Edna, I agree. Four of our five cats were outside at some time in their lives, 3 of those were feral, and 2 of *those* were kittens I trapped myself, and they have not been outside since the day we met. Just because they stare out the window sometimes doesn't mean they're longing for the feel of grass beneath their toes -- though of course if there was a safe way to give them that, I would. What PETA and the rest don't seem to get is that Felis Domesticus is NOT a wild animal and is no match for the modern predators of cars, trains, coyotes, and feral humans like the one you describe below. People don't willingly let their parakeets out or let their Betas swim in mud puddles, why do they think house cats are anything but house cats. And, in my experience, even cats born outside get very used to the comforts of indoors.
Years ago a couple who were online friends of mine whose two cats were their babies, came home to find that a neighbor in their very tranquil suburban neighborhood had accidentally backed over one of their cats. They were, of course, devastated, and it changed their opinion of where cats are best off. That's a horrible way to learn but it's a fact that outside cats, even ones with owners, face many more dangers than they are equipped to handle. Another 2 cents. I don't mean to offend those of you who don't agree, but seeing roadkill that's supposed to be curled up in a pouffy chair somewhere instead offends me. Diane R. -----Original Message----- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of Edna Taylor Sent: Wednesday, March 23, 2011 10:40 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Keep Cats Indoors Just because your kid likes to eat McDonald's every day or binge drink or do drugs because it makes them happy is NOT a reason to allow it. The same reasoning goes for cats, just because they LIKE it doesn't mean it's good for them. My cats may be "prisoners" in my house but I sleep well at night knowing they are loved and safe and from what I can tell, they are pretty freakin happy. I have picked up enough broken and battered bodies off the roadways to know that NONE of my cats or fosters will EVER be allowed outside unless it is in a safe enclosure or on a leash. There was a young "individual" (can't call him a man because real men do not torture animals) in Dallas that took his neighbor's inside/outside cat and over a course of several hours beat and tortured the cat and video taped the entire thing. THAT is what happens to outdoor cats. While some may be lucky enough to escape being tortured, hit by cars, eaten by coyotes or hawks or owls, most do not escape this fate. Sorry but I 100% DISAGREE with "cats are wild animals and need to live outside" point of view. Just my 2 cents. Edna > Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2011 09:13:09 -0400 > From: at...@optonline.net > To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Keep Cats Indoors > > As an adopter, my views on this are very strict and well-defined - I > am responsible for placing cats in the safest possible homes, and I > would do no less. I need to be able to sleep at night, knowing that > the cats that I rescued and invested so much time, energy, and emotion > will be safe and happy for a long time. > Yes, I agree, there still are a few safe area left, but not many and > none are 100% safe, ever. It is true that times used to be safer for > cats to be outdoors - ours always had been, especially when I was > growing up, until one of our kittens was killed by a > car....Unfortunately, it takes many people to understand this only > after a tragedy occurs. When an adopter tells me that their cat ALWAYS > sat on the front porch, and never left....and they intend to do the > same with a new adopted cat, I say NO! Their old cat may have indeed > done that, but it doesn't mean that a new cat will do it: It takes ONLY ONE TIME - chasing a squirrel or bird across the street, and WHAM! > Cats can be perfectly happy indoors with tall cat trees by a window, a > window perch, the right kind of toys to keep them interested and active. > More and more people construct outdoor enclosures; simple ones to > really elaborate ones, even just a little window screened porch. I > don't believe that cats need to hunt; if they are homeless and hungry, > yes, but there's no need for a well-fed cat to kill small wildlife, > not for food, but for fun and the reflex of chasing something (could be a toy). > > -----Original Message----- > From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org > [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of Lorrie > Sent: Wednesday, March 23, 2011 7:56 AM > To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Keep Cats Indoors > > This is a hot topic, but I agree humans and loss of habitat are the > main threat to birds. > > As for keeping cats inside. I've had cats all my life and they have > always been indoor/outdoor cats. All of them have lived to > 16 to 17 years of age unless they've had some genetic problem like > heart disease. My cats were all rescues and they lived outside before > I had them, and they are totally miserable inside. > > It's really only the last couple decades that cats have been living > indoors, but the invention of cat litter and urban sprawl have made us > think all cats have the perfect life indoors, when in reality, cats > are happier if they can live outdoors. They are programmed to hunt > small animals....which is the best nutrition for them. They need to > climb trees, stalk at night with their night vision, and be free. > Cats were not made for sitting in a window sill, and a prison is a > prison no matter how many cat toys and kitty kondos we buy for them. > > It's true that some outdoor cats have a shorter life expectancy, but > this mostly depends on where they live. If they live in a safe area > with little or no traffic then I feel they should be allowed to be > outside. There are some cats who will never willingly settle for the > indoor life. We live in the middle of the woods on a dead end road > with no traffic and our cats are allowed to go outside. I rarely see > them catch a bird, but they catch many mice & moles. I feel sad to see > anything killed, but cats and dogs are predators and this is what they > were designed to do. > > Lorrie > > > > Sorry but that information is outdated or biased. The number one > > killer of birds is humans due to habitat loss or construction for same. > > > > Humans: The Number One Threat to Birds > > > http://www.alleycat.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=325 > > > > > > SomeWhere Sam > > > > _______________________________________________ > Felvtalk mailing list > Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org > > > > _______________________________________________ > Felvtalk mailing list > Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
