#1 reason kitties should NEVER be outdoors

[zoom-zoom]

The stats on song bird loss due to domestic cat hunting are significant.

Isn't it Aus or NZ where it's illegal to allow pet cats outdoors, because of out-of-control breeding and decimation of endangered bird population...?

[missjean]

Poor little thing! I wonder how she first got herself stuck.
You did the very best you could, so don't feel bad.

I use to have lots of birds in my back yard, but last year 2 cats started showing up and now the birds stay away.

[GLC1968]

I'm sorry you had to go through that...poor kitty.

I will say that there are very good reasons that people let cats outdoors in rural areas including the expectation that they will chase the birds from eating the seeds we've planted and the berries and grapes that we grow. Without cats, we'd have a huge rodent problem in and around our property, our out-buildings (where we store feed) and our home. Our cat has a job to do and locking him in our house would not allow him to do it. That said, certain precautions should be taken with outdoor cats and not doing so is very irresponsible. Even though farm cats spend most, if not all, of their time outside, they should still be cared for like the family members that they are and I know a lot of rural residents don't bother. THAT annoys me.

I can't speak for urban or suburban areas.

[zoom-zoom]

Yeah, I think the farm setting is the exception to the rule. But the vast majority of cat owners don't live on farms and they are the ones responsible for the overpopulation.

[GLC1968]

Anyone who lets an un-fixed cat roam freely is totally irresponsible whether they live on a farm or not. There is absolutely no excuse for that at all.

Cats that get eaten by coyotes is a fact of life out here. Cats that reproduce willy-nilly should NOT be.

[zoom-zoom]

Anyone who lets an un-fixed cat roam freely is totally irresponsible whether they live on a farm or not. There is absolutely no excuse for that at all.

Cats that get eaten by coyotes is a fact of life out here. Cats that reproduce willy-nilly should NOT be.

+1 meeeeellion!

[Koronin]

I also agree that typically a cat should be inside, but there are situations such as a working farm that there are going to be outside cats. To me as long as they are being properly cared for although ideal it is an ok situation. Another one is the feral cats, esp a colony with a caretaker who is feeding them and getting them fixed and getting them to the vet in case of medical issues.

[Miranda]

I am so sorry that happened to you. And to the kitty. I hope your tests turn out ok. It just brought tears to my eyes.

Yes, I don't know wth is wrong with people either. I think life is always funny when it's happening to 'someone else'. Makes me so mad.

With the permanent damage I suffered from my bike-loose-dog-crash all the a** guy could say say was, "uh well, I live out here in the country, why would I need to keep my dog tied up?". Besides all the permanent damage I know now I have I wanted to say, "ya, take a look at my FACE for starters, you f*** head (as half my face was ripped off bleeding talking to him)". Wish there was "an eye for eye" instantly in the world sometimes.

We had a stray I saved from straving to death that someone threw out that I loved. I fed her and nursed her back to health. DH is allergic to cats so we couldn't officially keep her. We had concluded we would try to keep her in the garage somehow. But then she got pregnant (which I didn't realize at the time), and birthed her 1st baby breach. I was hystrerical crying as she was dieing, panting in distress, when I randomly found her at the porch to eat, with the dead kitten half out of her. I called the vet/shelter for help. But in the end they put her down when they came out. I should have probably taken her before to the shelter. But I knew they would kill her within a few days, being an adult cat. I would have never thought her fate would end like that either.

I wonder if the people who throw these animals out have any type of conscious? I would love to have more pets. But the one dog I own is all I can afford to take care of properly. The vet has to eat also I understand. But their services are not cheap!

I think you did the best you could for her.