Who let the cats out? I did, and here’s why
By Gina Spadafori
November 16, 2009
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Around the time Heather was dying, I let the cats start coming and going as they pleased.
There actually is a relationship between one and the other.
Heather was the focus of my attention the last six weeks of her life. Getting her to eat, keeping her pain controlled, giving her special time … the rest of the animals got little of my attention beyond basic care, sad to say. And as part of coping with their situation, I removed the cover from the pet door leading into the dog yard.
When I bought this house, I wanted to be sure the dogs (and there were only dogs at the time) had access, always, to a “relief zone.” I called a contractor, who installed a pet door through a wall in the back bedroom and a long, enclosed ramp with a gentle slope that ends in a small, fenced-yard-within-the-fenced-yard for the dogs to use any time they wanted, no matter if I were home or not. The narrow structure matches the house and includes a sharp right turn through a double-flapped pet door. It was all done at higher cost than I really wanted to pay ($1,200), but I wanted it done right, and my design had two purposes: 1) Energy-efficiency — no heating or air-conditioning is wasted in the set-up, and the room into which the door opens is never any cooler or hotter than the rest of the house; 2) Security — a very small child contortionist can crawl up the ramp, execute the hard-right turn and wriggle through pet door, but there said child will be met by four dogs, three of them large. There are easier houses to burglarize, believe you me.
The set-up was perfect, but then came the cats.
Clara was first to figure out the pet door, and Ilario followed her lead. Since I intended them to be indoor cats, I regretfully closed off the dog yard, which meant coming home for lunch every day, or some crossed dog legs when I got home. Not good, either way, far as the dogs were concerned.
The cats didn’t like it, either. Keeping them in was not to their liking. They charged the back door when I let the dogs out like desperate convicts dodging machine-gun fire across a prison yard, and they cried plaintively through the screens on warm summer evenings as the dogs and I sat on the back patio.
When the cats got out the back door, they ran from me, convinced (and rightly so) that I’d be re-incarcerating them. When locked inside again, the feelings of frustration and resentment were palpable, especially on the part of Ilario, who would not be touched for days, could barely be lured by a game of laser pointer and would never, ever join us all on the bed at night.
During Heather’s decline, she was so slow getting in and out of the back door that the cats had a great deal more success in getting out, which of course reinforced the behavior. Once out, they stayed out as long as their hunger would tolerate. Clara would come back in pretty regularly, but Ilario took up hunting and would not come in the back door at all.
He was becoming an owned feral, and I didn’t want that, so I opened the pet door to the dog yard, to let Ilario come back in through the back bedroom on his own terms. I figured I’d get everything back under control after Heather passed, and turn them wholly into indoor cats again.
Now, mind you, I have a pretty good situation for cats to be outside. I live on a lightly traveled, hardly noticed lane, for one thing, and more importantly, my home backs up to the ultimate cat paradise: a couple acres of undeveloped land with a creek running through it and bounded on all sides by the back fences of my neighbors.
I have never seen my cats anywhere but in my own yard or on the “back 40.” Could something happen to them back there? Well, sure. Wild things roam the creekbed (although we’ve never seen a coyote this far up from the river parkway) and who know if the neighbors I don’t know six or eight doors down are trapping cats or poisoning rats. But my cats are tagged and chipped, current on their vax and … since the pet door opened for good ….
… they are mostly inside. It’s true, and quite a surprise.
They are in more than they are out now that the choice is completely theirs. They also come in to use the cat boxes in the garage, which is great since I don’t have to worry about annoyed neighbors or dead otters. I’m not really that keen on Ilario’s hunting, but on the other hand the rat/mice problem near the chicken feed is a thing of the past. (And yes, I’m happy that the vermin he eats are fat on organic chicken feed!) And before you ask: No, I have never seen him with a bird. Apparently the rats/mice in the chicken area are easy pickings.
Best of all: Ilario no longer views me as his prison warden. He sleeps on my bed at night, and wakes me every morning. Outside, he no longer runs from me, and will even jump in my lap if I’m sitting outside.
He is happy. I am happy. And life … is never without risk. But in this case, the risk is minimal, and probably less than my own in driving to work every day. Rationalizing? Sure … but the pet door is staying open.
Ilario in the morning:
I’ve never paid into the Don’t Let Cats Outside Club. As long as they are not breeding at will or forced to stay outside exclusively or put at undue risk (e.g. I wouldn’t let a cat out if I had coyotes visiting my property regularly), I don’t have a problem with it.
Comment by YesBiscuit — November 16, 2009 @ 6:48 am
You’d be amazed at where coyotes will show up, and what they’ll do to eat a cat.
I know of a man that fed his cat on his deck every morning.
One morning, he fed the cat and went inside to put the cat food away. He walked no more than 20 feet away from the cat and had been gone no more than 10 seconds when he heard the screaming.
He rushed outside to to see a coyote leaping of the deck with the cat in its mouth.
That coyote had been waiting for that cat to be fed to make its move. It had been hiding very close to his house. Maybe it had staked out the cat and its feeding habits for several days.
What was even more weird, he never saw the cat or the coyote again.
Comment by retrieverman — November 16, 2009 @ 6:59 am
Easier pickings downstream. Here, the coyotes hop over the levees from the Sacramento and American River Parkways to snack from adjacent homes. On our walks, we sometimes see some very healthy and well-fed coyotes.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — November 16, 2009 @ 7:05 am
I’m not a fan of letting cats outside, but you have to do what works for you and your cats, and no life is without risk. My first cat lived to the age of thirteen going outdoors daily—although, in her case, she had my dog as her bodyguard. :) (Seriously. Sunday’s preferred course when something scary was around was to go hide behind a human, but if something was threatening Miss Kitty, she was right there, facing it down.)
Comment by Lis — November 16, 2009 @ 7:19 am
I’ve found that my beagles do much better the more freedom they’re given. They are still house dogs, however, and coyotes are so common in this part of the state that I wouldn’t let them out on their own at night if we lived in the country (shoot, we live in a suburban area and I still don’t like letting them out in their own fenced yard by themselves at night). When I lived on a farm, we had off-leash walks every day in a 60-acre area, and the beagles did very well sticking near me. In a fenced yard, they feel they can respond more slowly to me, mainly, I think, because they know exactly where I am. Off leash, they really had to pay attention to where I went, and they did.
Comment by Glenye Oakford — November 16, 2009 @ 7:46 am
Different situations, different lives. There is no one way to live one’s life, and no one way to care for one’s pets.
As you well know, Lis, I am sick to bloody hell of people who want everyone to do what they believe. Mandatory spay-neuter, despite health evidence to the contrary. Declaw bans, no exceptions. Pet limit laws, when one pet (hello my neighbor with the nonstop yapping hell dog!) can be a bigger problem than four, or certainly a bigger problem than someone with six or 16 well-loved and well-cared-for indoor cats.
No fence? No dog for you. Kids? No cat for you. Etc., etc. ad infinitum.
Let’s get the basics covered. After that, reasonable people can have reasonable differences, and their pets can still be loved, cared-for and happy.
If I lived in a different place, I would make a different decision. This is not “permission” from me (I’m not the Empress of the World, anyway) for everyone to toss out the cats.
It’s the opening of a discussion, and a challenging of the orthodoxy. Again. :)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — November 16, 2009 @ 7:56 am
We live in farm country where barn cats are common. As you note with Ilario, from all I hear they very much prefer rodents to birds. I’m sure that except for babies in the nest, mice etc. are much easier prey.
I don’t have a problem with useful predation. My husband is highly allergic to cats, so at our place English Shepherds Audie (and now Charlie) keep the rodent population down.
Comment by Janeen — November 16, 2009 @ 7:57 am
I put in a fence around the paver patio, to keep the dogs off the ground when wet. It makes clean up so much easier, no dirt or mud.
I wish I could have a pet door, but like to wipe the dogs’ feet whenever they come inside.
Not so familiar with cats, if I had them I would work on the fence to make sure the cats stay in my backyard.
Comment by Erich Riesenberg — November 16, 2009 @ 8:11 am
Petal also spends part of the time outdoors - daytime only (her choice, as well as my insistence), and she’s not a big fan of the cold. Open the door for her on a cold day, and she recoils in horror. She’d much rather lounge in front of the fireplace.
We’re also on a quiet country road, backing onto 400+ acres of maintained forest. In spite of this, Petal doesn’t roam. She sits on the front or back porch, or on the rocks overlooking the dog areas (this drives Pickle INSANE). She also patrols the barn area, and has been bringing us home field mice and the occasional baby possum type thingie (is that specific enough?).
Comment by FrogDogz — November 16, 2009 @ 8:13 am
I have an outdoor enclosure now for the cats, but hope someday to have a fenced yard with CatFence-In or something similar. Of course, there’s always the danger of eagles/owls looking to snack on smaller cats, but there’s only so much you can do in the real world.
All in all, I think cats are happier with access to the outdoors, but you have to weigh risk/benefit for your individual situation.
Comment by mikken — November 16, 2009 @ 8:14 am
Outdoor and feral cats just don’t last long where I live.
The neighbors had a Pembroke corgi they let wander all over the place, which is legal in my county.
He hasn’t been seen for a month.
My guess is he became coyote meat.
We have a slightly larger coyote in the East. It’s really an interesting animal to see. The first one I saw was actually playing with my golden retriever (as if it were another dog!), who then led the coyote back to me. It came within ten feet of me before it took off. It was just slightly shorter in stature than the golden, but the golden had maybe 20 or 30 pounds on the coyote. It was the first time I’d really gotten a good look at the coyote’s eyes. They are amazingly freaky.
Comment by retrieverman — November 16, 2009 @ 8:22 am
Sapo, Ilario’s cousin, went through a phase of insisting on getting out. We would all have to go outside, find him and lure him back with food. One time earlier this year, he spent almost 5 full days out in the backyard. When we finally got him back inside his pads were worn, and he was thrilled to be back in the house. He has not tried to get out since. At our property, I am working with a welder to build an outdoor cat sancutuary so they can have the best of both worlds up there. Will send you pics once it is built.
Comment by Keli Martin — November 16, 2009 @ 8:26 am
Coyote meat … or shoot, shovel and shut-up.
Although without a GPS on their collars I cannot guarantee it, I don’t think either cat is going anywhere except my yard and the space behind me. The yard to the right is has a yappy, obnoxious dog who wears a box muzzle most of the time so she won’t bite her owners “by accident” or the other dog on purpose. (Oh, don’t get me started on the situation there: These are the sisters who don’t believe in “breaking their dogs’ spirits by training.” They also believe you don’t need roosters to get baby chickens, but that’s another story.) They’re very nice women, but … aarrghhhh!
The neighbors behind are 100 yards away on the other side of the open space. The house next-door has been empty for three years now. (Foreclosed, bought, beautifully renovated, for sale at ridiculous price for the market, foreclosed, etc.)
Anyway … the cats are almost always in by choice these days, and when they’re not, they’re usually on top of the chicken area roof, surveying their kingdom.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — November 16, 2009 @ 8:38 am
Had a bit of a worry when one of my “barn” cats went AWOL for at least 30 hours this weekend.
Smeagol returned when she damn well felt like it and when her appointment to be vaccinated was long past on Saturday. I’m guessing she was hunting rather than mooching in the village, as she was uncharacteristically affectionate when she showed.
Yes, I live far from a road. Moe and Rosie keep the foxes, raccoons, and coyotes at a respectful distance. But there are risks, especially for a kitteh who ranges outside Moe’s security perimeter.
I’ve never before, as an adult, lived in a place where it was appropriate to let a cat outside. Our childhood cats were taken by cars, by a raccoon, by Just Didn’t Come Home One Day.
Trollcat Dave, age 18, will no more go out the door than he would dance the Tarentella. How much of his current reclusiveness and ill-humor is due to his wall-bound upbringing?
Yet his buddy Kuttatoa was a well-adjusted and happy cat for his whole long life.
Hey, if I ever saw one of my mousers with a rat as impressive as Ilario’s, I’d throw ‘em a party. Here’s hoping that their record of much smaller prey is due to an absence of such critters around the barn.
Comment by H. Houlahan — November 16, 2009 @ 8:40 am
I also watched him kill it. One bite. Impressive. The boy is all business, I tell you.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — November 16, 2009 @ 8:43 am
My golden can run a coyote off, but forget about chasing raccoons. The raccoons here would rather just stand their ground. They know she’s not a bluetick or a walker, so why should they worry?
Comment by retrieverman — November 16, 2009 @ 9:24 am
We were unwilling cat owners. I have asthma, allergies, and cats are a prime trigger for me.
Then Xander showed up, scoped us out for about a month, and moved on site permanently.
As there was no question of him ever being an indoor cat, and few rehoming options for a semi feral black cat with a chronic viral eye infection, we set up outside shelter for him and a feeding station. We have always had a lot of lizards and songbirds and I was concerned about them.
And to be honest, he made a dent in the lizard population, and killed a few birds. Easy to keep track as he reliably leaves a present, part or whole, for us.
But for the last few years, it’s been 98% rodents. He won’t even harrass our resident moles. The only aberration is in spring when he goes after juvenile jackrabbits. Not only little baby ones either, several have been well over half grown, and he got his clock cleaned by one a few years back which saw him licking his wounds, mad at us, the vet, and sulking and laying off the bunnies for an entire year.
Shadow was a feral kitten a friend raised, and the only one who did not tame down well so she came here. She seems to have learned from Xander on the hunting end of things and while a few lizards have short tails, it’s mainly rats, mice, voles and gophers for her too.
We are lousy with coyotes, but the cats seem to know when to stay close. I think the neighbors habit of letting there hounds and boar dogs run loose periodically keeps the local population wary. And we are in the heart of 3S country so the local coyotes have good reason to be leery of humans.
Comment by JenniferJ — November 16, 2009 @ 10:39 am
I live where it just isn’t safe to let cats wander—we’re about a block away from a state park, and I’ve seen coyotes and racoons (and racoons are MEAN)walking right down the street.We also have a ton of unattended (and I assume unvaccinated) cats around.
Of my two cats, Jasmine is too much of a couch potato to be interested in going outside, but Krista is there every time the front door opens. She actually disappeared for two days last spring, and I was sure she was a coyote’s dinner. Maybe I should try putting a harness and leash on her.
Comment by Diane — November 16, 2009 @ 10:44 am
I never wanted to own an indoor/outdoor cat. Not ever. But I ended up with one anyway, a former stray who was content to stay inside for a couple years, and then one day decided his mission in life was escape. It upset me tremendously at first and life was a constant battle to keep him in.
I eventually lost. I gave in and allowed him to come and go pretty much as he pleased. I live in a small town- definitely not an ideal place for a cat to be wandering, and he was a hunter, which always upset me. But it got to the point that if I tried to keep him in (when there was construction going on right across the street, for example), he’d come down with cystitis. I even tried him on medication for the cystitis, but the only thing that solved it was letting him go out.
So I did, and one day about six months ago, he didn’t come home. And my heart breaks about it. I papered the neighborhood, searched, knocked on doors and asked people to check sheds and garages, but while somebody was kind enough to catch and bring me a cat who was not him, nobody had any information.
He’s chipped, so I still hold out a tiny bit of hope that one day I’ll get a phone call, but I’m not really holding my breath. It’s a gut-wrenching thing, but at the same time, I don’t know that I would have chosen differently.
The rest of my cats, thank goodness, express no interest in going out.
Comment by katie — November 16, 2009 @ 10:52 am
We also have semi feral rescues who were used to the outdoors, but we live in the city, next to a busy highway, and have coyotes so letting them out was not an option. So we fenced in our backyard with a do it yourself cat fence over our existing 4 ft high wire fence. See my website http://www.jeffinnkari.weebly.com for directions and photos. Basically took the Alley Cat Allies fence directions and simplified them. Total cost was about $150. It is all garden materials, netting and tomato stakes and so far it works. Cats are happy and are not scaling it. Cats who roam outdoors especially in busy areas face many dangers, so in the city such a fence is feasible. I also agree that some cats are bird specialists and some are rodent killing machines. We have eliminated bird kills by not letting one of our cats out early in the morning when ground birds forage.
Comment by Freia — November 16, 2009 @ 11:46 am
I still have a cat because a tiny hard core feral female I was trying to tame got out and disappeared for 7 critical months. If she had not gotten out she would have eaten the same poison pet food that killed the others.
When the sickness and death storm that claimed all my other pets was going on, she was safer outside eating rodents than at home with me.
She was safer “out there”. It is why she lived.
Then she came home, when I knew better than to feed commercial pet food, when it became safer inside than out. Hawks and owls and raccoons and eagles and coyotes and yard chemicals and rat poisons and cars were not near as deadly as the pouch or can of premium pet food I was trying to feed her.
A few days after I swore that I would never feed another commercial pet food, there she was, in the shadows one night, happy to come home again when it was safe.
It was a miracle, I will never believe otherwise.
Comment by diedmarch172007 — November 16, 2009 @ 11:48 am
I can not wait for the rooster/baby chicks story…lol…or did I miss it already? I mean I know I have said over the years “who needs men” (out of range of my hubby that is) but I do know why we do!!!! lol…
Comment by Carol V — November 16, 2009 @ 12:18 pm
Short version: I offered them some eggs. That’s when they told me they were vegans. Well, I said, yes, these eggs ARE animal protein, but you aren’t killing any chicks, because I don’t have a rooster. The chickens are also well-cared-for.
They insisted eggs produced in the absence of a rooster could still produce chicks. I suggested not, and why not, but they informed me I was misinformed.
I let it drop. As I said, they’re very sweet women and their hearts are in the right place. Even if I sometimes do wonder where their brains went.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — November 16, 2009 @ 12:33 pm
You all are braver than I am. Someone poisoned my kitty - kept him and let him out just when he was ready to die. It was all horrible. A bad neighbor and I know who but can’t prove it, of course.
So I don’t have cats anymore. But if I did, I’d go for only indoors to keep them safe.
Comment by Snoopys Friend — November 16, 2009 @ 12:46 pm
Gina…that is an impressive catch for Ilario! My question: does he eat them or bring them to you for disposal? :)
Comment by Debby — November 16, 2009 @ 2:00 pm
It feels nice to go outside. We crave it for ourselves. We should not deny it for our kitties. Unless of course, you live in downtown Manhattan.
Comment by Nathan J. Winograd — November 16, 2009 @ 2:08 pm
Debby … he has neve brought any of them inside. (Knock wood!)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — November 16, 2009 @ 3:02 pm
They insisted eggs produced in the absence of a rooster could still produce chicks. I suggested not, and why not, but they informed me I was misinformed.
I let it drop. As I said, they’re very sweet women and their hearts are in the right place. Even if I sometimes do wonder where their brains went.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — November 16, 2009 @ 12:33 pm
Brains are not vegan.
Comment by Mary Mary — November 16, 2009 @ 3:26 pm
Do you have Ilario on a routine deworming schedule to avoid worm infestation from ingesting mice?
Comment by Anne — November 16, 2009 @ 3:29 pm
I have two cats who adopted me and had been outdoors a lot. When I lived in the apartment complex, they sufficiently harrassed me (escaping regularly, howling all night) until I bought them a cat door so they could come and go as they pleased. They never left the complex and one of them rarely left the area around my building. But, we had to move to a house when I adopted two more dogs and then all bets were off. Coyotes and bobcats are in our area, and I’m not sure that the rabbit population is enough to keep them fed! That said, they do still very much love to go outside and I still let them as long as they’re supervised. One of my cats always leaves the yard, but after a couple of hours will come when called and is often waiting by the front door to come in. I guess I don’t understand the “keep the cats inside” mentality. Their happiness is what’s most important to me, and they’re happier when they get to go outside. We’re currently experimenting with leash walking, but with limited success. Just not the same, I suspect.
I don’t miss all the presents, I must say. They brought me bunnies, birds, and mice…and not always dead ones. I much preferred the grasshopper presents! LOL
Comment by Sherron — November 16, 2009 @ 4:11 pm
Anne … yes. :)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — November 16, 2009 @ 4:21 pm
Momma won’t let our kitties go outside cuz she is afraid they will get hit by a car or hurt by a dog or poisoned or carried away by a predator or…
Comment by Scout and Freyja — November 16, 2009 @ 4:46 pm
I adopted a young cat from a shelter who had experienced the Outside and never forgot the pleasure of it. I managed to keep her inside for 7 years, but when I bought my current house and installed the dog yard, all bets were off as far as she was concerned. She never forgot being Out, and while the dog yard was sufficient for my other 3 kittehs, she’d scale the fence, preferring the thrills of the dairy farm across the road. A car got her, breaking her back at the pelvis. My neighbor saw it, got me, and I reached her in time to stroke her damaged body and croon love songs to her as she died. She’s buried next to the multiflora rose that a previous owner actually planted (!) where the english sparrows hang out. I don’t think she would want it any other way. Her will was stronger than mine. She was an awesome kitteh, very people oriented, was the official Greet A Kitteh when someone visited, always came when called, and brought up 6 dogs to be cat safe. I miss her still but I think that’s more my problem than hers.
Comment by dkm — November 16, 2009 @ 5:02 pm
I’m with Nathan. Unless there is a clear, present and continuing danger, cats ought to be allowed to choose for themselves whether or not they want to go outside.
I’d use the cat fencing in a minute if we weren’t fortunate enough to live almost at the end of a dead end road, but I would never willingly deny a healthy, normal cat access to the fresh air, sights, sounds and smells of outdoors.
Ours come in at night and then do the dawn patrol. We make sure we see everyone during the day and serve wet food or chopped baked organic chicken at 5:30pm, which brings three out of the four.
We have had a cat disappear, but he was never really bonded to the household and we’re pretty sure he chose to move on when we went on a trip last year. His spot has been taken by Alexander, who became more attached to us and Niki in 48 hours than than the other tom did in six years. Alex is a shelter cat and had never been outside until two weeks after we brought him home. He LIKES outside and has also killed a good-sized rat.
I think there is an important distinction to be made between what is in the cat’s best interests and what is comfortable and easy for the human.
Comment by Susan Fox — November 16, 2009 @ 7:27 pm
“I think there is an important distinction to be made between what is in the cat’s best interests and what is comfortable and easy for the human.”
Comment by Susan Fox — November 16, 2009 @ 7:27 pm
Why is your way the only right way? In my area, an outside cat is a dead cat and thanks, but no thanks, I like my cats breathing.
And, by the way, all five are ex-ferals, and all five are very happy and well-adjusted indoor cats who make no effort to escape their terrible confinement.
What works for one cat, one owner, or one family is NOT always the best for another.
Comment by A.C. — November 16, 2009 @ 9:07 pm
Gina, there I was feeling like the evil one letting my cats out because of the risks (and the vocal masses telling me how evil I am).
There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t worry about my Lily outside, and she’s had her moments (she has a paralyzed tail now - I think that was someone slamming a door on her) I feel the same when I watch my 5 and 3 year old children walking up the street holding hands to visit a friend’s house. What’s right for me is not necessarily right for others and vice versa.
BTW, I’m going to be testing a GPS tracker for Lily in December - I’ve always wanted to know where she goes. Perhaps I won’t want to know after that!
Comment by Laura — November 16, 2009 @ 9:38 pm
This past summer Dickens figured out the dog door. He was much happier, went hunting, hung out in the fenced back yard. When I realized he was leaving the yard, he lost his back yard privileges. It’s upsetting to him, but I live three blocks from a busy highway. He was mentally stimulated, happy, lost weight, and was more affectionate than he had been. He escaped every harness I put on him. So now he has to stay indoors. I don’t miss cleaning up his presents, though. I kept wondering why he wouldn’t eat the head: are rodent skulls too hard to swallow, or were they a delicacy offered as a present?
Comment by Phyllis DeGioia — November 17, 2009 @ 9:02 am
They insisted eggs produced in the absence of a rooster could still produce chicks. I suggested not, and why not, but they informed me I was misinformed.
I let it drop. As I said, they’re very sweet women and their hearts are in the right place. Even if I sometimes do wonder where their brains went.
Gina, much as I enjoy a little neighbor-bashing, and of course you are absolutely right about your eggs, imagine my astonishment when I learned about this:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/.....-mortality
In some breeds of turkeys it is COMMON.
All the parthenogenic poults are males, normal males with normal fertility.
Comment by H. Houlahan — November 17, 2009 @ 9:28 am
If your worried about your cat catching birds, try the CatBib. It stops 4 out of 5 cats from catching birds.
Comment by SG — November 17, 2009 @ 8:35 pm
After the scare Woody gave the wood-be UPS package thief, I have no doubt that you have excellent dog door security. :`) I had to laugh yesterday a strong north wind was blowing the dog door on the porch open. Big D stood guard over it for a good 20 min. and told it what he thought of it’s misbehavior.
Comment by Verde — November 18, 2009 @ 7:39 am
Yes, Woody is a great dog with a lot of common sense. He just VERY POLITELY lets people know the rules, which are:
That is my MOM’S. You will not touch it or take it. Thank you.
This is my MOM’S house/car. You will ask HER before entering. If it’s cool with her, I love you, love you, love you. Because I love everyone, but you gotta know I still have a job to do. Nothing personal, you see.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — November 18, 2009 @ 8:36 am
If your worried about your cat catching birds, try the CatBib. It stops 4 out of 5 cats from catching birds. catgoods.com
Comment by SG — November 17, 2009
Not gonna happen, but thanks. I wouldn’t humiliate my cat that way. I have to sleep sometime, you know, and he’d kill me in the night.
As for the whole cat-bird freak-out, people cause more bird deaths than cats ever could because people destroy critical habitat. People who live in wood houses shouldn’t throw stones at cats.
Not to mention, as mentioned in the piece … he kills rodents. Routinely. Never have seen him with a bird, ever. I’d like him to continue killing rats and mice. It’s his JOB, and it’s a service to me.
Four out five? Why do I expect you work for the company? Don’t cite figures you cannot back up with anything more than marketing hype, please.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — November 18, 2009 @ 8:39 am
I’m so torn on this. My knee jerk reaction is 100% inside, that’s it, period, you must not love your cat otherwise. Not friendly but I promise I don’t say it out loud… much. But it’s easy to say because I adopted two rescue kittens who have never been Out in their lives (I don’t think the carrier trip from the door to the car counts). I also let them on every horizontal and vertical surface in my apartment and work hard to keep them amused.
But life isn’t black and white. The first cat I lived with as a kid would not give up Out for anything, even the nice screen porch. So while she was younger she was an inside/outside cat, then, eventually, we were able to leash her on a long lead and only when we were around. And that was ok because she was ancient and only wanted to sleep in the sun and eat grass. But her 17 years wouldn’t have been nearly as happy had we insisted on keeping her in.
But please, if you live in the city, keep your cat in. I came really close to hitting a cat a few weeks ago. It’s just too busy in most neighborhoods :( And I really, really don’t want to hurt any animals, I hate driving enough as it is.
Comment by AnneT — November 19, 2009 @ 3:08 pm