You state that it is the expert opinion, in the US, to keep cats indoors....
I have to ask what special qualifications this "Expert" has to receive the
title of expert?
Everyone knows that cats are natural hunters, it's in their blood to stalk,
and kill.
When we decide that are cats are better off indoors, are we even attempting
to think about what they want?
If not, are we the pets owner, or Warden?
And is it a pets home or prison?
If your cat stares out the window for hours, watching for any movement,
hopefully a bird. Eventually he sees the birds coming, so he crouches
lower, as if to hide behind an imaginary bush. They get closer, he gets
lower. Closer, lower. Then your cant control his anxiety any further and
begins to start chattering......... If that sounds like your cat, you
have to ask yourself "what did he/she do to deserve being incarcerated for
life?"
"is he/she truely happy?"
"who am I to take away the livelyhood of such an innocent animal?"

That's my EXPERT opinion. What makes me an expert?
I have two cats and feel EXTREMELY GUILTY about keeping them indoors. I
know that more than anything, they want to be able to explore and experience
new things. They want to be able to actually stalk a bird, and then
actually catch it!!!!
I also know that they are truely bored with everything in the house. I do
play with them often, that's not the problem, it's just that nothing has new
smells, and the carpet always feels the same under their paws.

If I were to live anywhere but where I am now, my cats would be allowed
outdoors. The streets are too busy, and neighborhood kids have been seen
torturing cats. Once the kids were walking around with a dead kitten on a
leash, and laughing.
Yes, getting hit by a car is a possibility. But a risk they wouldn't think
twice about to regain their freedom.
But I strongly feel that they would make the decision to die tomorrow, if
that is what it would take to go outside today.

Have you ever been in Jail???
I was once, for a false charge.
Being locked up, for doing nothing wrong.

And that's what I do to my cats. What makes it right for me to do that to
them?

James


"Luvskats00" wrote in message
...
"Susan"
asks

.... we have had cats for
years, but never 2 until last year when we adopted a year old female,
part
Russian Blue....she was lonely and we got a
4 month old male a couple of months later. He was very dominant right
off
the bat and ambushed her constantly....We also have 2 Labrador
Retrievers...the female cat
disappeared about 2 months ago. Morris is about a year old now and he's
really lonely. We're going to adopt another, but I'm curious whether
it's
better to have 2 cats of the same sex or doesn't it matter if they are
neutered to begin with.

That's a lot to digest, Susan. First, you must be aware that for every
question
posted in this (or, probably, many newsgroups) you will get many
answers..some
contradicting others. You must weed through the posts to determine what
info
to accept and what to reject. Before you can do that, you must have some
basic
info on cat/dog behavior - healthcare. Since you currently have several
pets,
I hope you visit some dog/cat websites (and ask your vet questions along
the
way) so you know what you're doing!

Why did a cat disappear under your care? You didn't say the cat was lost
or
escaped from the house. From your post, it sounds extremely careless. If
you
are ovewhelmed with your current lot of pets, don't adopt another.
Currently,
there's a difference of opinion on whether it's acceptable or cruel to let
a
cat roam outside. I strongly support keeping a pet inside - in the US, the
expert opinion is that it's best to keep to keep cats inside.

If, after all of this, you feel responsible enough to add another pet,
I've
asked other pet owners, vets, newsgroups, websites. Following the advice,
I
adopted an opposite sex cat. The match is shakey. Resident male cat
attacks
new female cat. I hope you have good luck - with keeping your pets from
disappearing, at least.