Prodigals Return

raptorrex said:

chesterscot said:

Seen as youve been in touch with the RSPCA so must have their number give them a call and see what they think after all you can buy a lead for a cat not a silver shark
scot

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I have, they agree with me. cats should, where possible, have outside access. however a dog should only have that access whilst under supervision. there is no assumption, by the RSPCA, that cats need any, supervision, whilst outside. indeed they point out how impractical leads and harnesses are for, most, cats.
the rest of your post, simply, points out. you don't like cats. which is fine. but irrelevant to this thread.

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actually I think that is very relevant, you're talking to people who very much love their animals including their cats. I have had cats all my life and currently have three very healthy happy kitty cats, who enjoy the safety and warmth of the house.

We give you a hard time because we are trying to make a point that their are other valid views then your own. i believe in keeping my cats indoors, because i know it is part of my job as their owner to see to their safety, something I cannot if they are allowed to run around outdoors. My cats are not any worse for ware because they can't go outside, in fact they live longer happier and healthier lives.

The local wild life is also happier and healthier because of that. domesticated cats have no need to hunt for food since you are feeding it, when a domestic cat kills something outside it is doing it because it can. you think that dead bird in your yard is better off because your cat got to be outside?

I lost 3 cats and a dog (a dog who was never allowed to roam around freely) to antifreeze poisoning in the span of about a week. The neighbors had set out bowls of the stuff to keep the neighborhood cats from using their mulch as a litter box. The dog escaped the yard, something she never did, to get to the antifreeze. I lived in the country at the time. Also, as there is no good vaccine for FIV, you are exposing your cats to feline HIV every time they walk out the door.

by the way you still havnt responded to the cat crap in public places and other peoples property is that ok then if the RSPCA doesnt have a stance on this moral people do by and large i think, we could always do a poll if you like lol
DO the rspca promote cats roaming and killing on private land well I never knew i am sorry and thanx for bringing it to my attention lest assured i will be in touch with them tommorow so i can aqaint myself with there policy and withdraw sponsorship where needed
Oh if the RSPCA stance on this doesnt float your boat try the RSPB or the small mammal society .......................
i could go on
regards scot

I volunteer once a week at a cat adoption place called Kitty Cove. We do background checks and have them fill out a questionnaire. We deny the people that say they will let their cat outdoors. Just for your information.

raptorrex said:

Tolak said:

By contacting the RSPCA and hanging posters you are in no more a rural setting than I, and are doing as big a disservice to the animals in your care as I would be should I allow my dogs the same freedom to exercise their natural instincts in an unnatural environment.

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as none of my cats have "vanished". and the time involved is decades. it would seem "my way", causes no problems. whether in rural, or urban, environments

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How do you know “your way” causes no problems if you aren’t there to see what they are getting into?

raptorrex said:

you will notice i use "I" through out my posts. at no point did i say "everybody" should act as i do. though, from a personal point, i feel they should. to suggest i am failing my cats, would require some evidence that they have, suffered, or been disadvantaged in some way, by their freedom. even the "5 day trip" is quite normal for a pet cat. its, often, during these trips cat learn valuable life lessons.

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I’ll have to remember to toss my camera in my truck to document some of these valuable life lessons learned as animals afforded this freedom lie in the road.

raptorrex said:

and the "inbreed"? these are the only cats that can not, or most cant, venture out side. we have also spoken, before, about the actions for the Kennel club and its "inbreeding" program. my views have not changed, and are at least consistent.

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As are my views; a working line more closely represents the breed as originally conceived than a show line. This was not to be interpreted to mean letting an animal that comes from working bloodlines to determine where, when, and how it will work on its own determination.

raptorrex said:

salornights6 was kind enough to offer me advice on how to act, after my cats return. i answered, making my reasons clear. as i was asking for no advice, mealy posting to celibate what is, in effect, a right of passage, for a young cat, advice from, anyone else, (in that direction) is unnecessary.

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Ahhhh… much in the way I celebrate when my neighbor’s cat, who is allowed the same freedom, tears up my carefully planted flower box to take a dump, or shreds a rabbit on my front lawn, leaving blood & fur everywhere. The cat’s freedom trumps my ownership of private property. Animal rights come before my rights, thank you for explaining that. Certainly worthy of a celebration.

raptorrex said:

as to how others treat and keep their cat. that's up to them. however they decide to do it. with the caveat of the "Frankenstein" organisations of the breeders(cats and dogs) those i will always campaign against.

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As I will always campaign against improperly kept and supervised animals potentially causing damage to themselves and others, no matter what the breeding behind them may be.

I can only speak from my own experience, I live in a semi rural area.

this is Basil



He died before he was two years old of FIV

this is Barney, he is one of those show cats you mention



He was knocked over and killed before his second birthday

My cats as many of you know are Bengals - a domestic cat bred with the wild asian cat, mine were just three or four generations away from that breeding - so pretty hardy!

I now have three cats, Billy (he is three now)



Alfie



He is two and a half

Sparkle



She was a show cat and was bred from - I bought her from a well know breader who kept her breeding queens in a cage of approx six feet by four (for two years).

She goes in our garden but nowhere else, she is too scared of the outside world.

Both Billy and Alfie live indoors, they live indoors because I want to keep them safe, safe from roads, people with shotguns, poison etc. Yes it's great that they are not out killing birds and leaving their waste in other peoples gardens - but my main reason is I love them and can't bare to lose them early as I did with Barney and Basil, so maybe selfish, but I can live with that. They have things to climb on, they run around the house like loonys, they play with each other - they have a good life, they are healthy.

I would like to be able to take the moral high ground and say my cats dont go out because they would kill small rodents, birds etc - but I can't, the fact is I keep them indoors to keep them safe, because no matter how cruel nature is, us humans are by far worse

Seffie x
ps sorry for the long reply

My Cat is allowed to go out, I wouldn't keep him in, I don't believe that is right, if a cat craps on my garden, thank you very much, a source of nitrogen for my plants , I don't have anything against cats catchin mice or birds, wild ones that is not pets, because they do it instinctively, I'm not going to stop them from behaving like they're supposed to.

If Rapttorex wishes to let his cats out for the reasons he states, that's fine, it's his choice.

Truck said:

My Cat is allowed to go out, I wouldn't keep him in, I don't believe that is right, if a cat craps on my garden, thank you very much, a source of nitrogen for my plants , I don't have anything against cats catchin mice or birds, wild ones that is not pets, because they do it instinctively, I'm not going to stop them from behaving like they're supposed to.

If Rapttorex wishes to let his cats out for the reasons he states, that's fine, it's his choice.

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thanks Truck. and that was my point.
sorry chester the reason i did not comment before is, its utter daftness. you didn't even check to see if, any, of your though had basis in fact.
as for the your comments:
There are more than six million dogs in the UK They produce 900 tonnes of faeces a day Dog fouling costs councils £22m a year to clear up Ocular larva migrans is the kind of toxocariasis that can affect the eyes There are on average 12 cases each year SOURCES: Defra, Dog Trust.
somewhat more of a problem than cats cause. and dogs are, supposed to be, under control. perhaps their owners should buck up. they, or many, clearly have problems looking after their dogs.

incidentally, there are no figures on the cost of cat fouling. but:
Although cats are often blamed for spreading toxoplasmosis, contact with raw meat is a more significant source of human infections in many countries.
and:
Because cats only shed the organism for a few days in their entire life, the chance of human exposure is small. source

and from the BMJ:
Inadequately cooked or cured meat is the main[sup] [/sup]risk factor for infection with toxoplasma in all centres.
BMJ
so no real substance in the comments.

with the RESPCA. can anyone provide one publication, or link. where the RSPCA state cats should not be let out, providing its possible?

Seffie,

You have beautiful cats. I'm sorry to hear the loss of your other two. That is very sad. I couldn't agree with you more. I couldn't bare seeing my two cats hurt or sick. They are like my children and I feel responsible to protect them and keep them out of harms way. My two cats are very spoiled and there's nothing I wouldn't give to them. I had an outdoor cat growing up and she came home numerous times injured. Sometimes didn't return home for days. I remember driving around town with my sister looking on the road for her lying dead on the side of the street some where. She also was shot with a BB gun on another occasion. It was hard getting her to stay in the house because she was a stray as a kitten. My dad didn't help the issue either, he always let her outside when the rest of the family kept her inside. Now that I live on my own with my husband, I will never ever in a million years keep a cat outdoors. Outdoors = bad news

These are my two babies