Here is my cat enclosure: http://www.geocities.com/petsburgh/p...enclosure.html
Printable View
Here is my cat enclosure: http://www.geocities.com/petsburgh/p...enclosure.html
That is SO cool. http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/cool.gif
Eileen,
Your cats are soooo lucky! That is one nice cat enclosure! Could your Uncle become my Uncle for a week or so? http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/biggrin.gif
Hello ...
SpencerTheLion :
Thank you very much for your advice http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/biggrin.gif
EileenKay :
Your site is nice .. and your cats are so sweet http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/rolleyes.gif
i agree full heartly with margarett. cats should not be allowed to room out doors. there are to many substitutes factors that allow your loving feline to still get the fresh air and sunshines needed for there vitamin d intake. there are screened in porches, kitty runs etc. if you really care of the health & welfare of your loving friend. there are to many diesase, rabies, illnesses, cat unfriendly people etc. in the world today that brings harm to your family members, and for their safetly & well being should by all means be kept indoors. there are so many options out there to keep your little ones indoors & yet still give them the fresh air and excitement of making them think they are out doors but yet we are keeping them safe. cats runs, plants that are not harmful to your animal, climging trees, etc. to make them the out-doors, so come on feline lovers...protect your felines, keep them healthy, and save yourself the heart ache on losing your loved one.
pickles
------------------
I know that the common wisdom is to keep cats inside. I decided to do that with Mimi when we got her because we had made an unfortunate decision with our previous cat, Shrimp Boat (long story, but I found her at a seafood market in NC). ShrimpBoat hated the outside. I felt sorry for her because we left a lot on the weekends, so we took her in our camper to the mountains one weekend. Bad ending. She escaped, and although she had a tag, we never found her. So, her replacement, Mimi, who is now 11 years old was going to be an inside cat at my husband's insistence (now ex). Guess what. When I became pregnant, she became an outside cat too. He simply wouldn't change the litterbox, and I couldn't do it due to doctor's orders. http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/mad.gif I tried "inside" again when my daughter and I moved to an apartment, but she was miserable. I finally had to decide to allow her some freedom, whatever the risk. Cars worry me the most, and she was hit once when she was about four years old. We were lucky and although she had a fractured pelvis, she recovered fully. I have noticed that as she gets older, she is more content inside. Next cat, I will attempt to keep it inside always, but this one simply will not have it. I am lucky though because she stays in the backyard most of the time with our dogs and doesn't even try to go anywhere else. I do let her out mostly at night so a lot of the birds are safer. She is quite a hunter. http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif
I am shocked and horrified at these responses!
I think it is really CRUEL to keep a cat inside all the time - and that is almost certainly the majority view of British catlovers. I adore cats, but didn't have one for seven years because I was in a flat with no outside access. A year ago I bought a house - with cat flap already installed - and the immediately got a cat, who is gorgeous. He comes and goes as he wants, has great fun outside, and then comes inside for cuddles and food and sleep.
It is almost certainly true that a cat who is never allowed out would be healthier and live longer - but that would also apply to humans. Never go out - never drive, never fly, never go walking up mountains, avoid crowds where you can catch diseases - and you will certainly live longer.
But what sort of live will you have led? And what sort of life will your cat have led? Cats are by nature curious, exploratory, engaging animals. Most love the excitement of outside, having adventures, going hunting, and meeting other cats (some don't, and that's fine). I would much prefer my cat to live a full live - a full cat's life - than have a life of sleepy torpor in a soft-furnished prison.
My cat's a real cat with a full exciting cat life. If he dies younger, that's sad - but I would still make the same decision. Going out takes years of human lives, but we still do it because it is so much more fun. Simply focussing on the obvious measurable aspects of life expectancy and health ignores the cats psychological well-being.
And as I said, most people in Britian feel the same. Walk around any town here and you will be greeted by endless cats coming up to you to say hello while out on their adventures, before returing to their warm home for food and sleep. The idea of a town full of imprisoned cats horrifies me!
Anthony,
I believe that most of the people that post here are from North America. I know were I live there are cat by-laws, they have to be "under control at all times". Outside that means on a leash or in a cat run. If they are caught loose they are sent to the SPCA, and once there who knows what their fate will be. I dare say that most urban areas in NA have by-laws similar to this.
I also believe that most of the people that post here really and truly love their cats and would be horrified if something happened to them that they could have prevented. To achieve this, most choose to keep their cats safe indoors. Seeing that cats sleep most of the time, I believe that sleeping in a comfy chair, or on a sunny window ledge is much safer than sleeping under a bush somewhere where they can be attacked by predators.
This is my point of view, anyways.
P.S. My cats were rescued off the streets, and 3 out of the 4 run away (back inside) from the back door when it is opened. They like the life they have now. One will occasionally go outside to nibble on some grass. I supervise her.
[This message has been edited by dogncatluvr (edited September 16, 2000).]
It certainly seems the outdoors environment and laws are different in the UK and NA. I thought it was a joke when I was in Canada last year and a friend was distraught when their cat slipped outside because it was breaking the law. If any government tried to introduce such a law here, there would be a revolution (I am only half joking - we feel very strongly about our animals here, and it is so off the agenda having 'cat-laws' that I have never heard them spoken of here. Such an idea is completely inconceivable).
And our outdoors does seem much more benign to cats. There are cars, but no predators, no dangerous diseases (fleas is about it), and a nation of cat-addicts. The biggest problem if you let your cat out is pursuading your neighbours not to feed it (this can cause big tug-of-love problems!). My cat Bingo wanders around our neighbours house all the time, and eats their cats' food - but we are all cat lovers and its not been a problem for anyone. There are so many cat lovers in the UK, that there are virtually no feral cats (I've never seen one), and if your cat does get lost and taken to a home, it is very unlikely to be put down - but almost certainly rehoused.
I've had in the past two cats who had total freedom to go outdoors, and both lived fit and healthy lives til they were eighteen years
I have 3 cats, & they all live outdoors. But I live in the country & there country cats. My sister has one in town but she's an indoor cat. I think it depends on where the cat lives (in the country, city, ect..) & it depends on the cat I think... alll my cats (evan the girls) are tomboys... Evan when I let them in the house (when my parents aren't home) they run to the door & ask to go out... ~~
Anthony
I'm a member of Cats Protection in the UK, a welfare organisation for cats, and the majority of their work involves re-homing strays and the neutering feral colonies of cats. So although the majority of us seem to be lucky enough not to be affected, there are some severe problems, in city centres as well as in rural areas.
I enjoyed your very articulate plea for cats to be allowed outside - as you probably read, I love seeing cats enjoying the outdoors, and also, like you, I love meeting other people's cats. The posts about the outdoor environment in the US were fascinating - some people we met in New Mexico this summer were amazed that we don't have snakes coming into our "backyards"!
Helen
------------------
Helen
Hello all, I'm new here and a little late to this post, but had to share my opinion...I have 4 cats(6yr old black male DSH-Sin, 2yr old black female DSH-Prissy, and 5month old sibling sisters-Belle is a brown tabby DSH and Pepper is another black DSH--no, I don't like black cats!!) http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/wink.gif...these are just like my babies and they are strictly indoor cats. I would prefer that it was safe enough for them to be able to go outdoors once in awhile, but that is just not possible...I have a friend who some might say is an 'animal collector'--she takes in strays and at this time has 8 adult cats and 3 litters of kittens!!!(way too many, in my opinion)...but, not to mention the safety of the cats is the monetary issue also...I got Sin 4 yrs ago, and took Prissy in about a yr ago, and the babies came to me when they were 3 weeks old(they were put out of the house by their mother's owner and I couldn't see them surviving when they were that small, so I brought them home)...since they have all been indoors since I got them, I've only had minor vet bills, and the normal routine yrly checks and shot updates and general stuff(Sin was neutered when I got him), and then Prissy had to be spayed, and the babies will be spayed shortly(being a single mother this has been a blessing-monetarily, I mean)...but the collector friend that I mentioned spends very high dollars on these animals(which I do not see as a problem, mind you), and then just lets these animals roam(and she is in a country type setting), but--in the last year, she has lost over half of them to cars, roaming dogs, disease, toxins...you name it?? I really must say that to me, keeping a cat indoors is best for them(in most cases). Sin and Prissy have never seen the outdoors(except through the window)and that seems fine for them. The babies may or may not remember the outdoors, but they have never once tried to escape?? Just my opinion, but thanks for letting me share...
------------------
Human 'owned' by Sin, Prissy, Belle and Pepper...
Hi,
Having only just ventured into the cat forum from the dogs I was shocked to read some of the messages! It brought back a very vivd memory from about ten years ago. My cousin, in Virginia USA, had just left home and was excited about getting her first cat. When she wrote telling us about this she was waiting to collect the cat from the vet where he was having his claws removed to save the furniture. This news sent me rushing for the bathroom and I was physically sick.
Here in the UK you would not be able to find a vet willing to carry out such a procedure.
The law in this country recognises the nature of cats and when they are outside the owner is not held responsible for their actions. It is however against the law to take any action that may harm a cat. On the other side of this if a cat is hit by a car no action has to be taken by the driver whereas all accidents involving dogs, required to be under control, must be reported to the police.
We do have a massive feral cat population in this country and many of the "strays" picked up by animal welfare organisations are feral animals. (Most pet moggies in this country have the potential to go feral and survive in a wild state, although it's easier for them if don't!) This is true in the country as well as in the urban areas. We live on the edge of Salisbury plain, it's on our doorstep, and we have plenty of feral cats all over the plain. When I worked on a farm in rural Cornwall we had several ferals in the area.
We don't have the threat of rabies in this country, and the only predators likely to take a cat would only tackle an already injured or sick cat. Our only venemous snake, the adder, rarely bites cats, dogs are much more common victims due to owner ignorance of the snakes habitat and habits.
Traffic is the greatest danger to our cats.
Given all the problems faced by cats in the outside world I still couldn't bear to keep my cats inside for all their lives. If the government wouldn't allow my cats to go outside I simply wouldn't have any - I have always dreamed of owning big cats, but wouldn't dream of it as they would be caged. The same with wolves.
All in all neutering has to become the norm in this country, declawing is right up there with ear cropping dogs as far as I'm concerned and cats have every right to live part of their lives as cats - outside. If you can't afford the vet bills to innoculate your animals, don't have animals.
I love my kids and would defend them to the death but just because I love them doesn't give me the right to lock them up and deny them expression of their true nature.
I let 1 of my 3 (Max) out because he knows the area he has been going out for years. Try to just let them out a little supervised and try taking them on walks with a harness.
When you think they know the area well enough let them go out every once-in-a-while http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif