pet care and neighbours and dilemmas

[Irulan]

I think a lot depends on where you live...if you're in town or right near a busy road, there is a lot more risk of the cat getting hit by a car and it's probably best to keep them inside. If you live out in the country, it's reasonably safe (provided there aren't a lot of critters around that like to eat cats) to let the cat outside, it's more natural and they probably really enjoy it.

I'm going to disagree here. In rural situations, you might not have a lot of traffic, but you have coyotes and other predators and parasites.
As for "natural" behavior, is it "natural" to kill things and never eat them? Cat decimation of songbird populations is well documented. As someone in non rural setting, I am beyond annoyed at free roaming cats that continually hunt birds in my yard, and use my gardens as little boxes. Ordinances preventing roaming cats are blatantly ignored, and yet if I catch one in my yard and take it to pound, guess who is the bad guy? And to reference my previous post, if I mention to my neighbor that I don't like their cats in my yard, I basically get told to f*** off very politely.

[CAS]

I'm going to disagree here. In rural situations, you might not have a lot of traffic, but you have coyotes and other predators and parasites.
As for "natural" behavior, is it "natural" to kill things and never eat them? Cat decimation of songbird populations is well documented. As someone in non rural setting, I am beyond annoyed at free roaming cats that continually hunt birds in my yard, and use my gardens as little boxes. Ordinances preventing roaming cats are blatantly ignored, and yet if I catch one in my yard and take it to pound, guess who is the bad guy? And to reference my previous post, if I mention to my neighbor that I don't like their cats in my yard, I basically get told to f*** off very politely.

I agree, Irulan. I have a cat--he's 17 years old, and he's only been an indoor cat. He wouldn't be this old, had he been an outdoor cat. I love all critters, and I personally think it's cruel all the way around, to allow a domestic cat to roam outdoors. If someone insists on having their cat outdoors, then they should construct a pen to protect the cat from disease, coyotes, etc., and to protect the prey from the cat.

[spokewench]

I agree, Irulan. I have a cat--he's 17 years old, and he's only been an indoor cat. He wouldn't be this old, had he been an outdoor cat. I love all critters, and I personally think it's cruel all the way around, to allow a domestic cat to roam outdoors. If someone insists on having their cat outdoors, then they should construct a pen to protect the cat from disease, coyotes, etc., and to protect the prey from the cat.

Well, I am of the opposite opinion; I have always had indoor/outdoor cats. I had two Maine Coons - one who lived to 24, the other to around 18 or so (he died of a heart attack, had a heart issue). Both were indoor/outdoor cats, pampered, spoiled and loved. I don't think it hurt them to be outdoors.

I now have two indoor/outdoor cats and I don't really think I'm cruel to them.

[lph]

I hadn't really meant to start an indoor/outdoor discussion, but for what it's worth: I can see both sides, even though I have a clear preference myself for keeping outdoor cats. What is "cruel" depends on the cat's personality, the owner and the surroundings, IMO, and doesn't warrant blanket statements. Yes, I might consider it cruel (or thoughtless) to keep an outdoor cat in a very dangerous environment. Or stupid, if you have a hunting cat and rare songbirds around. But we don't even have coyotes here. We have the occasional red fox, one type of venomous adder (and this is the first case of a cat being bitten I'd ever heard of) and extremely restricted traffic. I might equally consider it cruel to keep an active, young cat indoors in a small flat with little stimulation. Our cat became quite aggressive when we had to keep her indoors for 6 weeks this spring, even though we walked her 3 times a day and tried to play with her. OTOH I know people who go to great lengths to make sure their indoor cats are happy and content, and they obviously are safer. To each their own. As Irulan pointed out - arguing on the internet rarely changes anyones mind ;-)

Heheh, malkin, I have the same reaction whenever I see someone with their seat too low, I really want to yell out at them "PLEASE raise your seat!" I was known as the busybody mother who would adjust all the kids helmets when my son was small.

[Crankin]

I don't have a pet, only had one in my life, but I am the person who says something to other riders, especially if a child is involved.
I once yelled at my neighbor from my old neighborhood, when we came upon him while riding home, about half a mile to go. He was riding the wrong way on a semi rural road that gets a good amount of traffic, with no helmet. He had his 2 sons behind him. They had helmets on, but I told him to get on the other side of the street. DH was pissed, but I I really think that some people just don't know what the law is.
Of course, this is the guy who got arrested for a DUI in just about the same spot... ah, the local HS football hero from 1981. He got a scholarship to Yale, and apparently didn't learn much.

[malkin]

I don't understand wrong side of the street riders. I get that sidewalk riders have some (false) feeling of increased safety, but wrong way riding doesn't make any sense to me at all. If I yelled at them it would be "What the @#$% are you thinking?!"

[roo4]

If you can keep your cat in your yard, fine. Please keep it out of mine. I'm tired of cat poop and cat urine and dead birds on my property.

[Eden]

I don't understand wrong side of the street riders. I get that sidewalk riders have some (false) feeling of increased safety, but wrong way riding doesn't make any sense to me at all. If I yelled at them it would be "What the @#$% are you thinking?!"

Many people are still taught that you should ride against traffic… here in WA, while we are always supposed to ride in the same direction as traffic, there are laws on the books about walking on streets with no sidewalks that state that one must walk facing traffic - some people get the wrong idea from that too.

[TrekDianna]

I'm going to disagree here. In rural situations, you might not have a lot of traffic, but you have coyotes and other predators and parasites.
As for "natural" behavior, is it "natural" to kill things and never eat them? Cat decimation of songbird populations is well documented. As someone in non rural setting, I am beyond annoyed at free roaming cats that continually hunt birds in my yard, and use my gardens as little boxes. Ordinances preventing roaming cats are blatantly ignored, and yet if I catch one in my yard and take it to pound, guess who is the bad guy? And to reference my previous post, if I mention to my neighbor that I don't like their cats in my yard, I basically get told to f*** off very politely.

I have outdoor/indoor cats and if they hunted day and night they could not kill the number of birds that the building I work in kills every day. Each morning -- especially when the evening grosbeaks are migrating - the ground under the windows (6 story building) is carpeted with dead birds. At least one of the dept on campus collects them and freezes them and uses them for their bird class, but I am surprised there are any birds left in that population.