Cats keep eating snakes in the yard....

[Unsung-melody]

I didn't know where to put this post so I placed it here. Feel free to move it if there is a more appropriate location.

I keep finding disembodied snakes in my yard. I'm assuming they are brown snakes, very common to Louisiana, especially where I'm located, but I can't be sure. The cats eat their heads and half the bodies and leave the tails. Should I be worried about it? I mean, I feel sorry for the snakes, but I don't think it would be right to lock my cats inside just because they act on their natural instincts when outside. Then again, I don't want them getting sick, either. What would you guys do in this situation?

[Lankyrob]

We dont have many native snakes but we do have Slowworms (legless lizards) and frogs and birds here and our cats regulalry catch and eat many of these - there is nothing you can do to stop it as it is natural behaviour - its sad but true :)

[Unsung-melody]

That's what I was thinking. I know snake repellant doesn't work. And even if it did, the girls would just go to someone else's yard and kill them there. I just hope they don't get themselves in trouble by trying to eat a hot snake. I've seen a few cotton mouths hit on the roads near my house. (I live about a half mile from Bayou DeSiard). I'm also a worry wort tho. Lol. Anyway, there's nothing I can do about it do I suppose I should stop worrying. Lol.

[infernalis]

I used to have "outside" cats, the Coyotes got them.

Now I only keep house cats, and if they ate one of my snakes, I would let them out on a full moon night......

[BarelyBreathing]

Cats are in fact the number one most destructive animals to native animal populations. In some countries, they are the number one reason why wildlife is on the brink of extinction. Some places make it illegal to let your cat wander.

If that's not reason enough to keep your cat inside, think of these statistics:
-Outdoor cats have shown to have more health problems than those kept indoors.
-On average, outdoor cats live a fraction of the normal expected life span. Most won't see their second birthdays due to cars, predators, poisoning, and disease.
-A terrifyingly large number of outdoor cats in the US have been exposed to FIV.

Please, do what's best for your cat, your wildlife, and your neighborhood and keep your cats indoors.

[Unsung-melody]

They used to be strictly indoor cats but they went kind of crazy. I raised both of them from 4 weeks old and never let them outside until they were over a year old because they began to drive me crazy. They would sit at the door all day and cry. I refused to let them out until they got loose one day and hid under the house. I was most certainly not crawling under the house to get them, so I put food and water out and they came back in the next day. Since then, they come and go as they please. They love it outside. I don't know why they were never happy as indoor cats, but they honestly seem a lot happier now that they are allowed outside. I keep up with regular vet visits and I don't live on a busy street. I know it's more dangerous, but anyone can be killed as soon as he or she leaves the house, but it doesn't stop most of us. Idk. If a problem ever arises, I'll bring them back in. I understand the statistics, and that is why I kept them inside so long, but I'd rather them be as happy as possible.

[BarelyBreathing]

The problem has already risen. They are killing off native wildlife. You need to provide better stimulation for them indoors. Some tips:

-Hang some old carpet on the walls for them to climb.
-Invest in a cat entertainment system. They simulate the outside by playing sounds and videos of birds and squirrels. I believe they have a fish one, too.
-Toys, toys, and more toys. Invest in some puzzle toys that allow you to put food inside. Your cats will have to think about how to get the food out (and make sure it's a very tasty treat).
-Spend time with them.

[Lankyrob]

The problem has already risen. They are killing off native wildlife. You need to provide better stimulation for them indoors. Some tips:

-Hang some old carpet on the walls for them to climb.
-Invest in a cat entertainment system. They simulate the outside by playing sounds and videos of birds and squirrels. I believe they have a fish one, too.
-Toys, toys, and more toys. Invest in some puzzle toys that allow you to put food inside. Your cats will have to think about how to get the food out (and make sure it's a very tasty treat).
-Spend time with them.


This just made me laugh - our cats have 24 hour human contact, more toys than they could possibly use in a year, a large house big enough for them to both run around all day but they would much rather have free run of the outside space - it is impossible to match the stimulation of nature to any wild animal inside a house.

[Pareeeee]

I don't have cats (at the moment!) but if I ever have another cat I would never let it outside.

There are #1, too many dangers to them (cars, other animals, worms, fleas, etc.) and #2, they pose too much of a threat to the native animal populations. They also like to poop in neighbour's gardens and flower boxes...

[BarelyBreathing]

This just made me laugh - our cats have 24 hour human contact, more toys than they could possibly use in a year, a large house big enough for them to both run around all day but they would much rather have free run of the outside space - it is impossible to match the stimulation of nature to any wild animal inside a house.

While I agree with that, I also think it's important to be a responsible pet owner and not let your cat out to destroy populations of native animals. I take my cats outside, but they are 100% supervised and contained when they are out. The only thing they get to kill is mice in the barn.

[Valvaren]

I don't agree with the shortened life span, I grew up with feral caught outdoor cats, three of them, we don't know how old they were when we got them but the youngest was 18 when she died and had to be put down. that was due to having to a freak genetic condition. The other two lived to 21 and 23 :\

[Lankyrob]

While I agree with that, I also think it's important to be a responsible pet owner and not let your cat out to destroy populations of native animals. I take my cats outside, but they are 100% supervised and contained when they are out. The only thing they get to kill is mice in the barn.

Arent the mice "native animals" and if so havent you just killed your own argument? :)

[BarelyBreathing]

I don't agree with the shortened life span, I grew up with feral caught outdoor cats, three of them, we don't know how old they were when we got them but the youngest was 18 when she died and had to be put down. that was due to having to a freak genetic condition. The other two lived to 21 and 23 :\

How do you know she was eighteen if you didn't know how old she was when you got her?

Arent the mice "native animals" and if so havent you just killed your own argument? :)

I don't think fancy mice that I bought from the pet store count as "native animals". We had a breeding project escape. Hundreds of mice. :Wow:

[Lankyrob]

How do you know she was eighteen if you didn't know how old she was when you got her?



I don't think fancy mice that I bought from the pet store count as "native animals". We had a breeding project escape. Hundreds of mice. :Wow:

To be fair you made no mention of "fancy mice" :)

[BarelyBreathing]

To be fair you made no mention of "fancy mice" :)

Ha, sorry. I guess I assumed you were all familiar with what I was talking about because I ranted about it a while ago.

[RandyRhoads]

I hate feral cats. They make ferrets illegal in my state which could not survive in the wild, yet cats are perfectly legal and we now have insane numbers destroying our native wildlife. I shoot feral cats on sight. Makes me sick people drive as far in the country as they can to dump there cats. Sick, unwanted, whatever the reason. Then they breed like crazy.

[Unsung-melody]

My cats are not feral. They stay in my yard and might go into the neighbors' yard to climb their trees. I highly doubt my 2 cats even make a dent in the populations of the indigenous wildlife. I've only found three dead snakes. And honestly, these snakes are such a problem around here that even if the cats didn't kill them, the neighbors would. According to them, "The only good snake is a dead snake." As ignorant as they are, there isn't anything I can do to stop them. I'm not going to lock my cats inside when they are obviously happier being allowed out. They come in at night and mostly stay under the house when they are outside. I've had "inside/outside" cats my entire life. All of them have lived over 18 years. I always get them spayed/neutered and they have all their shots and have regular vet visits. I resent that anyone would think I'm an irresponsible pet owner for letting my cats outside on a dead end, very low traffic street. So they kill a few snakes that would have been killed anyway. These snakes are nowhere near endangered so I don't see the problem. I understand people keeping their cats inside and expressing that they would do so. I used to do the same thing, but when my cats began to become unhappy and nothing seemed to help until they escaped and were allowed outside, I decided that for their happiness I could let them out and get over it. The vet says they are healthier than ever. So the opinions expressed here are completely fine. However, making someone out to be a bad pet owner isn't really necessary. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, but don't make others look bad because they disagree with you.

[Gungirl]

I feel as if cats should be treated like dogs. If they are outside they need to be leashed. I hate it when my neighbors cats come on my property. I do not think they should be allowed free roam at all.

[Lankyrob]

Our cats have totally free roam of inside and outside 24/7, they come in and out of our bedroom windows which we never shut, sometimes they will be gone for three or four days at a time but they always come back. We have farmland and woodland around us that i am sure they spend a lot fo their outdoor time in.

imo cats are much less domesticated than dogs and also pose a much lesser risk to other humans than dogs - leashing them is so impractical that it doesnt really warrant any response.

[Gungirl]

I am allergic to cats and it really bothers me that they can come and go on my property as they please. I understand if you live in the middle of nothing but in town it should not be allowed. I shouldn't have to keep my windows shut in my car so that when I go to drive I don't have breathing issues due to a neighbors cat sleeping on my seats.

[Lankyrob]

I can understand being allergic it being annoying, we live semi rural on the edge of a town, there are twenty houses in our cul de sac and i reckon there are probably 30 cats owned by people who live here that are all indoor/outdoor cats, then we get ones from neighbouring streets wandering around too.

Not sure what things are like i the states but it seems that pretty much every house has at least one cat over here :) thankfully the majority are well cared for and neutered :)

[Roadtrash]

usually if a cat is spayed it won't go far from its home, no reason to look around I guess. I am not a cat person myself but do know people that have them outside and most don't have any problems. I know back home in Georgia where I grew up the main thing that the cats catch are squirrels and lord knows we can afford to lose a few of those things. We never had problems with them killing snakes, every now and then but not often. As for living shorter lives outside than inside I have never heard that but it may be true I just know that the ones I have been around live long healthy lives outside.
I know that at my sisters house the cat doesn't seem to bother snakes that much as they are always crawling around in the yard. She had chickens for years and if you didn't check a couple of times a day for eggs the snakes would get them. When I'm there I usually catch them and take them down the road a couple of miles and turn them loose and in a day or so there would be another one, not the same one, in the chicken yard. Seems there is always a snake there somewhere usually one of the rat snakes but also a lot of copperheads and the odd rattlesnake now and then.

[DragonsEye]

Add to keeping your cat inside --- have any cat you own (or dog for that matter) neutered. Unless you are breeding cats/dogs for profit, there is no reason for not doing so.

[totheend]

Cats are a huge threat to wildlife...end of story. Do some research!

Responsible cat owners should keep their cats indoors. I don't let my dog run wild in neighbours yards why do people think it's ok for their cats to do so? You don't like keeping them indoors,then don't keep cats as pets.

[Lankyrob]

Personally i think it is cruel to keep cats indoor, as i said earlier i dont believe they are as domesticated as dogs and they need the stimulation and exercise that the great outdoors can provide. I totally agree that it is irresponsible to let an unneutered animal roam but if they are innoculated and neutered i cant see an issue at all.

[exwizard]

My cats are not feral. They stay in my yard and might go into the neighbors' yard to climb their trees. I highly doubt my 2 cats even make a dent in the populations of the indigenous wildlife. I've only found three dead snakes. And honestly, these snakes are such a problem around here that even if the cats didn't kill them, the neighbors would. According to them, "The only good snake is a dead snake." As ignorant as they are, there isn't anything I can do to stop them. I'm not going to lock my cats inside when they are obviously happier being allowed out. They come in at night and mostly stay under the house when they are outside. I've had "inside/outside" cats my entire life. All of them have lived over 18 years. I always get them spayed/neutered and they have all their shots and have regular vet visits. I resent that anyone would think I'm an irresponsible pet owner for letting my cats outside on a dead end, very low traffic street. So they kill a few snakes that would have been killed anyway. These snakes are nowhere near endangered so I don't see the problem. I understand people keeping their cats inside and expressing that they would do so. I used to do the same thing, but when my cats began to become unhappy and nothing seemed to help until they escaped and were allowed outside, I decided that for their happiness I could let them out and get over it. The vet says they are healthier than ever. So the opinions expressed here are completely fine. However, making someone out to be a bad pet owner isn't really necessary. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, but don't make others look bad because they disagree with you.

Add to keeping your cat inside --- have any cat you own (or dog for that matter) neutered. Unless you are breeding cats/dogs for profit, there is no reason for not doing so.

Our cats have totally free roam of inside and outside 24/7, they come in and out of our bedroom windows which we never shut, sometimes they will be gone for three or four days at a time but they always come back. We have farmland and woodland around us that i am sure they spend a lot fo their outdoor time in.

imo cats are much less domesticated than dogs and also pose a much lesser risk to other humans than dogs - leashing them is so impractical that it doesnt really warrant any response.

Cats are a huge threat to wildlife...end of story. Do some research!

Responsible cat owners should keep their cats indoors. I don't let my dog run wild in neighbours yards why do people think it's ok for their cats to do so? You don't like keeping them indoors,then don't keep cats as pets.

There is obviously a wide range of opinion in this. All I can add to this is my own experiences. Ages ago we bought a female cat from a neighbor and we made the mistake of not fixing her and as a result, within 3 years, we ended up with 5 generations of cats. Looking back on that, we shouldve nipped that problem in the bud by fixing that first cat. I dont keep cats now, even though I love cats as much as dogs. If I had to do it all over again I would make sure she got fixed as soon as I got her.

Fast forward to after I moved to Iowa...

My soon to be exwife has a daughter who has 2 male cats. Both got fixed and neither goes outside. They are content as any housecat can be. Everytime I go there, they are always very loving and friendly,always purring everytime I approach them. Also there are neighborhood cats that explore her yard to see what they can find. Ive never seen any of them attack any sqirrels but Im sure it happens. I dont buy the notion that cats are the biggest threat to local wildlife because most of those animals are way bigger than cats will ever be. As far as squirrels are concerned, Im indifferent to that and Im certainly in favor of them keeping the rodent population under control.

I can see both sides in this and while I do understand cat allergies, as my sister deals with that all the time, Im not sure what can practically be done about that.

In answer to the OPs question about her cats eating the local wild snakes vs. them being happier being outside, I would say this...

You need to weigh which scenario you would rather see happen and based upon your answer to that question, do what you think would make that happen.

[totheend]

Personally i think it is cruel to keep cats indoor, as i said earlier i dont believe they are as domesticated as dogs and they need the stimulation and exercise that the great outdoors can provide. I totally agree that it is irresponsible to let an unneutered animal roam but if they are innoculated and neutered i cant see an issue at all.

So it is okay that your cats are killing wildlife...for fun? And so if your cat comes in my yard and my dog kills it (and she most definitely would) that is ok? This is my yard and I prefer that cats don't **** in my flower beds! I would also like others cats to not kill the wildlife in my yard.

[shaunyboy]

I feel as if cats should be treated like dogs. If they are outside they need to be leashed. I hate it when my neighbors cats come on my property. I do not think they should be allowed free roam at all.

i feel the same Kat.....

we had all the neighbours cats,coming in and doing a crap in our garden (it stinks)...

i don't know if it's just coincedence,but when i started burying SNAKE crap next to the cat crap,the cats did'nt come back

cheers shaun

[Lankyrob]

So it is okay that your cats are killing wildlife...for fun? And so if your cat comes in my yard and my dog kills it (and she most definitely would) that is ok? This is my yard and I prefer that cats don't **** in my flower beds! I would also like others cats to not kill the wildlife in my yard.

Yes it is okay, most if not all of the natural predators in our country have been exterminated and without cats doing their role of keeping rodent levels down we would be over run imo. We used to have wolves, foxes, polecats, ferrets all killing of rodents but now foxes that are still living are city based living of human rubbish and the others are all extinct in nature.

If my cats were dumb enough to go into a garden with a dog that is a threat to them ( there are three in our neighbourhood that are known cat killers) then thats life.

As for the flowerbeds, whats wrong with some free fertiliser :)

[exwizard]

i feel the same Kat.....

we had all the neighbours cats,coming in and doing a crap in our garden (it stinks)...

i don't know if it's just coincedence,but when i started burying SNAKE crap next to the cat crap,the cats did'nt come back

cheers shaun

Nice trick. I never wouldve thought of that.

[totheend]

Yes it is okay, most if not all of the natural predators in our country have been exterminated and without cats doing their role of keeping rodent levels down we would be over run imo. We used to have wolves, foxes, polecats, ferrets all killing of rodents but now foxes that are still living are city based living of human rubbish and the others are all extinct in nature.

If my cats were dumb enough to go into a garden with a dog that is a threat to them ( there are three in our neighbourhood that are known cat killers) then thats life.

As for the flowerbeds, whats wrong with some free fertiliser :)

I think you need to do some research on what cats can do to wildlife. Please.

Maybe cats aren't for you? Because I would be devistated if my pet was killed.

[mark24]

The problem with keeping cats outside is the kill native animals and/or get eaten by coyotes then people blame the coyotes and try to get them removed when it was the persons fault for letting their cat/s run free do the responsible thing and keep them in side I've been attacked by my own cat because someone let their cat run free and came in my backyard which my cat didn't like other cats so tried to get my cat away from the door and that's when I got attacked cats are meant to be pets which means you keep them locked up not let them run free I personally hate cats and wish they would be band as pets because I seem running around all time in reality there's nothing good that comes out of keeping cats out side

[Lankyrob]

I think you need to do some research on what cats can do to wildlife. Please.

Maybe cats aren't for you? Because I would be devistated if my pet was killed.

I know exactly what they can do to wildlife but i dont think it is an issue, certainly not here, maybe around the world there are additional concerns but not here.

Would i be sad if a cat was killed - most definitely BUT as i have said a few times now i dont see them as domesticated animals that you can relate to like a dog, they choose when they want affection and they choose when they want to stay away for a while, the relationship balance is 100% in their favour. We have never really had one of those cats that are really homey and cuddly and sleep on your lap etc, i much prefer the more independant, arsey, aggressive want to rip your face off if you look at me wrong type of cat. :)

[exwizard]

...We have never really had one of those cats that are really homey and cuddly and sleep on your lap etc, i much prefer the more independant, arsey, aggressive want to rip your face off if you look at me wrong type of cat. :)

Ive had both kinds and I much prefer the cuddly lap cat as they are so much more fun to have around. We used to have a real nasty tempered cat long ago and I must tell you, she was a real challenge to have around to say the least.

Rmf's cat is one of those cats like you have Rob except when shes with me. She lets me pet her and she has jumped up on top of me when I was reclined, purring and cuddling with me. Cats are funny like that sometimes.

[Lankyrob]

Both of our current cats will have cuddles (especially if its cold and raining outside ;)) but it is a rare occurrence rather than a normality. They prefer to sleep on top of thevivs where it is nice and warm :)

[Roadtrash]

Feral cats can be a problem but well fed pets when outside don't harm the wildlife that much. As I mentioned earlier if they are neutered they will react with the wildlife even less. When I was a young lad growing up in Georgia we never saw a coyote but now they are overrunning the area and take a lot bigger toll on the wildlife than a cat ever would. They also take a lot of the new born deer and even young calves and if they take a cat now and then so be it. Now days the large population of wild hogs are killing off a lot of the local wildlife as well. Between the coyotes and hogs we are very quickly losing our quail population as they are ground nesting birds and their eggs and young are quickly grabbed by the coyotes and hogs.

[Philmul]

Please, do what's best for your cat, your wildlife, and your neighborhood and keep your cats indoors.[/QUOTE]

I live in a rural area and I have 5 cats they catch rats and mice which I don't mind. It would drive me mad if they were in doors with my two dogs. Lol

[Jay]

I'll have to side with Rob on this one.

[Skumbo]

Cats are in fact the number one most destructive animals to native animal populations. In some countries, they are the number one reason why wildlife is on the brink of extinction. Some places make it illegal to let your cat wander.

If that's not reason enough to keep your cat inside, think of these statistics:
-Outdoor cats have shown to have more health problems than those kept indoors.
-On average, outdoor cats live a fraction of the normal expected life span. Most won't see their second birthdays due to cars, predators, poisoning, and disease.
-A terrifyingly large number of outdoor cats in the US have been exposed to FIV.

Please, do what's best for your cat, your wildlife, and your neighborhood and keep your cats indoors.

^ This!

I personally hate cats, but i wont judge on anybodies animal choice as long as you're responsible.

As for pets killing things, my parents dog keeps killing baby bunnies in the yard (cant catch adult ones apparently) and we found them in the pool filters. Just stop letting them outside..? I told my parents I wouldn't mind if the dogs were eating the rabbits (it is food you know) but killing them and leaving them there is a waste, imo.

[brooksy]

So we can all agree the best stimulation for ANY animal is their own wild environment. However we completely change their lives by making them pets. Once they are a pet, IMO they should be kept "contained" in some way (tanks/racks for reptiles, a house for a dog/cat). If you choose to let your animals free roam, you must be 100% okay if they get killed, abused or taken into someone else's home. You give up your rights to your animals when you release them into the public (again this is just my opinion).
I am okay if someone builds their dog or cat a run (that they can't escape) or use a harness and tether it to stay in the yard. I know people who have built huge custom cage/runs for their cats so that the cat can go from a window to outside but cannot escape or worry about predators/ neighbors killing it. This is the perfect solution to allow the cat room yo roam but not invade your neighbors property.
I love my cat dearly (he's a cuddly one) and one day will build him a run once we are in a full sized house, but for now we play with him and take him outside on his harness for excersize. Even all the cat behavior specialists say to keep your cat your pet and not the neighborhood's problem.

[JimiSellars]

I have seen many different numbers and even the low accounts are too many. It is estimated that millions of birds are killed by cats (pets and feral) daily in north America.
This is very serious and is not just about your cat being happy.

New Studies Highlight Impact of Outdoor Cats on Birds and Other Wildlife : Wildlife Promise (http://blog.nwf.org/2011/03/new-studies-highlight-impact-of-outdoor-cats-on-birds-and-other-wildlife/)

[Lankyrob]

Reading through all this there seems to be a definite split in cases.

IF you have predators that will readily eat your cat then it is a simple choice to keep them indoors

IF you have prey that the cat will readily hunt that are endangered then keep your cat indoors or make it wear a "warning collar"

IF the only prey the cat will take are pest animals - pigeons, rats, mice - then let the cat do what nature intended it do

We are all adults here and, hopefully, all mature enough to make the right decision for the area that we live in. The arguments that are being made both for and against all make sense to the area that the person making that argument lives.

An example, the only coyote or wolf type predators in the uk that would threaten cats in the wild are kept in zoos - the only cat predator we need to worry about are other humans :)

[StudentoReptile]

Indoor cats I have no problem with. Cats that enter my property without collars are fair game to any dogs I may have at the time, and/or a well-aimed rock, pinecone or stick. One of these days I am going to invest in a pellet gun (need one for the squirrels anyway).

I concur that unleashed cats allowed to roam the outdoors are a real problem with native wildlife. They prey upon small critters, including my beloved fence lizard colony that calls my yard home. They compete with similar-sized critters for food. I also frown upon them coming in my yard and leaving their poop in my tortoise pens. I don't know if there any pathogens to be transmitted from a cat to a tortoise, but I really don't want to find out either.

I like cats, and have had them as pets in the past. But dear God, keep them FIXED and keep them INDOORS.

[totheend]

IF you have predators that will readily eat your cat then it is a simple choice to keep them indoors

IF you have prey that the cat will readily hunt that are endangered then keep your cat indoors or make it wear a "warning collar"

IF the only prey the cat will take are pest animals - pigeons, rats, mice - then let the cat do what nature intended it do



You forgot one.... IF you have neighbours respect them and keep your cat indoors.

[Lankyrob]

You forgot one.... IF you have neighbours YOU LIKE, respect them and keep your cat indoors.

Updated ;) :)

[totheend]

Okay, that made me LOL!

[Skumbo]

Indoor cats I have no problem with. Cats that enter my property without collars are fair game to any dogs I may have at the time, and/or a well-aimed rock, pinecone or stick. One of these days I am going to invest in a pellet gun (need one for the squirrels anyway).

I concur that unleashed cats allowed to roam the outdoors are a real problem with native wildlife. They prey upon small critters, including my beloved fence lizard colony that calls my yard home. They compete with similar-sized critters for food. I also frown upon them coming in my yard and leaving their poop in my tortoise pens. I don't know if there any pathogens to be transmitted from a cat to a tortoise, but I really don't want to find out either.

I like cats, and have had them as pets in the past. But dear God, keep them FIXED and keep them INDOORS.

If I was in your position I'd invest in more than a pellet gun... :cool:

[exwizard]

Mods please delete this post and the next

[exwizard]

Sorry misplaced post

[StudentoReptile]

If I was in your position I'd invest in more than a pellet gun... :cool:
To be honesty, since I live in a residential area, I'm not sure what I can get away with when it comes to using firearms as pest control.

[Skumbo]

To be honesty, since I live in a residential area, I'm not sure what I can get away with when it comes to using firearms as pest control.

Flamethrower? :o

[shuga]

After reading this thread, I had to add my own story about outdoor cats. I live in an apartment complex that has 268 apts. In 1998, a change in ownership of our property prompted a change in the no pet policy and alot of our neighbors went out and got cute little kittens. Which grew up to be bored cats who drove their owners crazy to go outside or became a burden/hassle. Within a year or so we had about 80 cats/kittens roaming the property. Most of them stray from being born outside.

About half these cats/kittens ended up feral and most were ill/injured/malnourished. I cant even describe the urine smell. They raided dumpsters and dragged any wrappers/trash with a food smell or taste and left it all over the place. And then the skunks started coming closer to the apts. attracted by the trash and then skunks actually made dens under the apts. in the crawlspaces.

We had a pair of fisher cats that lived about a mile away actually start using this place as a hunting ground. And they are cruel, vicious predators. The screaming of the fishers as they hunted and the horrible sound of cats/kittens being "played" with as they were killed is very difficult to explain to your child who gets woken up almost nightly.

The fisher cats/cars/disease/poison eventually diminished the feline numbers. There is still a small population of feral cats around.The skunks are still a big issue.I see 6 different skunks on a nightly basis. My dog was sprayed in the face/mouth from an 8 in distance by a skunk that came up on my steps suddenly as we opened the door. She became very sick and almost died.

I have a strictly indoor cat, she's 13yrs old and was one of the first "stray" kittens from all this. I found her at a few weeks old and took her in. None of those original outdoor cats are still alive. I know this because I was involved with a pet committee that we set up in 1999 to try to deal with the outdoor cat issue.
Outdoor or indoor/outdoor cats can definitely have an impact, and being outside can have an impact on them as well.

[Philmul]

[QUOTE=BarelyBreathing;767464]How do you know she was eighteen if you didn't know how old she was when you got her?

He probably had her 18 year so she was at least 18

[StudentoReptile]

Flamethrower? :o

I wish! Hows that saying go again, Flame throwers were invented because somewhere, at some point in history, someone thought to themselves, "Ya know, I'd like to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just too far away to do it."

LOL...on a similar note, I have a friend who used to keep and breed bloodhounds. These dogs were avid cat-destroyers. Once, he' was washing the car, and saw a stray cat walking atop his tall, privacy fence. For fun, he pushed it into the dog yard. The cat didn't even reach the ground. One of his hounds just jumped up and grabbed it, like an alligator chomping a chicken on a rope.

[Skumbo]

After reading this thread, I had to add my own story about outdoor cats. I live in an apartment complex that has 268 apts. In 1998, a change in ownership of our property prompted a change in the no pet policy and alot of our neighbors went out and got cute little kittens. Which grew up to be bored cats who drove their owners crazy to go outside or became a burden/hassle. Within a year or so we had about 80 cats/kittens roaming the property. Most of them stray from being born outside.

About half these cats/kittens ended up feral and most were ill/injured/malnourished. I cant even describe the urine smell. They raided dumpsters and dragged any wrappers/trash with a food smell or taste and left it all over the place. And then the skunks started coming closer to the apts. attracted by the trash and then skunks actually made dens under the apts. in the crawlspaces.

We had a pair of fisher cats that lived about a mile away actually start using this place as a hunting ground. And they are cruel, vicious predators. The screaming of the fishers as they hunted and the horrible sound of cats/kittens being "played" with as they were killed is very difficult to explain to your child who gets woken up almost nightly.

The fisher cats/cars/disease/poison eventually diminished the feline numbers. There is still a small population of feral cats around.The skunks are still a big issue.I see 6 different skunks on a nightly basis. My dog was sprayed in the face/mouth from an 8 in distance by a skunk that came up on my steps suddenly as we opened the door. She became very sick and almost died.

I have a strictly indoor cat, she's 13yrs old and was one of the first "stray" kittens from all this. I found her at a few weeks old and took her in. None of those original outdoor cats are still alive. I know this because I was involved with a pet committee that we set up in 1999 to try to deal with the outdoor cat issue.
Outdoor or indoor/outdoor cats can definitely have an impact, and being outside can have an impact on them as well.

I've been to Springfield a few times, and I can honestly say, I noticed a ton of cats there roaming around and didnt think too much of it.

I'd like to add in a fantastic story about people who don't keep control of their cats, and the wonderful land that is northern New Hampshire.

When I first moved into my first apartment building at the ripe age of 19, our neighbors across the road had probably 8 or 9 cats. They were always making noise, and there was a distinct "too many cats" smell from that side of the road. I have bad cat allergies, and when I went for a run, I can honestly say, I was affected.

Now, winter came around, and I figured the cats would be inside, but no, they kept them all outside in the yard. They told me they were "trained" to stay in the yard, and they had moved up from NY the recently and "have had no problem with any other neighbors until you moved in." I jokingly told her "You'll be lucky to have one cat left by the end of the winter with that attitude."

Now, I wish I still had the local newspaper for this, but It's buried deep somewhere in a box. But sometime around January, the beginning of the next term at school, I went out for a run at 5 am like I usually do, before anyone else is awake. I remembered the cats being particularly loud the night before, and I hadn't slept very well. I figured out why they were so loud - 7 cats tried to fight off a bear.

Yeah, a bear. A little (well, for a bear) black bear rummaged into this persons yard because they had left out a bunch of garbage, and bears are notorious dumpster divers up in NH. The cats, being fenced in scattered a small yard, as much as they could. One side of the fence was smashed in, and that's all I had noticed at the time. The next day I got the paper and saw "Four cats killed in yard by bear scavenging local trash" and I KNEW whose it was. Based on the lack of dead cats laying around - I'm assuming he popped a few in his mouth before leaving...

One more reason not to leave cats outside - Bears. Freakin' Bears.

http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/education/interactive/springscoast/img/blackbear.jpg

"Delicious Kitty Meats!"

[Philmul]

One more reason not to leave cats outside - Bears. Freakin' Bears.

"Delicious Kitty Meats!"[/QUOTE]

Don't that problem here thankfully the biggest threat to my cats and rabbits is the big foxes we have. But that's nothing my catapult won't solve. Lol

[Lankyrob]

One more reason not to leave cats outside - Bears. Freakin' Bears.

"Delicious Kitty Meats!"

Don't that problem here thankfully the biggest threat to my cats and rabbits is the big foxes we have. But that's nothing my catapult won't solve. Lol[/quote]

I have watched my two gang up on a fox and chase it out of our garden :) Wish i had pics but it was during the middle of the night and i couldnt be bothered to go get my camera.

[Skumbo]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v176/BrodeurFan/MayorWestwithCatLauncher.jpg

[RandyRhoads]

Prepare to meet your maker at the hands of my cat launcher!!!


....nobody messes with Adam Wee....


Ahahahahaha

[Skumbo]

Prepare to meet your maker at the hands of my cat launcher!!!


....nobody messes with Adam Wee....


Ahahahahaha

I especially love that scene because my name is Paul and when hes like
"Paul isnt a cat name.. its a persons name!" i lost it