Advice needed
 

kaeli sayeth something like;

I still wonder why the people who think it's perfectly fine to let cats
roam free think that dogs should be leashed or behind a gate. I've yet
to get a satisfactory answer to that.

I think that dogs are more likely to attack and possibly kill a human
and therefore should be chained up or fenced in. I have witnessed a
docile freindly dog attack a child without provocation or cause. I
think a good dog can turn bad in an instant without any warnings. Cats
on the other hand are unlikely to do anyone grievious damage,
therefore the mindset of let them run free. When I lived in the
country I always let my cats run about outside unattended without any
consequences. I now live closer to the city and would never let a cat
outside without supervision.(If I still had a cat.) I think it all
boils down to personal preferences and to where your home is situated.
hth

James Marz

Born in lust, turn to dust.
Born in sin? come on in! - Stephen King

I still wonder why the people who think it's perfectly fine to let cats
roam free think that dogs should be leashed or behind a gate. I've yet
to get a satisfactory answer to that.


Well, mostly because dogs have a better ability to injure people, a better
chance of causing serious accidents, and such. Dogs also will cause injury to
livestock. Yeah, I think dogs should be behind a gate, but never on a chain.
Dogs should also be taken out of the fence and given some freedom, even if it's
on a leash, daily.

Sherry

I still wonder why the people who think it's perfectly fine to let cats
roam free think that dogs should be leashed or behind a gate. I've yet
to get a satisfactory answer to that.


Well, mostly because dogs have a better ability to injure people, a better
chance of causing serious accidents, and such. Dogs also will cause injury to
livestock. Yeah, I think dogs should be behind a gate, but never on a chain.
Dogs should also be taken out of the fence and given some freedom, even if it's
on a leash, daily.

Sherry

IMO, just as with cats, it depends on the situation. When we lived in a rural
area, neither the cats nor the dogs were confined by fences or leashes. So
again, if you live in an area where it is safe to do so, and doesn't bother
the

Just plain common sense, of course. There are plenty of good farm dogs that
don't need a fence. But there's always the idiots who allow their dogs to romp
and stomp all over the country killing chickens and chasing cattle.

Sherry

IMO, just as with cats, it depends on the situation. When we lived in a rural
area, neither the cats nor the dogs were confined by fences or leashes. So
again, if you live in an area where it is safe to do so, and doesn't bother
the

Just plain common sense, of course. There are plenty of good farm dogs that
don't need a fence. But there's always the idiots who allow their dogs to romp
and stomp all over the country killing chickens and chasing cattle.

Sherry

In the USA, most experts believe cats should be kept indoors. There are people
who disagree with the experts, unfortunately. These people do not understand
that:
1) Cats can't read street signs or "Walk"/"Don't Walk" Signs.
2) Cats don't know enough to look both ways before crossing the street.
3) Cats don't know the difference between red & green traffic signals.
4) Dogs & wild animals can injure, maim and kill roaming cats.
5) Cats don't know NOT to ingest poisons. Many times, roaming cats can lap up
leaking anti-freeze (from a car). The anti-freeze is tasty and causes cats to
convulse and die painfully. There is no cure. Sadly, the makers of the
antifreeze have not yet banded together to add an ingredient(s) to make the
taste unpleasant.
6)People can be cruel. Some have beaten or killed cats for fun.

It's not worth the risk.

In the USA, most experts believe cats should be kept indoors. There are people
who disagree with the experts, unfortunately. These people do not understand
that:
1) Cats can't read street signs or "Walk"/"Don't Walk" Signs.
2) Cats don't know enough to look both ways before crossing the street.
3) Cats don't know the difference between red & green traffic signals.
4) Dogs & wild animals can injure, maim and kill roaming cats.
5) Cats don't know NOT to ingest poisons. Many times, roaming cats can lap up
leaking anti-freeze (from a car). The anti-freeze is tasty and causes cats to
convulse and die painfully. There is no cure. Sadly, the makers of the
antifreeze have not yet banded together to add an ingredient(s) to make the
taste unpleasant.
6)People can be cruel. Some have beaten or killed cats for fun.

It's not worth the risk.

Just to do the devil's advocate thing: I live in the US, on a quiet,
residential one-way street in an urban area. My two cats are
indoor/outdoor - they have access to the outdoors during the day and
are brought in each evening (they come when I call and every once in a
while we have a bit of a chase, but the call of dinner always wins out
in the end). I do worry, of course, but they're both doing well.

I do think 24 hour outdoor access can be asking for trouble, but not
everything needs to be so black and white. One cat, who is hyper and
super-intelligent really does need the outside - she goes bezonkers in
the house from lack of stimulation and loves being outside. I couldn't
bear to take it from her. She only sleeps about 8 hours a day, if
that, and she just gets bored inside. The other cat, a former feral,
can take or leave the outside, but is happy enough to while away the
day chasing butterflies behind her favorite bush.

On our block, there are about 8 owned cats that roam around, and all
of them come around periodically to interact with my two and they all
seem to be doing OK. None of them have dissappeared or gotten hurt and
I see them all the time so no - not all US cats live exclusively
indoors by any means, although many people, like me, do restrict the
outdoor time somewhat.

It depends on what your cat wants and needs. They do have different
personalities and some are more content as indoor cats than others.
You're the best judge of what your cats needs are. The busy street is
a problem. Mine rarely cross the street, if ever (they are discouraged
from doing so), but when I've seen explorer cat do it (once), she did
look to see if any cars are coming.
(It's a one way street and not heavily traveled - which helps).

My neighborhood is cat-friendly and animal-friendly. Everybody knows
the cats and we pet each others when they visit. The only wild animals
around - skunks and raccoons - are only an issue at night when my cats
are inside.

Nothing is guaranteed of course, although it helps knowing that the
vast majority of my neighbors WOULD brake for a cat and WOULDN'T leave
antifreeze congealed on the pavement, but I know that at least one of
my cats would rather live 10 years outside than 20 inside all of the
time. She shows me that everyday. (And very forcefully when I have
tried to keep her in). It's not the life she wants. And in the end,
loving any being is respecting their choices, not just locking them up
to keep them safe.

She's well-trained, she's bright, I supervise her when I can and the
rest of the time I just hope for the best. So far, so good.