Just another reason....

[momto3boys]

to keep your cat inside!

So my best friend moved to town and I dont get to see her as much anymore, when she lived beside me she had 2 indoor cats, Pepper and Blizzard. You can't let cats outside here because of the foxes and coyotes so when she moved to this quiet little subdivision with her fenced in backyad she thought it was safe.

She was just telling me yesterday how well the cats are doing, they never leave the yard, always come in at night, etc etc.

So she leaves here and goes home, about half an hr later she callsme from her cell phone crying hysterically and I couldnt even understand what she was saying.....Finally I made it out. "OMG Brandy, I just ran over one of my cats"

My heart sank. He was still alive but she kept saying his leg hurts, she was so hysterical and was all alone and of course I had no vehicle to go help. She couldn't process what to do next so I had to tell her to call the vet and tell her you were on your way, call the school and pick up your kids, take the kids and the cat to the vet. She started calming down and she did exactly what I told her.

She called me about an hr later and Blizzard is OKAY, thankfully. No broken bones, just sore and shaken up. The vet figures she ran into him and not over him when she was backing up.

This was an eye opener for her and she's not letting them outside anymore. So for you people that say your cats are safe outside because they stay in your yard, no heavy traffic in your area, etc....well I hate to burst your bubble but things can still happen!

 

[mrblanche]

I always tell people who say their cats "never leave the yard" and "know how to stay out of traffic" that a 10 lb cat will lose to a 3,000 lb car every time, it only takes a moment, cats always like to expand their territory, and, if all that fails, to read through the "Crossing the Bridge" section here.

 

[bastetservant]

I just read an interesting (though disturbing) non-fiction book by a woman who lived with 8 or more cats, indoor/outdoor, out in the country. Each chapter was about each cat - how she acquired them, their character and personality, and lessons about life she's learned from each of them. But more than half were dead from untimely accidents such as poisons, wild animal attacts, etc.

It was really an eye opener to me as I always thought that if I ever lived in some remote place, I'd let my cats out. Now I'm sure I never will.

Robin

 

[rafm]

As much as I know a couple of my cats would love to go outside, I have to tell myself that I am the human and understand the risks and dangers that are out there for a cat, they don't. They just think of it as a big playground. It's not.

 

[darkmavis]

I would like my 2 cats to read this, then maybe they wouldn't be such door darters! At least Genever only tries to escape out the back, but Dot tries (and often does) run out the front. Luckily they both stop at the edge of the steps and I can get them back inside easily, but I'm so afraid one of these times Dot's gonna run out while a dog is walking by. Some neighbors walk their dogs to the nearby park with no leash.

 

[3catsn1dog]

I knock on wood every single day that my inside cats are not door darters and that df was nice enough to be weaseled into not closing up under the trailer so the outside cats can live under it. I am not naive enough to think that nothing could happen to the outside cats but I try to give them a safety zone where they feel safe from dangers. Like noone is allowed to park in the yard by the back porch, its strictly NO PARKING so that way I dont have to worry about someone parking in their space. But everyday I do morning and night checks on my outside cats and thank heavens that knock on wood we havent had anyone go missing.

 

[presto]

I think the issue at hand is whether a cat grows up indoors or outdoors. An indoor cat CANNOT be outside and be safe - they don't know how. But I believe that to confine an otherwise outdoor cat indoors for the rest of its life is not right either.

The exact same principles apply to "wild" animals. If a bear or leopard is raised in captivity, chances are they can never go back to the wild. Animals must learn their survival skills from their parents in the wild, or in extaordinary cases from professional people. If you have the money and the space AND the will, you can build an outdoor enclosure for your cats. And I don't mean a fence!