-wild cat I've ever encountered & raised by his barn cat mother 'till he was 6 months old (cat preference is 24, not 12, weeks). He roamed about ever wider stretches of truly wild, desolate territory as, being a he, he was increasingly unwelcome by the resident tom (who wasn't his father; his father was a fly by night, here today-gone tomorrow kind of tom). We took him in cold turkey at a year.

He loved the indoor life. Had to get used to TVs (they really spooked him at first). And he was impressive. Could jump 6' from a standstill & then stare at you like if the ceiling/furniture were higher, that was nothing. Once in a blue moon, he'd go out for a walk on a leash. He didn't lose his barn skills though, & they were put to great use when some mice imprudently decided to move in. He also didn't start to 'play' with them. Their deaths were swift & ASAP. All these people saying their cats 'need' to hunt, because, see, there they are 'playing' with an innocent field mouse or fledgling are liars/delusional. A real barn cat kills. Period. It's not a game to them.

So, I don't believe 99% of cats can't adapt to indoor life. Here we come to the real reason they're shuffled outdoors: human convenience. Some people are incurably lazy, at least as far as animals go, & don't want to clean a litter box. Cats are such easy pets. If you eliminate the litter box, it's almost like having an adult room mate, rather than a dependent animal. They will cite all sorts of 'needs' & 'instincts'. At the end of the day, like dogs but unlike all the others, cats chose to be domesticated. It's not a crime to not want to clean a litter box. But it is if you then get a cat & impose it on the resident wildlife.
 

Lady Jane

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This was difficult for me to read. But IS it the answer?


 

AussieBird

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It’s a topic that conflicting for me...
We say birds shouldn’t be caged, but we insist on confining cats to houses whether they want to be there or not?? We say pet parrots should be given as much choice as possible to keep them happy, but we’re removing as much choice as we can for the cats??
Now please don’t go at me thinking I am pro outdoor, the amount of times I’ve had to pry poor birds out of a cat’s mouth (NOT my cat) only for it to die before it can receive vet care has certainly impacted me.
But I also grow up with cats being allowed to roam where they wished, we even had a cat who disappeared for months at a time only to show up in time for dinner for a few days before he went on his next outing.
I think outdoor cat runs (generally in addition to being kept indoors) should be considered by a lot of cat owners. I am in the process of helping a family member organise something similar for their cat who insist on slipping through the door every chance he gets (his is for his safety more then other issues, I don’t believe any cat should be allowed to roam in high road traffic towns)
 

Lady Jane

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It is vert conflicting. I have seen amazing outdoor areas made for cats that keep birds out. Not every
one can afford to build them. Thanks for helping
 

fashionfobie

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I understand how conflicting it is.

You may be interested in this rather interesting article on feral cats and misperceptions. I will supply the link below, I hope it works.

 

jermajay

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It’s a topic that conflicting for me...
We say birds shouldn’t be caged, but we insist on confining cats to houses whether they want to be there or not?? We say pet parrots should be given as much choice as possible to keep them happy, but we’re removing as much choice as we can for the cats??
Now please don’t go at me thinking I am pro outdoor, the amount of times I’ve had to pry poor birds out of a cat’s mouth (NOT my cat) only for it to die before it can receive vet care has certainly impacted me.
But I also grow up with cats being allowed to roam where they wished, we even had a cat who disappeared for months at a time only to show up in time for dinner for a few days before he went on his next outing.
I think outdoor cat runs (generally in addition to being kept indoors) should be considered by a lot of cat owners. I am in the process of helping a family member organise something similar for their cat who insist on slipping through the door every chance he gets (his is for his safety more then other issues, I don’t believe any cat should be allowed to roam in high road traffic towns)
I think a more accurate analogy would be people who say to set parrots free. I actually know someone who lets his parrots outside during the day and brings them in at night, just like outdoor cat people do. No one's keeping cats confined to a cat-cage inside, like parrots are, so I don't think it's a fair comparison.

Although I do agree that most people don't give cats nearly enough entertainment. IMO one of the biggest reasons cats want to go outside is because they get entertainment out there, mostly in the form of chasing animals but also scratching bark, climbing trees, interacting with new things. Or even just that it's more peaceful outside, they don't like the loud noises inside. It just bothers me that people look at cats wanting to go outside and say right, Outside is the magic key here, and don't look at why. I'm confidant that if people made an effort to work out why their cats wanted to go outside, they could replicate that environment inside.
 

Tyrion

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My cats are indoor cats but every now and then they escape and head outside .They stay on our property scared to venture out ..they have break away collars with bells on and I have never seen them catch a bird or anything.. I have two huge cat trees in the house one in the living room and one in the kitchen also we have a screened in deck for them .. So they dont venter out very often then seem content in the house ..its only in the spring that they try to escape .. I have had indoor cats since I was 16 and it really is the enrichment provided in the house that keeps them happy :)
 
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