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We've decided that after he's gone, we'll foster senior cats for our local no-kill shelter.
My last cat - a feral tabby named Miss Cleo - was adopted from a "no kill shelter."
Back many years ago, when I growing up in suburban Broward County Florida, letting cats out of the house was not such a bad idea because the streets were quiet, homes where on spacious lots, there were practically no trucks, buses, taxis, train tracks or trolleys. I cannot understand why my neighbor (who happens to be a distinguished restauranteur) who lives in a larger 3 story Victorian like me lets Tom out of the house. I firmly belive you are shortening the lifespan of your pet by letting them wander around the streets of a big city.
I let my cats out when I lived in the city because their begging to go out was too much for me. I like living in the country now and the cats are let out because they are expected to get rid of the mice. They like the freedom.
Coyotes and other mammals here, too. But mainly hawks.
When we moved here in 1993, letting cats roam was the norm. Actually feral cats were a problem.
But that changed about 6-7 years ago. As the area around us was developed, apparently the coyotes, hawks, foxes, and bobcats lost the fields in which they had previously hunted rabbits and other small game. First the feral cats disappeared, then the domestic cats.
There are several things about our house and yard that made it a magnet for the neighbors' cats, and we enjoyed having them visit. But one by one, they began to vanish.
Oddly, there are many folks who refuse to believe it's the hawks and coyotes. They insist that people are poisoning and stealing their cats. Not sure what that's about, maybe it alleviates their guilt somewhat in that they think they (i.e., the cat owners) are being outwitted? Anyway, anyone with eyes to see can step outside and see the hawks soaring over. It's the fabled cycle/circle of life. Truth be told, being snatched and killed by a hawk seems a easier death than the starvation and disease that plagues many stray and feral cats.
But I do miss the time when the neighborhood was safe for cats to roam.
I even saw a large owl with a cat in it's talons one night in Davis, CA. Flew right by me. I had heard they would snatch cats, but had questioned it until I saw it with my own eyes.
I'd see coyotes with cats occasionally when I lived in a small mountain town in WA. It definitely happens.
I even saw a large owl with a cat in it's talons one night in Davis, CA. Flew right by me. I had heard they would snatch cats, but had questioned it until I saw it with my own eyes.
We have owls here too, never thought of them as contributing to the problem.
I'll probably get a couple of bad reps for this but DH & I have said that when the time comes to let our beloved elderly cat go, the easiest end might be to just put him out in the front yard.
Our vet is a cat specialist, has been treating only cats -no other animals- for 35+ years and consults throughout the region. He put our last 2 cats down. When we tell him this is something we think about, he says it's not a bad plan. We won't really do it of course. Still, it's not a bad way for an old, frail cat to go.
We have owls here too, never thought of them as contributing to the problem.
I'll probably get a couple of bad reps for this but DH & I have said that when the time comes to let our beloved elderly cat go, the easiest end might be to just put him out in the front yard.
Our vet is a cat specialist, has been treating only cats -no other animals- for 35+ years and consults throughout the region. He put our last 2 cats down. When we tell him this is something we think about, he says it's not a bad plan. We won't really do it of course. Still, it's not a bad way for an old, frail cat to go.
Oh no! Surely you're not serious! I have worries about small animals like my little Jack Russell being carried away. What if elderly frail humans were put out in the yard to be taken away in the sky?
What if elderly frail humans were put out in the yard to be taken away in the sky?
I'd give it some thought. IMO there are far worse fates for both cats and humans when health and quality of life have deteriorated past the point of return.
I'd give it some thought. IMO there are far worse fates for both cats and humans when health and quality of life have deteriorated past the point of return.
I think that's an awful idea. The poor old thing would feel totally abandoned by the folks who lovingly care for him/her all his life. He would never understand why, at this moment, in his elderly years, he is being thrown away to fend for himself. I truly hope you are kidding !!!
I think that's an awful idea. The poor old thing would feel totally abandoned by the folks who lovingly care for him/her all his life. He would never understand why, at this moment, in his elderly years, he is being thrown away to fend for himself. I truly hope you are kidding !!!
You must have missed my original post.
Also I was speaking of when the time comes to put him down - when he's suffering and unable to fend for himself. I think taking them to the vet's office for euthanasia is barbaric: the car trip, the alien environment, the strange smells and sights. Our vet comes to the house.
Quote:
Originally Posted by biscuitmom
We won't really do it of course. Still, it's not a bad way for an old, frail cat to go.
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IMO there are far worse fates for both cats and humans when health and quality of life have deteriorated past the point of return.