"jmcquown" wrote in message
...
MaryL wrote:
"223rem" wrote in message
oups.com...
I will be moving from a house in a suburban/semi-rural area to an
apartment in a big metropolis. Now my cats can go out whenever they
want and in fact they spend more time outdoors than indoors. They
love to roam, climb trees, hunt, etc. They'd probably go nuts if
confined in an apartment.

To my surprise, my landlord, who always pets my cats when he rans
into them, offered to take my cats and 'give them a good home' in a
barn on his 50 acre farm. They'll probably become "barn cats"! This
guy is a honorable man, he's proven that many times, so he'll keep
his promise.

Well, I accepted his offer, and now I'm extremely sad... Was I wrong?
What would you have done in my place?


Well, since you asked for opinions, I will give you mine. Yes, I
think you were wrong. I would *never* give up my cats. They are
family, just like children -- and very few people would give up
children. Cats are not disposable objects! Moreover, I have been
through a number of "moving days" when I had to find an apartment
that would accept cats. I had to give up on many apartments that I
really would have liked simply because of adamant "no pets" policies.
I no longer have to worry about that because I own my home, but *my*
policy during the days when I was renting was "accept my cats, or I
look elsewhere." Incidentally, cats adjust *very* well to apartment
living. All you need to do is provide lots of toys, attention,
scratching posts, and a climbing surface (such as a cat tree). Barn
cats usually do not receive the type of attention that you have
probably been giving your cats. They also usually have a shorter
lifespan than indoor cats -- less nutrition, vulnerable to predators,
traffic (even in a rural area), etc. Your landlord may have good
intentions, but do you really think he will monitor their health,
take them to a vet on a regular basis, provide good quality food (and
not take the attitude that they can "catch their own food"), groom
them, give them attention, and all the other little things that you
have probably done without even thinking about it. So, my opinion is
that you should try to retrieve these kitties, take them with you,
and provide the type of indoor space that will give them a healthy
and happy environment without needing to go outdoors. Personally, I
think it will also make *you* happier since you said you are
heartbroken over this decision.

MaryL

This has nothing to do with a gmail block... I blocked 223 a long time ago
because he obviously doesn't give a crap about cats. This just proves it.
He's not heartbroken. It's all about HIM, not about the cats. I hope 223
gets to go live in a barn. Grrrrrr.

Jill



Thanks, Jill. I had not picked up on that. I just did a brief google
search and found a message where this person said he *left his cats alone
for four weeks* but they were "fine" when he returned. Another message said
"Should have put the cat in the car with birdie" when someone wrote about a
sparrow getting into the car. Grrrrr is right. Those cats didn't have a
home, they had an occasional place to visit.

MaryL