Keep your cats indoors.

[Lefitte]

Agree with that completely! I didn't understand it before I had it either.

[Herpo]

I love both dogs and cats, just prefer cats. It's good to have some people liking different animals though.

Our cat has her own little routine. Every night, before we go upstairs, she hides under the curtains and waits for us to pass, tapping our feet as we pass. She then follows us upstairs, and settles down on her Pillow Pet on the end of the bed.

In the mornings, she waits by my bed. When I wake up, she meows ad gets me to pat her while she eats. Then she sits on my bed, purring the whole time.

It takes a long time to understand their body language and how they behave, and you have to earn they love, but get to know them and they really are awesome animals.

Cheers,
Herpo

[sam]

macandchz thanks for that, I just hope the skink can settle into the new environment comfortably.

[trailblazer295]

For those that question a cats affection, just last night within 10 seconds of climbing into bed she jumped on the bed and laid down tight against my side purring away. Often she starts purring before she has picked a spot to lay down, can hear her in the dark. Sounds like a little engine idling lol

[Piggybuns]

Originally Posted by serpentgirl123

When I get my house rebuilt, I am putting in a new fence called the "Purrfect Fence," allows the cats to be outside but in the restraints of the yard.

Haha my friend was going to do this for her cat Luna but she needs to put the supplies together for her! The difference is she was going to call it the "Lunie Bin" XD.

I'm glad the skink baby did alright! I woulda kept the lil bugger but I'm biased because I'm getting ready for one in October-November this year. .X

[pet_snake_78]

I have cat and dog and both like for me to pet them and to lay on me. Cat is less work than the dog because the dog needs to be walked but not bad if you have a invisible fence.

[LISA127]

Originally Posted by bigsnakegirl785

There's more than just environmental impact to worry about with outdoor cats, the cat is in danger, too. I'll never understand people who say they care about their animals but then just keep them outside.

I'm in agreement with Akuma here, there's no reason to keep your dog or cat outside. If you can't control the dog/cat because you don't have time to play with it, don't have pets. It's that simple.

That was my thought too. Being outdoors is a threat to the cat as well.

[prairiepanda]

In my experience the cats that spend most of their times outdoors are the ones that mostly just see their humans as a source of food. They might be affectionate towards humans, but don't treat them like family and tend to prefer the company of other cats or else total solitude. In contrast, strictly indoor cats seem to be the ones that bond very closely to their owners and become lifelong companions rather than pets. My cat, and all the cats my family has had over the years, have been indoor-only cats and have never been destructive except when they were kittens and still learning the rules. They get some closely supervised outdoor time once in a while, but they're perfectly happy indoors. My cat is trained to leave small ground-critters alone, for the safety of various other pets I have had and currently keep, but she hasn't been trained with birds so if she were outside unattended that could be a problem.

I do agree that there needs to be much more strict regulation on cats, everywhere. Some cities have really good controls in place for dog ownership, but nobody seems to care about the cat problem.

[dannybgoode]

I would never keep a cat indoors. They are not indoor creatures. Sorry, just the way I feel. And no, my cats do not just see me as a source of food either.

There was an interesting documentary on the life of cats here I the uk and they tracked every cat in a small village and the amount of wildlife kills was way below what anyone thought it would be. Will try and find a link. Not saying cats don't kill wildlife- they do but not nearly to the level previously thought.

But no, imo cat owners who let their cats out are not irresponsible. Those that keep them cooped up indoors are...

[RAD House]

Cats numbers are not being threatened by a cat being shut indoors, where as song bird numbers are definitely by outdoor cats. Your reasoning is flawed. Outdoor cats pose the biggest threat to wildlife of any pet species, and it seems to be of no concern for most. Be responsible and spay or neuter your cat, and if you insist on putting your little killer outdoors then put a bell on it.

[Herpo]

I'd say only let a cat outdoors in Urban areas where native birds are less likely to be. Where I live, cats are cleaning up the population of invasive indian mynas. I'd still not let my cat out, would hate to walk out to her dead on the road...

[sam]

Our cat kills rodents often, only problem is we live right next to a large natures reserve, which he enjoys roaming. And as a result, the native wildlife from the reserve often come onto our property, this includes snakes, lizards and kangaroos.

But thats all good cause in a few years the cane toads will dawn upon us and kill all the feral cats and natives anyway, so it doesn't really matter in the long run.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Originally Posted by dannybgoode

I would never keep a cat indoors. They are not indoor creatures. Sorry, just the way I feel. And no, my cats do not just see me as a source of food either.

There was an interesting documentary on the life of cats here I the uk and they tracked every cat in a small village and the amount of wildlife kills was way below what anyone thought it would be. Will try and find a link. Not saying cats don't kill wildlife- they do but not nearly to the level previously thought.

But no, imo cat owners who let their cats out are not irresponsible. Those that keep them cooped up indoors are...

My cat of 6 years is gone forever because my roommate thought like you. He opened the door because she was yowling, and she ran out because she was in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people (she was there to be babysat for a few days and didn't even make it through the first day). I looked for weeks for her, and she's been gone 3 years now. She was scared of the outdoors, every time we took her out for monitored outdoor time (imo the only responsible way to allow a cat outdoors), she would freak out and scratch to get back in. She was raised outside, too, because her mother was an outdoor cat and that's where she was born. Her mother now happily lives inside by the way, after living 7-8 years as an outdoor cat. She's now around 10-11 years.

A cat outdoors is open to being poisoned, being run over, being eaten by predators, being open to communicable diseases, parasites, torture by sadistic kids/adults, etc. So no, it is irresponsible to allow a cat outdoors, not indoors. An indoor cat can be kept happy by exercise and play time, and maybe some outdoor time on a harness or enclosed porch. Feral cats, as mentioned in the thread earlier, can sometimes be a different story. Some come around, some do not. That doesn't make being kept outdoors any less dangerous or irresponsible, though.

[dannybgoode]

one of those areas we'll have to agree to differ. I too have lost cats to traffic accidents and I still maintain they are outdoor creatures and should not be cooped up 24/7 indoors. I hate the thought.

Interestingly here in the UK the law to some extent recognises that cats are all essentially wild animals as legally you do not own a cat and are not held responsible for it's actions as you would be say a dogs.

I appreciate though there are some things that people will never agree on...

[Andy_G]

I'm extremely allergic to cats so I don't keep them, but I definitely agree that they should be kept indoors. Feral cats are a scourge and should be euthanised in order to control transmissable disease.

Anyone who thinks it to be cruel to keep a cat inside at all times because they belong outdoors should really reconsider keeping reptiles, or anything else for that matter, as a pet.