Reason #27 my cats stay indoors

[norepinephrine]

My brother and family were down yesterday for a BBQ. While we were relaxing on the porch at about 7:45, my niece spotted a raccoon coming from between two houses across the street.

He was a raccoon on a mission, apparently, and headed straight across the street to the tree right next to my porch - less than 6 feet away from us. He climbed the tree and disappeared somewhere on my neighbor's roof.

Based on his behavior, I get the feeling this is a regular route for him. I'm going to have to start hanging out on the porch at that time in the evening.

He was a younger, well-fed, handsome little bugger too.

 

[Blackmail!]

Go raccoon, go!

---

I hope he won't dare to eat a cat or two, because cat's meat is extremely unhealthy (parasites!).

 

[Thalassa]

I'm sure this isn't the main intention of your post, but I couldn't help but notice the title. I understand why some people want to keep their cats indoors, but I think it's selfish. I don't think it's for the cat, I think it's for the pet owner. My cats are indoors most of the time, but I would feel like a complete bitch if I made my cats stay indoors all the time. They're animals. They want to run around and play in the sunshine. They want to lie in the cool evening and feel the breeze just as I do. If someone made me stay indoors all of the time, I'd feel like I was in prison.

We were having an especially pretty day here this week, and my neighbors (neutered) male cat wanted to sniff around in the grass and enjoy the weather just like the people did. When she screamed at him to get back in the house I felt myself stiffen, as though I was hearing a parent emotionally abuse a child. I cannot understand the compulsion to imprison a pet indoors 24/7 without brief respites outside (with proper procautions, of course) just because of what hypothetically could happen.

I mean, a car could run over me or I could catch the swine flu or I could simply break my arm but I still want to go outside most days, if only for a little while. It's beyond my capabilities to tell my cat do as I say, not as I do, especially since cats are animals, and animals were created to go outside.

That's just how I feel about it.

 

[Salomé]

^according to that reasoning, you should never take them into the house in the first place.

I support ppl keeping cats indoors, or at least contained. I love them, but they are murderous little buggers.

 

[Randomnity]

People keep their cats inside (in urban areas) for the same reason they don't let toddlers wander around in the street unsupervised. A lot of cats don't have the sense to stay out of the road.

I wouldn't call it selfish to try to avoid seeing your cat become roadkill.

 

[/DG/]

Just thought I'd jump in and comment on saying how I think raccoons are cute.

cute raccoon:

 

[norepinephrine]

^according to that reasoning, you should never take them into the house in the first place.

I support ppl keeping cats indoors, or at least contained. I love them, but they are murderous little buggers.

They are murderous little obligate carnivores. I'm often amazed they consent to domestication.

I "own" one cat who was here before I moved in. She lives outside as she and the boys inside do not mix well. I had her spayed, vaccinate her, etc.

She treats me to the occasional headless bird.

 

[norepinephrine]

We were having an especially pretty day here this week, and my neighbors (neutered) male cat wanted to sniff around in the grass and enjoy the weather just like the people did. When she screamed at him to get back in the house I felt myself stiffen, as though I was hearing a parent emotionally abuse a child.

Wait, this was a cat? She screamed at it and expected obedience?

Something is not right here.

 

[nozflubber]

this is a pretty good reason - when I was growing up in michigan, my good friend's cat was mauled to death by a raccoon. He said the blood was everywhere, and his cat was big too - like 22 pounds. Raccoons are vicious rotents. Supposedly they will attack up to medium sized dogs as well, and they've been known to hold onto their bite well past death. The latter may be due to rabies however and not due to their temperament.

Basically, don't mess with em.

 

[norepinephrine]

Basically, don't mess with em.

Yeah. My outdoor cat saw him coming and silently retreated to the porch.

 

[Thalassa]

^according to that reasoning, you should never take them into the house in the first place

Oversimplifying what I said, obviously. If your logic was a reflection of mine I would have said I want to live outdoors too, but I didn't. I said that they should be allowed some time outside, just as dogs go outside sometimes, just as I go outside sometimes.

 

[WordGeek]

Two days ago, I saw a huge fox rummaging and sniffing around our and our neighbor's front yard. He even came close to the door and didn't seem to be shy. We live in the city and I was quite surprised to see a big fox up close (I've seen quite a few smaller ones, but never one this big). He could have eaten our cat for breakfast.

I heard other people talk about coyotes in the neighborhood, but never actually saw one. That are two reasons why our cat stays indoors. The main reason is, that our cat has asthma and needs daily medication. Last year, he had a bad attack and if I hadn't been home to take him to the vet that day, he could have died, so we can't risk him being outside for a couple of days without medication. In addition, he is allergic to flea, tick and heartworm medication (the whole nine yards), so he stays indoors.

 

[Ivy]

Where I live it's illegal to let dogs outside unless they're on leash or in a secure enclosure. I think it's probably illegal for cats, too, but people have outdoor cats and I don't really mind it since you don't really hear about loose cats mauling toddlers. We had one indoor-outdoor cat before, she had lived with my parents before she lived with us and there was no way we were going to be able to keep her inside. My current cat is indoor-only because when we got her, there was a crazy cat-poisoning lady in our neighborhood. By the time that lady moved away, Sylvia was afraid to go outside more than a few steps on the porch.

 

[MacGuffin]

Shooting pests, like cats, is perfectly acceptable to me.

 

[Salomé]

Jesus. Do you ever make a post that doesn't contain the words "me" or "I"?

 

[rhinosaur]

I just imagined you sitting in a rocking chair, with a rifle on your lap, in front of your house in urban/suburban Alexandria. The neighbors heads perk up whenever they hear a shot. The lady down the street has been posting fliers all day, which say "Lost Cat - Reward."

 

[Salomé]

Oversimplifying what I said, obviously. If your logic was a reflection of mine I would have said I want to live outdoors too, but I didn't. I said that they should be allowed some time outside, just as dogs go outside sometimes, just as I go outside sometimes.

Not really. Your argument was that "cats were created to go outdoors".

Personally, I don't think it's a valid argument, but it's yours, not mine, so I don't have to.

 

[MacGuffin]

I just imagined you sitting in a rocking chair, with a rifle on your lap, in front of your house in urban/suburban Alexandria. The neighbors heads perk up whenever they hear a shot. The lady down the street has been posting fliers all day, which say "Lost Cat - Reward."

Heheh. In San Diego you could hear the coyotes get them late at night. Then a few days later the posters would go up.

 

[lowtech redneck]

I heard other people talk about coyotes in the neighborhood,

Coyotes ate my cat....in fucking suburban Atlanta. Before that, my sister's cat got run over. Next cat I'm getting is probably going to be an indoor-only cat.

 

[Ghost of the dead horse]

^according to that reasoning, you should never take them into the house in the first place.

No.