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When I was a kid, my mother didn't like animals and wouldn't let us have any pets in the house beyond turtles, hamsters, etc., that could live in a cage. We'd get stray cats sometimes in the woods behind us and I'd start to feed and befriend them, but every last one would eventually end up dead in the road, hit by cars.
I have cats now as an adult and they stay inside.
Same here, except we weren't even allowed caged animals!
I adopted an indoor/outdoor cat (a neighbor's cat who came to our house all the time & the owner said we could have him (strange) cuz he was always w/ us) & he would beg to go out, go to the door, etc. I ignored him, told him he was never going out again & he eventually calmed down. He played w/ his toys, siblings, etc. They adapt fine, just a matter of retraining them a bit. He was 5 at the time we adopted him.
Does anyone here have ""outdoor"" cats that leave their own home & go to neighbor's houses. I ask because I keep hearing people ""instruct"" others about how to deal with their cats once they have gone to the neighbors. I find such lists exhaustive & expensive. eg requiring neighbors to use their hard earned money on mothballs etc to keep your cats away. It seems a lot of people here think its normal and neighbors should not bat an eye when confronted with your UNWANTED pet?
Some of your neighbors may prefer or think it's OK to let their cats roam. Unless it is illegal to allow cats to roam in your specific jurisdiction, there are two things you can do about it without breaking the law:
1) Educate your neighbors that it's better for their cats' health if the cats remain indoors; or
2) Set up deterrents to keep the cats away from your property.
Does anyone here have ""outdoor"" cats that leave their own home & go to neighbor's houses. I ask because I keep hearing people ""instruct"" others about how to deal with their cats once they have gone to the neighbors. I find such lists exhaustive & expensive. eg requiring neighbors to use their hard earned money on mothballs etc to keep your cats away. It seems a lot of people here think its normal and neighbors should not bat an eye when confronted with your UNWANTED pet?
It seems some people have nothing better to do than continue to try to bait people on this Cats forum. Most people reading here will agree with you that cats should be inside. Boring but true.
I am completely unapologetic about allowing my cats outdoors. I feel bad for indoor cats. Never feeling the sunshine, slinking through grass, climbing a tree, or chasing a mouse.
Sure there are dangers outside, but cats are amazing and have survived thousands years without been forced into a unnatural environment.
I would rather my cats have 12 years of joy and being able to experience their natural instincts than 16 years of staring out the window wishing they could run in the grass.
That being said, there is not a right way and a wrong way to care for a cat. Every family needs to decide what is right for them and their animal.
When I take my indoor cats out into a small fenced yard in the summer (wearing harnesses, never left alone) they prefer to walk and lie on the rugs I place around the yard for them. So much for running through the grass.
Some of your neighbors may prefer or think it's OK to let their cats roam. Unless it is illegal to allow cats to roam in your specific jurisdiction, there are two things you can do about it without breaking the law:
1) Educate your neighbors that it's better for their cats' health if the cats remain indoors; or
2) Set up deterrents to keep the cats away from your property.
Safe deterrents please. No poison, cat hating dogs or guns.
Most people reading here will agree with you that cats should be inside. Boring but true.
We have a small acreage..5 of our cats are outside at all times. They love it here, there's lots of places for them to curl up in...they might wander a little, but since the neighbors have dogs they stay fairly close.
We treat them very well, and they reward us by keeping the mice and rats away.
There's nothing boring in their lives.
Some of your neighbors may prefer or think it's OK to let their cats roam. Unless it is illegal to allow cats to roam in your specific jurisdiction, there are two things you can do about it without breaking the law:
1) Educate your neighbors that it's better for their cats' health if the cats remain indoors; or
2) Set up deterrents to keep the cats away from your property.
The problem with these cats is that you don't know by looking at it who it belongs to. So you have no way of pin pointing whose cat it is. And cats can roam for 1 to 2 km. So you might not be dealing with a direct neighbor's cat.
As for these so called ""deterrents"" like some one said, they can not be applied to every square inch of the property and of course cats roam every square inch. Also most people do not want to be bothered with spending money and valuable time deterring someone's pets. Also most ""humane"" methods are temporary & ineffective so unfortunately I have seen a lot of cruel methods used out there. Unfair to cats.
Letting cats roam is legal in most places BUT so is having rat poison in your yard, to get rid of rats or planting what ever cats do not like. I'm not saying its right. Just talking about the reality.
So at the end of the day I think outdoor cats who roam the neighborhood, IMO this should be illegal. Thoughts?
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Your cats will live a LOOONG healthy life!
