Shall I Free My Cat?

[solomonar]

"He might care more that it is YOU walking him. Cats get attached easy and detached is like people, not easy."

You are right. But is a strange feeling. Absolutely different (for me) than walking a dog.

 

[solomonar]

I am leaving now, It is late night here. Thanks everybody!

 

[FelinskiFamily]

Cats love to hunt. Mine brings lizards, bugs (and twice a mouse) and keeps hunting them until they die or until I throw them out. Oh, and once a bird. My kitchen floor was covered with feathers. And he still spends only short periods of time outside, loves being warm and safe and having his belly full. Sometimes he wants to go outside when it's not possible, but that doesn't mean I should re-home him. And neither should you. I have an important question: is he neutered? If not, that might be the main reason he cries to get out because he wants to be with a girlfriend. Also if he isn't fixed, don't "set him free", because it can result in thousands of new kittens who will never stand a chance. Neutering him might fix your problem.

 

[Caspers Human]

Casper was an abandoned cat.

He had a home and his previous human abandoned him outdoors.

We adopted him from an Animal Welfare Society and he has been living with us for almost two years. He is, now, 100% an indoor cat. Only one time did he sneak out right after we first brought him home. His girl-human opened the door to go outside to get the mail. It was cold and snowy out. Casper only made it as far as the front doorstep before he decided that it was warmer indoors. That was the first and last time he went outside and I don't think he even wants to go out, anymore.

Casper knows that he is warm and safe living indoors. He has two humans who love him and take care of him. He is *THE* most well-behaved cat I have ever known.

He only has three rules in this house:
1) Use the litter box.
2) Don't scratch the furniture.
3) Don't jump up on the kitchen counter/stove. (Because we don't want him to get hurt or burned on the stove.)

Casper is a fastidious litter box user. On the rare occasion when he does break a rule we just say, "Cas-PER!" (With the same voice you might use if you catch a kid with his hand in the cookie jar. ) He gives us that "I'm sorry..." look that cats are famous for then we give him a pat on the head and it's all-good.

Casper has every toy a cat could need and all the catnip he wants. He's got cardboard boxes to play "hide-and-seek" in and all the newspapers he can shred. We put a bird feeder on the back patio so he can watch birds and squirrels and we even got a Betta Fish (Siamese Fighting Fish) for him to watch in a fish bowl. (The fish bowl has a cover on it.)

Casper's girl-human crocheted him a nice kitty bed and he sleeps there almost every night. He is warm, safe, well fed and cared for and I am certain that he knows it, too. He never wants to go back to living outdoors to fend for himself again!

If Casper had a motto it would be, "It is GOOD to be indoors!"

When animals like cats and dogs were domesticated, thousands of years ago, we made them dependent upon us. If there is ever a "zombie apocalypse" where there aren't any humans to take care of them, more than half of all pets would be dead within three months. The majority of the remainder would be hungry, sick and dying within the next three to six months. Approximately 75% of all pets would be dead within a year!

Some people say that cats are self-reliant and can live on their own. Some cats may, very well but, in reality, those that do will have miserable, brutish and short lives!

With that in mind, I believe that, once a person takes an animal in, he is RESPONSIBLE for it and is OBLIGED to make his every effort to ensure that his pet is cared for to the best of his ability. If he can't take care of it he should find somebody else who can.

To do otherwise is patently immoral!

If your question is "freedom" you can look at it in two ways:
1) "Freedom" to move at one's own liberty.
2) "Freedom" from want.

The two are not necessarily mutually exclusive but they do exist on a continuum. One may have one type of "freedom" but that probably means giving up some measure of the other. You can't have your cake and eat it, too!

In reality, the concept of "freedom" exists in many shades of gray. It is up to the individual to decide what freedom means to them but he must also accept the consequences of his own decisions.

Humans have the ability to weigh the benefits and consequences of such decisions but domestic animals do not. We took that away from them, thousands of years ago, when we made them our pets but, in return, we gave them food, shelter, love and well-being.

I, personally, have owned two cats and have been co-owner of two others. All of them have been indoor cats and I don't believe that any of them miss being outdoors beyond the natural curiosity or territoriality that is natural to cats.

Out of the dozen or so cats that I have had the pleasure to make more-than-casual acquaintance with, ALL of them have been indoor cats and only ONE met with an untimely end. That was "K.C." my first cat. I was in college at the time and I had moved from one apartment to another. My new landlord said I couldn't have a cat so I sent K.C. home to live with my family. My stupid brother let him outside where he was promptly run over by a car and killed.

If you want my advice, I would say to keep your kitty indoors and make sure that he knows that you love him.

If you think that your cat misses the "Great Outdoors" consider what he has gotten in return. Also consider what you have gotten in the deal.

I am certain that cats know which side of their bread has the butter on it!

 

[Shane Kent]

"He might care more that it is YOU walking him. Cats get attached easy and detached is like people, not easy."

You are right. But is a strange feeling. Absolutely different (for me) than walking a dog.

I would guess that my neighbors think I am strange. Nobody else in my neighborhood lets their cats out and follows them around the property. Some of my neighbors allow their cats to roam the neighborhood but none of them go outside with them. I might have a neighbor that goes out in their backyard but I have never seen anyone else on their front lawn with a cat. I am accustomed to doing it because I used to live in an apartment with two cats. I took them out on occasion as I felt it was a nice change from being in the apartment.

I appreciate that you care so much about your cat's feelings but if the cat has grown attached to you I don't think you should give it freedom. I would have to assume you mean more to the cat than his freedom does. I rescued two feral cats and had them in the building I work at. I had a home lined up for them but the person changed their mind. It was a good thing they changed their mind because I was going to have a hard time giving up Rusty. He had grown incredibly attached to me and I envisioned a screaming baby being pulled from it's mother's arms. It took a lot of convincing my wife before she allowed me to take Rusty and his sister home to live with our two cats.

My big baby Rusty laying on my desk at work. Using my arm as his pillow.

rustyonwrist.jpg

• Shane Kent
• Jan 18, 2017

I think I would have broken Rusty's heart if I gave him to someone else.

 

[FelinskiFamily]

I would guess that my neighbors think I am strange. Nobody else in my neighborhood lets their cats out and follows them around the property. Some of my neighbors allow their cats to roam the neighborhood but none of them go outside with them. I might have a neighbor that goes out in their backyard but I have never seen anyone else on their front lawn with a cat. I am accustomed to doing it because I used to live in an apartment with two cats. I took them out on occasion as I felt it was a nice change from being in the apartment.

I appreciate that you care so much about your cat's feelings but if the cat has grown attached to you I don't think you should give it freedom. I would have to assume you mean more to the cat than his freedom does. I rescued two feral cats and had them in the building I work at. I had a home lined up for them but the person changed their mind. It was a good thing they changed their mind because I was going to have a hard time giving up Rusty. He had grown incredibly attached to me and I envisioned a screaming baby being pulled from it's mother's arms. It took a lot of convincing but my wife let me take Rusty and his sister home to live with our two cats.

My big baby Rusty laying on my desk at work. Using my arm as his pillow.

rustyonwrist.jpg

• Shane Kent
• Jan 18, 2017

I think I would have broken Rusty's heart if I gave him to someone else.

Awww... he's beautiful. Yesterday the weather was bad and as the rain came down Julio came inside although there's a covered part in front of the salon door and as I said, he does like to go out. They need their home where they feel safe, and especially if OP's kitty spent the first 6 months of his life outside unprotected, I don't think he'd love the idea of going back to the streets full-time.
This is him (with his new sister) contemplating the universe:

 

[basscat]

The difference between a housecat and a wildcat. When left to their own accord, Housecats gravitate to people. Wildcats don't.
You just don't see feral house cats living in the wilderness (woods). A feral house cat may too wild to approach, but, it's going to be somewhat near civilization and surviving on something directly related to people.

Now, while that makes sense in my head? It seems like I remember something about feral house cats in Australia surviving in the wilderness to the point of becoming a nuisance.
If I am remembering that correctly, it sure contradicts my initial thinking. ugh....

 

[solomonar]

quote basscat : "The difference between a housecat and a wildcat. When left to their own accord, Housecats gravitate to people. Wildcats don't."

[I still cant use the quote system - the paragraph get lost while I am trying to quote :-((]

My experience: I saw cats near woods - they were few km (miles) from the closest household. I doubt they belong to humans. I have read about cats who colonized an entire island, to the point of becoming a real pest (I do not remember its name). So it looks like one way or another cats can make a life on their own. They are known as the most adaptable mammal ever. Their versatility in hunting - from insects to birds and big rats, their resistance to adverse weather conditions to conquer new territories - are also un-parallel in the animal world, as far as I know.

I also saw cats "gravitating" around people. That is quite common in some places here. Some even say the cats only look for resources, so they don't care from whom they get it. I do not share this opinion, but is worth mentioning.

 

[solomonar]

... and a very strange impact of walking my cat: he started to look into my eyes. Never did this before.

 

[Shane Kent]

... he started to look into my eyes. Never did this before.

He is probably falling deeper in love with you

 

[solomonar]

In cats, looking directly into eyes is a sign of aggressive attitude. :-(

 

[Artistwolf]

No it doesn't, at least not always. If a cat stares into your eyes and blinks slowly, it means that they love you.

 

[Shane Kent]

In cats, looking directly into eyes is a sign of aggressive attitude. :-(

My cats look into my eyes and only Taz is somewhat aggressive. It can be aggression but not necessarily aggression. Zoe does it when she wants to go outside or wants something to eat and she is not an aggressive cat at all. Mine typically do it when they want something from me. Food, attention, treats, or a window open.

 

[danteshuman]

Yep a cat looking into your eyes is not bad unless their body is saying aggression (ears back, hair standing up, hissing, tail twitching in agitation is also not a good sign.) It sounds like your guy is more likely asking you where you are headed if I were to guess. People think I'm weird for bending over backward to find chicken free food my cat isn't allergic to. I ignore them and smile to myself because I have happy/healthy/OK slightly pudgy cats. So ignore the weird looks as you walk your cat. At the end of the day he is happy & healthy ...... and that is the goal, right?

 

[FelinskiFamily]

Of course there are cats who live outside. The point is they are not happier.

 

[mokapi]

In cats, looking directly into eyes is a sign of aggressive attitude. :-(

No, it doesn't. A cat staring at you means that he's curious about what you're up to. A cat can read your body language...it's possible he was feeling stressed or concerned in that moment, and looked to you to decide if he should continue being hypervigilant, or if things are okay.

My older cat will frequently gaze at me from across a room. He likes to sit on my chest and stare at me. He stares at me if I move. He stares at me when I call his name.

You're the center of your cat's universe. That's why he stares at you. If you haven't noticed it before, you might just not be paying close attention.